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Review #297 of 365
Film: Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006) [PG] 93 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.25
Where Viewed: Colorado Cinemas Cherry Creek 8, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 4 November 2006
Time: 7:50 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Geoffrey Sax (White Noise)
Screenplay and story by: Anthony Horowitz ("Foyle's War") based on his novel
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Sarah Bolger (Premonition) • Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) • Stephen Fry (V for Vendetta) • Damian Lewis (Dreamcatcher) • Ewan McGregor (The Island) • Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) • Sophie Okonedo (Æon Flux) • Alex Pettyfer ("Tom Brown's Schooldays") • Missi Pyle (Just My Luck) • Mickey Rourke (Sin City) • Andy Serkis (The Prestige) • Alicia Silverstone (Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
— or — order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Tired of Harry Potter and all that sorcery and magic? While Mr. Potter has stolen the hearts of the world, another Brit-Kid superhero has captured the imagination of a little older group of kids. Into his sixth novel, author Anthony Horowitz has chronicled the life of Alexander Rider, kid MI6 agent. While still a school boy, orphaned Alex (Alex Pettyfer) finds himself suddenly in the employ of the MI6 seeking revenge on the assassin of his Uncle and benefactor Ian Rider (Ewan McGregor) who has been an undercover MI6 agent and secretly training Alex to follow in his footsteps his entire life through thoroughly clandestine means. Following a formula similar to the legendary wizard to whom he bears a curiously strong resemblance as both his parents were killed when he was a baby by an evil agent, Alex finds his way to MI6 headquarters by following a curious agent through a train station photo booth secret entrance. But, that's a little pre-mature. Before that, following the first book in the series pretty closely, Alex gets the news of his favorite Uncle's demise, just after a nice dinner of sushi and blowfish prepared by his babysitter Jack Starbright (Alicia Silverstone). At the funeral, Alex's keenly trained senses make him aware that a lot of the people in attendance are quite odd. After the funeral, he and Jack stumble upon thieves stealing Uncle Ian's belongings, and Alex takes to a two-wheeler to chase them down and discover their secret.
"…most Alex Rider fans will be quite happy with this adaptation of the book…"
All the while, he's being secretly tested by Alan Blunt (Bill Nighy) and Mrs. Jones (Sopie Okonedo) to see if he has the makings of the youngest MI6 Agent in history. It is shortly thereafter, that Alex and Jack track down the strange members of the funeral party at the train station, and Alex finds the secret entrance. Once in HQ, Blunt and Jones threaten to deport Jack if Alex fails to cooperate. They want him to train and become an agent whom then can then send to complete his Uncle's investigation into the nefarious plans of super villain, Darrius Sayle (Mickey Rourke) who, for some suspicious reason has decided given on of his new supercomputers, called the Stormbreaker, into every school in London and to have the Prime Minister (Robbie Coltrane) push the button to activate them all simultaneously. Once trained, after a two-week, intensive camp, and on assignment with a slew of cool gadgets supplied by toy maker Smithers (Stephen Fry), Alex is substituted for a real 'computer nerd' kid who has won a contest to meet Sayle at his factory and be the first kid to see how the new Stormbreaker works. Once there, he is introduced to Sayle's two main henchpersons, Nadia Vole (Missie Pyle) and Mr. Grin (Andy Serkis) and discovers the horrible truth behind Salye's computer gift and the true identity of his uncle's assassin, Yassen Gregorovich (Damian Lewis) who is in cahoots with Sayles. The story is 1 part Harry Potter, 1 part Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2 parts James Bond, and 1 part old school Johnny Quest.
