Alex Rider is a typical 14-year-old. His only family is his Uncle Ian, and Jack, their housekeeper/governess. Alex believes his uncle has a really boring job as a banker, but in fact he works as a secret agent for a division of MI 6 (a British agency). When Ian is killed on a mission, Alex begins to suspect that something wasn’t right. His investigation leads him to secret, undercover MI 6 offices, where the director tells him that Ian had been training him all his life to become a spy (he holds a black belt, speaks at least three languages, can scuba dive, climb mountains). Alex wants nothing to do with them or the life, but when the director threatens to have Jack deported back to America (apparently her working visa expired 7 years before), Alex can’t lose the only family he has left and agrees to take the mission.
The agency wants Alex to pose as a computer nerd and infiltrate the home of a billionaire who is releasing his new computer, Stormbreaker, into schools all throughout Britain (donating more than 70,000 to schools). They suspect he’s up to foul play, but their information from Alex’s uncle was incomplete. They only know that it involves a virus, but don’t know what kind. Alex must uncover the billionaire’s plot before it’s too late.
“Stormbreaker” is a fun, action packed movie. It does contain a lot of violence, though it is “stylized”—meaning much of it is implied, but not seen, and is done in a way to make it slightly more campy than serious. Our five year old enjoyed it, but had we realized how much violence was in it, we probably wouldn’t have let him watch it. It’s best for older children/young teens. I wouldn’t recommend it for kids under the age of 10, and even then, you may wish to watch it first to make sure that you feel it would be appropriate for your child.
“Stormbreaker” is based on the first novel in a series about spy Alex Rider by author Anthony Horowitz. It is rated PG for “sequences of action violence and some peril”. It stars Alex Pettyfer, Alicia Silverstone (Jack), Ewan McGregor (Uncle Ian), and Mickey Rourke.
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