STORMBREAKER

"He's not a kid, he's a lethal weapon"

After the death of his uncle, Alex Ryder (Pettyfer) discovers that the man who had raised him wasn't the lowly bank employee that he thought he was but a spy for a secret branch on MI6. While investigating his death, Alex discovers that his uncle had been training him since birth to improve his intelligence, strength and martial arts skills to make him the utilimate spy. When division director Alan Blunt (Nighy) sees him in action, he offers him his Uncle's job in the division but Alex is still only fourteen years old.

Teenage spies haven't been strangers to the big screen but can a British take on the premise bring anything new to the genre?

Based on the best selling novels by Anthony Horowitz and adapted by the author himself, the first of six planned adventures for Alex Ryan sees the fourteen year-old realise that he might actually be a spy. Taking a little too much influence from the James Bond franchise, 'Stormbreaker' takes the best bits of the long running British institution and reintroduces some of the aspects that made Bond such a firm favourite.

Watching 'Stormbreaker' is like going back to the Roger Moore Bond era. An overly extravagant plot and grandiose action sequences combined with gadgets and even a girl, this is basically James Bond Jr. Writer Anthony Horowitz takes all the best parts of the most famous spy series and runs with them for a teenage audience. Anyone who is a fan of 007 will instantly recognise how the plot combines many a storyline from the Roger Moore movies and the underpinnings of the super criminal organisation SPECTRE that ran through the Sean Connery era. These elements make you realise that this is just the start of a series of adventures for the teenage spy.

As with the Harry Potter movies, the filmmakers have gathered together a top-notch cast. An American and mainly British cast bring the favourite characters from the beloved novels to life. The MI6 officials are played to perfection by Bill Nighy as Alan Blunt and Sophie Okonedo as Mrs. Jones. Who better than Stephen Fry to be playing the Ryder universe version of Q, who supplies Alex with some cool gadgets including a version of the Nintendo DS that everyone will want. Mickey Rourke, Missi Pyle and Andy Serkis have fun with their villainous roles as Darrius Sayle, Nadia Vole and Mr. Grin and Damian Lewis suitably evil as the murderous Yassen Gregorovich. Alicia Silverstone makes a welcome return to the big screen as Alex's housekeeper/guardian Jack Starbright and there is a good cameo from Ewan McGregor.

It is the actor who plays Alex Ryder that is key to the film's success and the good news is that Alex Pettyfer is a super spy in the making. He plays the role completely straight throughout, while everyone else around him has a lot of fun. This makes the young character more believable and not annoying, as he could have been so easily.

'Stormbreaker' is really just James Bond Jr but there is much to enjoy. Fans of 007 may find it a little too similar but its target audience will revel in Alex's adventures. With good action sequences and a story that is fun, if slightly over the top, this is a movie that entertains but in the spy movie genre no one does it better than the man with the 00.

Spy Kids

Any James Bond Movie

---

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2006