As far as the plot goes, it's more entertaining and intelligent with some good British humor and moral implications than the average pitched-at-pre-teens fare. Alex Rider is a great character, not as fully developed as Harry Potter but also without the burdens of being the world's greatest wizard. The physical demands on the actor who played the role, relative new comer Alex Pettyfer were immense, and he did an outstanding job overall in becoming Alex Rider, lending the character credibility, with the looks of a kid who you believe really could do all this stuff. Mickey Rourke in dark tan make-up is a tad over the top in his portrayal of the American-born kid, sent to England to be educated when his mother won the lottery, who goes on to become a rich and powerful business man with a master plan to get revenge on the mean kids in his British boarding school—one of whom just happens to have been the current Prime Minister. Some of the other characters are a bit cartoonish: Alicia Silverstone's over acting of Jack, Missi Pyle's wacky turn as Nadia Vole, and Billy Nighy's Alan Blunt (MI6) director stood out in that way. Andy Serkis, on the other hand, as the former carnival act Knife Catcher wounded in the middle of catching a circular blade in his mouth when distracted by his mother, was a genuine walking tragedy in this role as Mr. Grin. The music by Alan Parker is good and appropriate building appropriate tension and excitement. All in all, it seems that most Alex Rider fans will be quite happy with this adaptation of the book and be hopeful that more of his adventures will come to be filmed as well. Whether or not pre-teens can be convinced to want to see the film in the USA without more fanfare remains to be seen.
As far as the plot goes, it's more entertaining and intelligent with some good British humor and moral implications than the average pitched-at-pre-teens fare. Alex Rider is a great character, not as fully developed as Harry Potter but also without the burdens of being the world's greatest wizard. The physical demands on the actor who played the role, relative new comer Alex Pettyfer were immense, and he did an outstanding job overall in becoming Alex Rider, lending the character credibility, with the looks of a kid who you believe really could do all this stuff. Mickey Rourke in dark tan make-up is a tad over the top in his portrayal of the American-born kid, sent to England to be educated when his mother won the lottery, who goes on to become a rich and powerful business man with a master plan to get revenge on the mean kids in his British boarding school—one of whom just happens to have been the current Prime Minister. Some of the other characters are a bit cartoonish: Alicia Silverstone's over acting of Jack, Missi Pyle's wacky turn as Nadia Vole, and Billy Nighy's Alan Blunt (MI6) director stood out in that way. Andy Serkis, on the other hand, as the former carnival act Knife Catcher wounded in the middle of catching a circular blade in his mouth when distracted by his mother, was a genuine walking tragedy in this role as Mr. Grin. The music by Alan Parker is good and appropriate building appropriate tension and excitement. All in all, it seems that most Alex Rider fans will be quite happy with this adaptation of the book and be hopeful that more of his adventures will come to be filmed as well. Whether or not pre-teens can be convinced to want to see the film in the USA without more fanfare remains to be seen.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)
Cast Members
Sarah Bolger
• Robbie Coltrane• Stephen FryDamian Lewis
• Ewan McGregor• Bill NighySophie Okonedo
• Alex Pettyfer• Missi PyleMickey Rourke
• Andy Serkis• Alicia SilverstoneDirector
Geoffrey Sax
Writer
Anthony Horowitz
| Book | CD Soundtrack | DVD |
| Related Book | Official Script | Nintendo DS |
| Related Books | VHS |
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
As Harry Potter stole the hearts of the world's little kids, another Brit-Kid superhero has captured the imagination of slightly older kids. Into his sixth novel, Anthony Horowitz has chronicled the life of Alexander Rider, kid MI6 agent. While still a schoolboy, orphaned Alex (Alex Pettyfer) finds himself in the employ of the MI6 seeking revenge on the assassin of his Ian Rider (Ewan McGregor)--an undercover MI6 agent who secretly trained Alex to follow in his footsteps his entire life. One part Harry Potter, one part Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and two parts James Bond, Alex Rider is a great character, not as fully developed as Harry but also without the burdens of being the world's greatest wizard. Director Geoffrey Sax has created an intelligent and entertaining adaptation of Horowitz's novel. Whether USA pre-teens will be convinced to see the film without greater fanfare remains to be seen
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