this movie its like Agent Cody Banks meets James Bond, only way cooler than Cody banks of course. It was far better than i expected, i really enjoyde it. There were some really silly parts and everything was solved VERY easily.

but still a very entertaining movie.

B+

The Spy genre has always been a healthy source of material for Hollywood and be it the serious tones of Bourne or Ipcress, the ubiquitous style of James Bond and the more juvenile orientated efforts of Spy Kids and Cody Banks it will always be a area of cinema the studios feel safe dipping into. It's into this diverse mix that "Stormbreaker" based on the Anthony Horowitz novel of the same name steps, and its a movie that skirts the styles of almost all the above while never settling in one. The Question is does this approach work or does it flounder?

The overall feel leans more towards Bond then Spy Kids as despite the relative youth of the main character "Rider" there is a distinctly serious air to large parts of the movie. The kiddy feel you might have suspected to have been there is absence as you instead are treated to a pleasing number of highly kinetic action sequences, surprisingly callous characters and a main plotline (involving revolutionary new computers, British schoolkids and a lethal virus) that carries a heavy weight of realism (by movie standards) to the table. This will be expected by those who have read the original novel but it comes as a slight surprise to raw viewers who may go in with an impression that a lighthearted experience awaited them.

The large number of British thespians on display ranging from Nighy as the cold hearted realist of the secret spy organisation Rider is attached to all the way to Andy Sirkis's ghoulish villian "Mr Grin" and on to Stephen Frys "Q" like Smithers lend an air of grainy un-hollywood style realism while Pettyfer does an effective if unspectacular job of portraying the main hero of the piece "Alex Rider". Others like Silverstones "Jack Starbright" and Sara Bolgers "Sabina Pleasure" are relatively underused, althou Silverstones cartoon-like fight with one of the main villian henchmen is a bizarre if unusual highlight among the more straightlaced scenes. Bolgers role as Riders love interest is also badly neglected and although this is understandable considering the youth of the main characters it still makes you pine for the sizzling sexual foreplay of the Bond movies of which this, as already being mentioned, is a clear emulator of.

If one wanted to really point out this movies one massive disappointment it would have to be the performance of Rourke as the main villian "Darrius Sayle", Rourke certainly looks the part but he just sleepwalks through the role and is so off his A game that even the inexperienced Pettyfer overshines him whenever they are both on screen. Less "Sin City" and more "A Prayer for the Dying" one can only hope this is a temporary blip from the big man. It should also be mentioned on its minus side that "Stormbreaker" features what has to be the most blatent level of product placement I have ever seen. The offending item is a certain portable games console that I would not do the service of mentioning here. Lets just say you won't miss it whenever it pops up. There are also one or two pieces of ropey dialogue (He's as charming.....as a snake) and a training camp interlude that feels redundant to the stories main flow.

If one had to sum up Stormbreaker the word Bond-lite would be a very apt description, its already be aluded to in the review that this wears the same style walks the same path only with inevitable shifts made to accommodate the younger hero. Its not a classic of the genre by any means but it is enjoyable while it lasts and the ending heavily hints at further installments in the series (Horowitz has written 6 Rider novels thus far).

B-

C


I have read five Alex Rider novels so far and the first one is probably the weakest, though still somewhat entertaining. When reading it, I thought that it'd be perfect for a cool cinematic adaptation. Sadly, the makers of this film apparently weren't of the same opinion as the movie doesn't live up to the potential of the book. It tries to be serious sometimes...and yet, more often than not, it isn't. A couple of cool action scenes from the book (especially the quads attack) were taken out of the film here and the action scenes that made it into the film (as well as some new ones) are lacking suspense and some are just a bit laughable. Surprisingly, though, I didn't find myself bored and I thought the cast ensemble was pretty good with the young lead not even making me cringe which is an achievement by itself. Bill Nighy is perfectly cast as Blunt, but it's too bad they didn't get Smithers and Sayle right. Alicia Silverstone's role is really extended here (her character barely is in the book at all), but I was fine with that as Silverstone did her job well and I missed her in movies anyway. She's a sweet and charming actress, too bad she disappeared in limbo.

On the whole, there are couple of fun scenes, a couple of completely stupid scenes which all together deliver a mediocre flick. Too bad it wasn't really a success as I could see them improving with further installments, as long as they keep going the more serious than kiddie route (as the books in the series progressively did).