Stormbreaker (2006)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Geoffrey Sax

Writers:

Anthony Horowitz (novel)
Anthony Horowitz (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 July 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family

Tagline:

You're never too young to die.

Plot:

Alex Rider thinks he is a normal school boy, until his uncle is killed. He discovers that his uncle was actually spy on a mission...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | 14 Year Old | Gadget | Teenager | Secret Intelligence Service

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Sarah Bolger	...	Sabina Pleasure
Robbie Coltrane	...	Prime Minister
Stephen Fry	...	Smithers
Damian Lewis	...	Yassen Gregorovich
Ewan McGregor	...	Ian Rider
Bill Nighy	...	Alan Blunt
Sophie Okonedo	...	Mrs. Jones
Alex Pettyfer	...	Alex Rider
Missi Pyle	...	Nadia Vole
Mickey Rourke	...	Darrius Sayle
Andy Serkis	...	Mr. Grin
Alicia Silverstone	...	Jack Starbright
Ashley Walters	...	Wolf
Alex Barrett	...	Gary
Richard Huw	...	Teacher

Also Known As:

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker (International: English title) (UK) (poster title)
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sequences of action violence and some peril.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Germany | USA | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:PG | Ireland:PG | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M | USA:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:MG6 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | Argentina:Atp | Germany:12 | South Korea:12 | South Africa:PG

Filming Locations:

Broadgate, London, England, UK

Company:

Samuelson Productions

Trivia:

Part of the film will be produced at the Pinewood Studios located in Buckinghamshire, UK.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Portuguese Man o' War does not kill by electric shock as shown with the little fish. It's tentacles are filled with thousands of nematocysts that contain a venom, consisting of mostly proteins, that causes a stinging pain lasting about an hour in humans. The real danger is that the venom is highly allergenic and causes allergic shocks in a large number of subjects.

Quotes:

Jack Starbright: Is it just me or are those bankers weird?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: (#37.9)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Good to be Here

An excellent adaptation of the novel

I've read all the Alex Rider books - largely to see what my three sons were raving about. The books are action from page 1, well crafted stories in the James Bond genre, with plausible science. I have thoroughly enjoyed them. Stormbreaker is not the best book in the series, but I can understand the movie makers starting there as it gives them the option to make at least five more Alex Rider films! The film follows the book pretty faithfully, though with a few inevitable cuts and the introduction of a character from a later book. More is given to the female characters, particularly Alex's housekeeper/guardian (Jack Starbright/Alicia Silverstone), presumably to widen the appeal beyond teenage boys and their dads. The relationship between the nasty head of MI-6 his deputy Miss Jones and the reluctant spy Alex is nicely transferred from the book. I particularly liked the Miss Jones characterisation. I thought the SAS training camp and the relationship with Wolf could have been handled better - the reasons for Wolf handing over the cap badge were a bit weak in the film, but are much stronger in the book. Overall, the plot in Stormbreaker is not the strongest in the series, so I am sure many will criticise this, but the studio have done an excellent job of transferring what there is to the screen. The location shooting in London is fabulous. It is so nice to have a well-crafted British movie in this genre after having to sit through the awful SpyKids series...