"Goldmember" was, unfortunately, rather limp. (Some spoilers)

[vsp]

I caught the new Austin Powers movie tonight, and I have to say that I was thoroughly disappointed. A few good sight gags were about all it had to offer -- I liked the first and loved the second, but the third didn't have a single bit of genuine inspiration comparable to its predecessors.

So, trying not to spoil more than I have to...

The good:

* The opening sequence was pretty good, and one of its cameos in particular had me roaring.

* Any time Verne Troyer was on screen, the movie was 120% more alive than when he wasn't. He seemed to be the only one having any fun out there.

* Beyonce Knowles wasn't bad as Austin's new partner; there wasn't that much for her to do, but she did it well enough. (Probably better in the role than Heather Graham in part two, who was a visual stunner but a wooden actress through most of that movie.)

* The flashback sequence was a nice touch.

The bad:

* Go away, Britney Spears, and don't come back. Ever.

* When Part 3 rehashes jokes from Part 2, it's a problem. When Part 3 includes jokes ABOUT rehashing jokes from Part 2, and THEN goes ahead and keeps doing it... it's a bad script. When 90% of the things that were funny WERE the rehashed jokes... let's let the series end at #3. Please?

* Too much of what was funny about the movie was given away by the commercials. The impact of Mini-Austin would have been ten times bigger if they hadn't shown him on TV already, for instance, and they gave away the sharks-with-lasers joke.

* The one thing they DIDN'T rehash from the second movie was the thing that they should've. Why did Felicity Shagwell simply vanish without a trace, after marrying Austin at the end of the last movie? Even if they disposed of her in the first five minutes, it would've made for a better segue.

* Goldmember (the character) was just plain disturbing -- unfunny, intentionally disgusting, and didn't do much of anything that was that interesting.

* The rap sequence should be buried at sea.

* Michael Caine mailed it in.

* FAR too little Mindy Sterling (Frau).