Everybody but me seems to think this movie (with its predecessors) is the greatest thing since sliced bread. If I am out of step with the rest of the world … well, I guess the rest of the world is just crazy.

We are introduced to Powers’ father Nigel (Michael Caine), who has an important secret to reveal towards the end. In the meantime, Powers (Mike Myers) must foil a plot by Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), his son Scott Evil (Seth Green) and his miniature clone Mini-Me (Verne Troyer) to use a powerful tractor beam, named appropriately (?) “Preparation H”, to draw in a giant meteorite that will melt the North Polar ice cap and flood the world, something that — given the nature of the North Polar ice cap — seems highly unlikely. (Think Archimedes in his bath crying “Eureka!”) Hanging around the periphery is the evil Goldmember (Mike Myers), so named because he once suffered a molten-gold accident and was gilded, or some similar word. Fat Bastard (Mike Myers), now moonlighting as a sumo wrestler, has a part. Powers is backed up by a bosom buddy from 1975, Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyoncé Knowles).

There are some amusing scenes, most notably at the beginning when we are introduced to an Austin Powers movie, directed by Steven Spielberg (himself) and with Austin Powers played by Tom Cruise (himself), Gwyneth Paltrow (herself) as “Dixie Normous” (naming convention borrowed from the James Bond films, as usual), Kevin Spacey (himself) as Dr. Evil, and Danny deVito (himself) as Mini-Me. Unfortunately, for the scene in which Powers is knighted, they couldn’t get the real Queen Elizabeth II — what a coup that would have been! The scene in which they interview the evil Japanese magnate Mr. Roboto and his comments appear to be vulgarities because the subtitles are shown against an intermittently white background is also genuinely amusing. And some people will genuinely fold up with laughter at Powers’ and Mini-Me’s shadow-play behind a screen near the end of the movie.

Aside from those scenes, there is (so what else is new?) an overreliance on poo-poo and pee-pee jokes. If these don’t amuse you, you may find the film boring. I drowsed off twice — the first time I’ve done that since Amélie.

Not my favorite film, I’m afraid. Not as bad as I was afraid it would be, though — the advantage of lowered expectations.