AUSTIN POWERSIN
GOLDMEMBER

2002 *** 95 mins.

After wretched second film, this film is more than welcome. My wife actually laughed harder and more often at this film than the first two combined. I, on the other hand, still felt that the first one was better, due, mainly, to the fact that the idea isn't as fresh anymore. Still, though, this film does have a plot that's loads better than the second film and it's not just a re-hash of the first film, like the secondfilm. I thought Beyonce Knowles was stunning in both sight and performance in this film. Don't misunderstand me--I'm not saying she's a great actress; I'm just saying she was great in this role. She was a lot better as an actress than as a singer, I must also say. Anyway, I thought Michael Caine was great as Austin's father, and Mike Myers was almost unrecognizable as Goldmember. Another thing that bugged me about this film is that the disappearance of Heather Graham's character in the previous film is not explained. All in all, though, this is a highly entertaining third film that doesn't quite live up to the first.br> Rated PG-13 for sexual innuendo, crude humour, and language.

• Original theatrical aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (Super 35)
• Original theatrical release date: July 22, 2002