Are You Still Shagadelic? How Well Do You Remember Austin Powers?
- by Lucas Wesley
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Between the years 1997 and 2002, former Saturday Night Live alum Mike Myers created his most enduring entry into the pop culture lexicon with his character Austin Powers. Well, that’s to say Powers was the title character of three films he wrote and starred in, though Myers also played an additional major role in each one of them. He wasn’t the only actor to shine, however, with the screenplay offering all performers opportunities for non-stop jokes, puns, and spoofs of the spy genre Myers so clearly loved.
An unfrozen super sleuth from the 1960s, Austin Powers often feels like a man out of time, but in many respects, that’s exactly his charm. From anyone else, a phrase like “oh, behave,” feels like an outdated throwback, yet Myers rode catchphrases like that one into a $600 million franchise. In fact, the catchphrases, callbacks, and generally absurd humor are exactly what make the Austin Powers films so incredibly memorable to this day.
Even someone who hasn’t seen a minute of any Austin Powers flick in over a decade probably remembers the biggest gags, and people who love the movies enough to have re-watched them recently can probably quote the whole thing. No matter how long it’s been for you, keep reading to find out if you’re still “shagadelic, baby” by taking this quiz about Austin Powers.
Who is Austin’s rival?
Every great hero needs a villain, and Austin Powers has had the same main rival since the 1960s. In fact, the entire reason the super spy allowed his government to cryogenically freeze him at his peak was because his enemy had recently done the same, and he wanted to be ready for whatever timeline that menace unfrozen himself. Throughout all three Austin Powers films, the Big Bad remains the same, with absurd eccentricities that at times make him an even more memorable character than Powers himself. Who is he?
What is the first film subtitled?
Depending on how much attention people pay to movie posters and DVDs, it may come as a minor surprise to learn there’s no actual movie simply called “Austin Powers.” All three films in the series have subtitles, including the first one, which may actually be the hardest to remember. While the two sequels both used puns based on James Bond movies, the first Austin Powers subtitle was a much more straightforward, general explanation of the character. It’s so vague it could almost work as an actual Bond title, or perhaps a cheap knockoff, which may well have been the point.
Who is Austin’s sidekick in the first film?
In classic James Bond tradition, one of the running threads between each Austin Powers movie is that the sleuth always finds a gorgeous new partner to help him on his latest quest. Kicking off the trend in International Man of Mystery is a woman who was actually the daughter of Austin’s original sidekick back in the ‘60s. Out of Austin’s three companions, she’s also probably the one who needs the most time to warm up to him, with her progressive ‘90s sensibilities often at odds with his free swinging attitude.
What type of androids does Dr. Evil use in his fight against Austin?
Any great villain knows to play to his enemy’s weaknesses, and as a graduate of evil medical school, Dr. Evil clearly learned from the best. Evil made this clear through one of his most memorable creations, an entire line of gorgeous cyborgs who can shoot bullets from, well, the parts of their body Austin is most likely to be staring at. However, there appears to be a major design flaw in that they can easily overheat and explode when turned on, allowing Austin to overpower them all at once with a single sexy dance of his own.
How does this man die?
While both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil are obviously quite intelligent in their own ways, being frozen for over 30 years also makes them look shockingly out of touch in many occasions. That said, they’re far from the dumbest or least aware characters in the Austin Powers. Without any question, that designation belongs to this guy, who dies one of the stupidest deaths in movie history. Of course, we mean that as a good way, as it’s hard not to laugh as he shouts “NOOOO!!!” for a solid 15 seconds as Austin and Vanessa kill him very, very slowly.
What does Dr. Evil name is beloved pet cat?
Even a villain with evil in his name can have a soft side, and for Dr. Evil, that’s his beloved hairless pet cat. The poor feline wasn’t always hairless, as his current condition was merely a side effect of the freezing process they both endured. It’s not all bad, though, as the new look allows Dr. Evil and his most trusted ally a certain synergy in their shared baldness. Dr. Evil also didn’t appear to experience any changes in how much he enjoyed petting his beloved animal, so really, Mustafa didn’t deserve the fiery punishment he received for the mistake.
What does Random Task throw at Austin?
Despite appearing in only one film as a relatively minor character, Oddjob will forever remain one of the most unforgettable henchmen James Bond ever encountered. Naturally, Austin Powers had to parody the extremely powerful eccentric in some way, and the similarly intimidating Random Task was a perfect send up. Part of what made Oddjob so memorable was his trademark metal-billed hat, which he threw at hapless victims to maim or kill. Random Task also threw a unique weapon at Austin, but rather than kill him, it just left him annoyed and confused at why someone would throw it.
To which frickin animal does Dr. Evil wish to attach frickin laser beams?
