A Quadruple Threat
That said, the Austin Powers movies have always been more about stand-out scenes, quotable lines, and funny moments than cohesive, logical storylines (even International Man of Mystery had its weak spots), and that's truer than ever with Goldmember. It certainly suffers more in the "huh?" department than its two older siblings; Dr. Evil's latest world-domination plot has something to do with a gold meteor and (naturally) a laser, but after that, things get fuzzy. Director Jay Roach seems to have cobbled the plot together as a way to get from one set-piece to the next, and consequently the film often feels jarringly choppy.

What Roach does well is give Myers a chance to let his tremendous comedic talent out to play — even fart jokes are funny coming from the erstwhile Wayne Campbell. This time around, Myers has four on-screen alter egos: Always-randy Austin, cat-toting baldy Dr. Evil, leering Scotsman Fat Bastard, and the newest member of the menagerie, Goldmember, a psycho, sun-damaged '70s Euro-swinger with "toit" trousers and a penchant for noshing on his own peeling skin. (Yum!) Fat Bastard's sumo-wrestling appearance is fairly gratuitous, but the other two villains are co-conspirators in the aforementioned world-domination scheme, which Austin must foil with the aid of sassy soul queen Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles, who holds her own in her big-screen debut) and his own absentee father, Nigel Powers (a perfectly cast Michael Caine, sending up his own work in 1965's The Ipcress File).

This being an Austin Powers movie, time-travel is a must: Austin (decked out in full pimp regalia) pops back to the '70s to find his dad and recruit Foxxy, and then the whole group warps back to 2002 for the final showdown in Dr. Evil's underwater lair. Other Austin musts include an opening-credits dance number, a Dr. Evil rap, Verne Troyer scampering around as Mini-Me, a combative Scott Evil (played hilariously by Seth Green), the always-smooth Number Two (Robert Wagner), and shrill disciplinarian Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling). An inspired addition to the usual antics this time around is the star-spangled action sequence that opens the movie — rarely have such high-wattage cameos been put to better use.

So even though Goldmember doesn't really give the Austin Powers franchise the creative jolt that critics (and some fans) were hoping for, it has more than enough strong moments and silly laughs to satisfy anyone who ever wished "Danger" was their middle name.

A Dandy DVD
The same can be said of New Line's Goldmember "Infinifilm" DVD — it doesn't really break any new ground, but it's got a lot to offer. The first Austin Powers disc was one of the earliest to offer a healthy selection of special features, and the tradition continues here. Broken down into two categories — "Beyond the Film" and "All-Access Pass" — the disc's extras include a commentary by Roach and Myers, 14 deleted scenes, outtake reel, a gaggle of short production featurettes, music videos, trailers, and a trivia-filled "fact track" you can opt to play with the movie (turn it on and you'll get snippets about everything from the first successful parachute skyjacker to talent-agency statistics).

Roach and Myers are old hands at Austin-related commentaries by now, so it's no surprise that their banter is a little subdued. Still, they manage to offer interesting behind-the-scenes stories, and it's clear that they enjoy working with each other and the rest of the Powers team. At one point, Myers makes a point of explaining why Goldmember is Dutch: "The reason Holland was chosen is we wanted to have a country nobody has an axe to grind with," he notes, going on to say that Canada could have worked, too, but that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone beat them to it.

On the featurette side of things, viewers can choose from 15 short interludes — the subjects include the history of British intelligence, Cockney rhyming slang, '70s style, costumes, visual effects, the film's new major characters (Goldmember, Foxxy, Nigel, and the young Austin and Dr. Evil), stunts, vehicles, and choreography. Highlights include "Jay Roach and Mike Myers: Creative Convergence" (which, despite being a Myers love-fest, is a nice behind-the-scenes overview) and the five-minute piece on Aaron Himelstein (young Austin) and Josh Zuckerman (young Evil). Watching the two teenagers try to conceal their excitement as they audition, get the job, and go through fittings for things like prosthetic ears and chest hair is surprisingly affecting.

Then, of course, there are the deleted scenes. Most of the 14 snippets (which you can watch with or without Roach's commentary) add to or repeat stronger material that made it into the finished film, but all are worth watching. Standouts include a brief segment with young Austin and Evil and some suggestive book titles, and a musical number ("What's It All About, Austin?") featuring the whole cast — even Rob Lowe as Young Number Two. And the four-minute outtake reel is good, if not hilarious.

Those who got a particular kick out of Dr. Evil and Mini-Me's prison rap sequence will be happy to know a slightly different version is on the disc in the music videos section, joining the illustrious company of Britney Spears ("Boys"), Knowles ("Work It Out"), and the Austin Powers-led Ming Tea ("Daddy Wasn't There").

On the Technical Side of Things ...
DVD-philes will appreciate what seems like a relatively insignificant feature at first glance: Every featurette, video, and extra is accompanied by its run-time — that way you know whether you're in for a quick snippet or a longer haul. You can also play the movie in "Infinifilm" mode: While you're watching, boxes will pop up offering the opportunity to access the special features right then and there (after clicking through and watching them, you'll go back to exactly the same spot in the movie). It gets a little distracting in spots, but it is nice to see some of the behind-the-scenes stuff in context.

The Infinifilm concept is explained in detail in the "What Is Infinifilm?" intro; indeed, if there's one thing the disc isn't short on, it's explanations and helpful hints. Navigate to the screen and sound set-up menu, and you can find out the difference between the three audio options (Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround, DTS ES 6.1 Surround, and 2.0 Stereo Surround — all excellent) and get an official endorsement of the film's widescreen presentation (the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is strong and crystal-clear). And if you need help adjusting your TV's color and contrast, Infinifilm can help with that, too.

But we'd still better leave the fart jokes to Mike Myers ...