Stormbreaker

Alex Pettyfer could pass for a young James Bond.

Herald rating: * * *

Geoffrey Sax's Stormbreaker is James Bond for teens. In fact, the kid who plays 14-year-old orphan and spy Alex Rider, played by newcomer Alex Pettyfer, could easily pass as the younger brother of Daniel Craig (the new James Bond).

It's hard to say how die-hard fans of the Anthony Horowitz novel on which the film is based will find this adaptation, but the screenplay has been written by the novelist himself so that must work in the film's favour.

Alex, unbeknown to him, has been trained from a young age by his uncle (McGregor) to follow in his footsteps and become a spy with the British Secret Service MI6.

When his uncle is killed, and Alex learns the truth about his profession, he is reluctantly recruited by MI6, trained, and supplied with Bond-style gadgets. His first mission is to discover what lies behind the generosity of Darrius Sayle (Rourke), an entrepreneur who has offered to put one of his new high-tech Stormbreaker computers into every school in England.

Even though Stormbreaker is aimed at the teen market, the makers haven't skimped on star power and have made a valiant attempt to throw together some decent stunts, slick sets and pretty cool explosions.

The story is simple - you can see the ending and a sequel coming a mile off, which make the finale ultimately underwhelming. But the target audience won't care.

There is no doubt the minute the camera first pans on to Alex, and the female audience hear his polished English accent, they will be charmed. And any young man who is regarded as a lethal weapon and the owner of ridiculous gadgets will no doubt be the envy of all teenage boys.

Bill Nighy steals the show as MI6 boss Mr Blunt. For a humourless character, he's exceptionally witty in a delightfully quirky English way.

While most of the other characters also successfully ham up the cartoon quality of their characters, Rourke seems out of place as the American entrepreneur. Covered in blue and black eyemakeup, you'd think he was auditioning for a role in the next Pirates of the Caribbean film, if only he didn't take himself so seriously.

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Bill Nighy, Alicia Silverstone, Mickey Rourke, Alex Pettyfer
Director: Geoffrey Sax
Running Time: 93 mins
Rating: M, medium-level violence
Screening: Village, Hoyts and Berkeley
Verdict: Will keep girls and boys entertained these holidays