Ultimately, Dr. Evil appears to want two things out of the evil medicine business. One, like any supervillain, he wants world dominance and/or global destruction, whichever comes first. Perhaps even more importantly, there’s a very specific weapon he wishes to innovate, a hybrid of two powerful methods of attack plenty of Bond villains have utilized in the past. The idea is simply enough, as all Evil wants to do is attach laser beams to a certain violent animal’s head. Unfortunately, that animal is endangered, and the red tape made it too hard for Number Two to grant his wish.
What is the second Austin Powers film subtitled?
Taking everything that worked in International Man of Mystery and pushing it to it’s farthest limit, many fans of the Austin Powers series would consider the second film in the series to be the best. In the very least, it best encapsulates Austin’s unique style, sending the super sleuth and his rival all the way back to their original time period, 1969. It also set the trend of subtitling films with direct parodies of James Bond, heavily infused with Austin’s unique vocabulary. Do you know what the second movie is called?
Which singer serenades Austin’s dates in the first two movies?
On many occasions, the world of Austin Powers takes wide leaps away from anything resembling reality, with the super spy talking directly to the camera and introducing the least expected guest stars imaginable. The most memorable examples of this come in the first two films, when he calls upon one of the best singer-songwriters of his era to sing cute love songs as he gets to know his new sidekicks. The second time around, rocker Elvis Costello also comes along for the ride, making for an extra special date.
What does Dr. Evil name his 1/8 sized clone?
In order for the battle between Austin Powers and Dr. Evil to rage on throughout three films, the international man of mystery’s nemesis needed to grow from one movie to the next, no matter how slightly. Even a 1.25% expansion could pay off with huge dividends, as seen in this miniature evil clone that fast became his closest ally in evil without saying a word. Dr. Evil was so fond of his clone that he almost immediately ditched his actual son Scott to instead bond with his lookalike.
Who is Scott Evil’s mother?
Born while his dad was cryogenically frozen, Dr. Evil’s son Scott is one of the least fortunate characters in the Austin Powers series. In addition to technically not having a father, for the first 20 or so years of Scott’s life, he’s led to believe he was a test tube baby, born through some sort of in vitro fertilization as a last safety measure to expand the Evil empire in case the freezing backfired. However, the second film reveals Scott was conceived the old-fashioned way, when Dr. Evil had a one night stand with one of his closest allies.
Which of the following pop culture references isn’t a Dr. Evil plan?
Because they were frozen for the better part of 30 years, both Dr. Evil and Austin Powers missed out on an incredible amount of human history. They also became completely clueless about pop culture, which had the humorous side effect of causing every single plan Dr. Evil contrived after his unfreezing to sound ridiculously out of date. There’s always some internal logic behind it, and the names all make sense on paper, but as Scott Evil is quick to point out, anyone with the Internet innately knows how horribly they lack in originality.
Who is Austin’s sidekick in the second film?
Breaking apart from his free swinging lifestyle, the first Austin Powers film ends with the man of mystery making the surprising decision to settle down with Vanessa Kensington and tie the knot. Unfortunately for the happy covered, movie number two kicks off with the reveal that she was actually a Fembot all along, and the whole marriage was a Dr. Evil related plot. While initially crushed by the betrayal, Powers immediately gets over it when he realized it means he can date again. Which ‘60s CIA agent helps him back on the horse?
What does Dr. Evil steal from Austin in The Spy Who Shagged Me?
Appropriate as it was to send Austin Powers back to the 1960s for his second film, he nonetheless needed some sort of impetus for going back in time. That said, it was easy enough to contrive a reason, and it begins with Dr. Evil going back in time first to steal what he apparently believes is Austin’s secret weapon. With Ivana Humpalot distracting the present day secret agent, time travelling Evil enlists Scottish newcomer Fat Bastard to successfully infiltrate the Ministry of Defense, find Austin’s frozen body, and extract his unique essence.
How many times does one have to ask Mustafa a question before he answers?
Matching their leader’s penchant for style over substance, few of Dr. Evil’s associates are all that good at their jobs. One of the worst is probably Mustafa, who Dr. Evil attempts to kill in the opening moments of the first film to no avail. He kinda disappears from there, but Mustafa is still alive when Austin goes back in time, and it immediately becomes evident Evil probably should’ve dropped the goof a long time ago when they meet. Apparently, all one has to do in order to crack Mustafa’s code is ask the same question a certain number of times.
What TV host invites Dr. Evil and Scott onto his show?
