Quartile rating: 8/10 · 2 ratings
When diabolical genius Dr. Evil travels back in time to steal superspy Austin Powers's ‘mojo,’ Austin must return to the swingin' '60s himself - with the help of American agent, Felicity Shagwell - to stop the dastardly plan. Once there, Austin faces off against Dr. Evil's army of minions to try to save the world in his own unbelievably groovy way.
Austin Powers 2 doubles down on the first film's formula with more gross-out gags and quotable one-liners, but the plot is noticeably thinner — the time-travel mojo MacGuffin is largely an excuse to recycle jokes. Mike Myers commits fully to multiple roles and the ensemble keeps energy high, but the filmmaking is functional rather than inspired. Novelty gets a slight bump for the sheer audacity of its vulgarity and the franchise's unique comedic voice, though it's definitively less fresh than the original. The ending wraps up perfunctorily, relying on callbacks rather than earned laughs.