Notwithstanding his more villainous qualities, believe it or not, Dr. Evil actually makes a rather genuine effort at winning the affection of his son, Scott. Well, until Mini-Me comes along and steals his attention, anyway, but before that moment could happen, the mad doctor constantly attempted to bond with his progeny in one way or another. Unfortunately, feeling abandoned since childhood, it takes Scott a long time to warm up to his old man. Which celebrity’s talk show do they go on to talk about their problems?
What celebrity uses his name in a drawn out pun sequence about Dr. Evil’s spaceship?
No one is entirely sure why Dr. Evil designed his rocket ship the way he did, but everyone on Earth knows exactly what it looks like. This is made clear through not one but two incredibly long sequences of cutaways gags where no less than two dozen random people shout out a slang term for, well, the thing Dr. Evil’s spaceship looks like. This includes at least two celebrity guests who have slightly humorous names in the context. Which of these famous faces was one of them?
Which villain is introduced as the titular enemy of the third Austin Powers film?
While Dr. Evil remains the primary antagonist of all three Austin Powers films, he’s hardly alone in his quest for world dominance. The mad scientist has made plenty of allies over the years, and some of them were too ambitious to sit back and remain his Number Two. Back in the ‘70s, Dr. Evil had a particularly powerful villainous ally in Johan van der Smut, better known by a different name that also served as the movie’s subtitle. It also went a long way in describing his personal character, not to mention his physical appearance.
What gets thrown at Dr. Evil after he discovers he’s top of his class?
In many respects, Austin Powers and Dr. Evil are more than just enemies; they’re total opposites. Powers is wild and hairy, Evil is reserved and bald. Powers believes in free love and happiness, Evil believes in hate and domination. Austin didn’t do that great in school, Evil was the head of his class, a fact that made him incredibly proud. Austin once had a shoe thrown at his head, and Evil…well, completing the comparison would give away the answer, but yeah, someone threw something weird as heck at his dome, too.
Who is Austin’s sidekick in the third film?
Shazam! Even back in 2002, Beyoncé was already a whole lotta woman, and she proved it by becoming Austin Powers’s most proactive partner. The two are reintroduced in 1975, having apparently dated back in the ‘60s before Austin was frozen. While initially a little annoyed he hadn’t called in years, Beyoncé’s character quickly forgives him as they realize Goldmember is a mutual enemy, as the villain also murdered her last partner. Working together once again, the duo have little trouble taking the aurelian madman down.
What animal does Austin tell Foxxy he once open-mouth kissed?
Is there a more open ended set-up in comedy than, “tell me something I don’t know?” It seems like whenever the cliché is used, the response is consistently able to blow audiences minds, and reveal that there’s a whole lot we don’t know after all. That was definitely the case in Goldmember, when Foxxy used the old saying in response to Austin saying he believed someone had lied to them. Foxxy might have agreed the lies were a bit obvious, but she was still shocked when Austin nonchalantly admitted to having “open-mouth kissed” a certain animal.
What about Number Three does Austin have trouble overlooking?
Pictured next to this question is a celebrated actor and director named Fred Savage. During the 1980s, Savage was the star of The Wonder Years, which in some respects left him typecast. That wasn’t the case in Goldmember, though, as audiences had no time to think about Kevin Arnold when staring at a certain part of his body that Austin Powers for one found impossible to ignore. Not that the spy was alone, as Foxxy Cleopatra, Mini-Me, and Basil Exposition all seem to notice, but they at least ask Austin to show some decorum and stop yelling about it.
How are Austin and Dr. Evil related?
For the vast majority of time they’re on screen, Austin Powers and Dr. Evil assume they’re one another’s mortal enemy. Actually, it’s more than an assumption, as they both spent practically their entire lives embroiled in conflict with one another. That’s what makes the unexpected at the end of Goldmember so surprising, as no one ever expected the polar opposites to have been secretly related all along. It’s only a dramatic reunion with a third member of the family that allows the truth to come out. What is it?
Who plays Austin Powers in the movie-within-a-movie at the end of Goldmember?
In addition to the three real Austin Powers movies that exist, the third installment in the series also introduced a fourth adventure, a movie-within-a-movie with an all star celebrity cast and a title so dirty we can’t re-print it here. We can talk about the actors it featured, though, and should, if only to point out casting Danny DeVito as Mini-Me was one of the most inspired choices of the entire series. The stand-in for Austin wasn’t quite as accurate, but then again, it made complete sense the sleuth himself would think it was perfect.
What movie does Dr. Evil show the President to intimidate him?
For a man who graduated at the top of his class at evil medical school, Dr. Evil tends to piece together some pretty hair-brained plots. In the first film, the problems are mere issues of practicality, but by The Spy Who Shagged Me, his absurdity truly began to show. After traveling back in time to 1969, he demanded $100 billion from the President of the United States, only to learn that much money didn’t exist yet. Hurt by the Cabinet laughing at him, Dr. Evil showed clips from a Hollywood movie, claiming it was a demonstration of his laser’s power.
Which chain does Dr. Evil own and use as his headquarters in The Spy Who Shagged Me?
No matter how nefarious Dr. Evil happens to be, he wasn’t going to build a gigantic evil empire without first gathering some funds. For the most part, he leaves this part of the operation up to Number Two, who happens to be a low key business genius. This is apparent at the end of the first film, when he angrily thwarts Dr. Evil’s plans to say he was trying to take their enterprise legitimate after absorbing hundreds of other companies. Unfortunately, he didn’t get his wish, and instead, one of those companies became the new evil headquarters.
Who gets kidnapped at the start of Goldmember?
Each time Dr. Evil attempts to take down Austin Powers, the odds are heavily stacked against him. In the third film, he doesn’t even get to start his plan in earnest before Powers and other British agents storm Evil HQ and arrest him. Powers is then Knighted for his services, only for his ceremony to end in embarrassment when he looks to the crowd and discovered the one person he wished had attended the most wasn’t there. It wasn’t a snub like back in school, though—this time, Austin’s mentor had been kidnapped.
What pop sensation had a cameo as a Fembot?
Anyone who wants to experience everything the Austin Powers films have to offer in 10 minutes or less, look no further than the musical introduction to Goldmember, where the secret spy goes through all his greatest hits. After jiving to his signature song for about two minutes, Powers and his backup wander into the set of a major pop star’s music video and enter into a West Side Story style dance-off. Unsurprisingly, it’s soon revealed the singer is actually a Fembot, revealing her machine guns and forcing Austin to make her head explode with his mojo.
What sort of accident led to Goldmember’s unique condition?
A name like Goldmember is going to get people talking about how the person who uses it got the title, and with Johan van der Smut, every terrible assumption one could make is unfortunately true. Originally, the accident Goldmember suffered almost makes audiences want to feel bad for the guy, until they start realizing he might actually prefer the condition. Whether he did it on purpose or on accident, though, the fact remains he’s technically a eunuch, his real parts having been castrated and replaced with gold. How’d it happen to him?
Which celebrity pointed out the writers used the same joke in the second and third movies?
By the time the Austin Powers series produced Goldmember, it had almost entirely become a series of running gags, callbacks, and in-jokes, not to mention a small touch of meta-humor commenting on this very fact. Having made an incredibly drawn out joke about euphemisms for male body parts in the second film, it was inevitable they did the same thing with female anatomy in round three. The only catch is that these jokes were long, hard, and often unsatisfying to people who already heard it all before. Which celebrity points this out by calling the filmmakers “boobs?”
Who turns his back on Dr. Evil to help Austin in Goldmember?
After three movies of increasingly embarrassing failures, it was inevitable that some of Dr. Evil’s closest allies would turn their back on the guy for good. Heck, given the way the mad doctor acts, it’s amazing anyone ever wanted to work for him in the first place. Constantly belittling his henchmen, mocking his most helpful allies, and simply acting like a total jerk with his family, it’s easy to understand why just about anyone would betray Dr. Evil and start helping out Austin Powers. Who actually makes that jump?
Which Japanese businessman confuses Austin with blocked subtitles?
Having drained every last drop imaginable out of spoken wordplay, the third Austin Powers movie decided to take things ultra literally by having this foreign character speak in carefully obstructed subtitles. Because of strangely misplaced items blocking the text, it initially looks like he’s insulting Austin and telling him to “eat ****,” when in fact he’s offering up some nutritious shiitake mushrooms. Next, his lament about a rodent problem looks like an inappropriate sexual boast. Luckily, Foxxy understood the messages, and quickly moved things out of the way so Austin could catch up.
What nationality is Goldmember?
In every way imaginable, Austin Powers is a delightfully British character, a walking embodiment of every cliché known to the United Kingdom. The same is true of his father Nigel, and indeed the entire universe Austin surrounds himself with is seeped in a stereotypically pop culture version of all things English. However, there is one glaring exception to this trend in the villainous Goldmember, who takes after many a Bond villain by being from a different European country. Not coincidentally, Goldmember’s land of origin also happens to be the only country Nigel Powers can’t stand.
Who claims they’ll seek revenge in the cliffhanger to Goldmember?
Over 20 years after the first Austin Powers film was released, fans and people involved in the series are still talking about the potential for a fourth installment into the series. It’s been quite a while since the last one was made, but Mike Myers is still confident it could happen, even claiming that a general plot line has already been worked out. Of course, anyone who saw the Goldmember could probably figure out the basic story, given the film ends on a massive cliffhanger. Who takes over Dr. Evil’s lair and claims he’s plotting revenge?