... This is to infiltrate the world of Darrius Sayle, the creator of a new computer network, who wants to install one of his computers, known as Stormbreakers, into every school in the country. But is Sayle's plan as philanthropic as it seems? And will Alex be able to cope with the responsibilities ... Read review
You're never too young to die! After the death of his uncle the 14-year-old hero is ... more
forced by the Special Operations Division of Britain's secret intelligence service MI6 for a mission which will save millions of lives... Based on the first of the...
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Alex Rider (Alex Pettyfer) is a normal teenager who lives with his uncle, a nondescript ... more
bank manager... or so it seems, until Uncle Ian Rider (Ewan McGregor) dies in mysterious circumstances. Alex discovers his uncle was in fact a spy and has been murd...
This box set features the following films: Stormbreaker (Dir. Geoffrey Sax) (2006): After ... more
the death of his uncle the 14-year-old hero is forced by the Special Operations Division of Britain's secret intelligence service MI6 into a mission which will save millions of lives... Dreamer (Dir. John Gatins) (2005): Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) was once a great horseman whose gifts as a trainer are now being wasted on making other men's fortunes. Sonador called 'Sonya' was once a great horse whose promising future on the racetrack was suddenly cut short by a career-ending broken leg. Considered as good as dead to her owner who also happens to be Ben's boss Sonya is given to Ben as severance pay along with his walking papers. Now it will take the unwavering faith and determination of Ben's young daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning) to bring these two damaged souls together in a quest for a seemingly impossible goal: to win the breeders' Cup Classic. However the true miracle might be that in helping this injured horse what they are actually healing is their own family... Lassie (Dir. ) (2005): Based on Eric Knight's 1938 novel about the most trustworthy of pooches Lassie Come Home the film is set on the eve of World War II in a Yorkshire mining town in northern England. The Carraclough family fall on hard times and have to sell Lassie to the Duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole). Transported to the Duke's remote castle in the north of Scotland Lassie is determined to escape from the clutches of the Duke and his evil trainer in an effort to make her way home for Christmas and return to the family she loves...
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Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Advantages: Starts well Disadvantages: Descends into a farce
Alex Rider thinks he is just an ordinary schoolboy living with his uncle and a housekeeper after his parents' death. Then his uncle is killed, and Alex quickly finds out that his uncle's job wasn't as boring as he thought - he worked for MI6. His bosses, Mr Blunt and Mrs Jones, decide that Alex would be the ideal candidate for a spy, and, after a training course with the SAS, send him off on his first mission. This is to infiltrate the world of Darrius ... ...to install one of his computers, known as Stormbreakers, into every school in the country. But is Sayle's plan as philanthropic as it seems? And will Alex be able to cope with the responsibilities handed to him?
This film is based on a book of the same name by Anthony Horowitz - I have not read the book, so cannot comment on any similarities/differences between the two mediums. I am the first to admit that this film isn't really aimed ... more
Alex Rider thinks he is just an ordinary schoolboy living with his uncle and a housekeeper after his parents' death. Then his uncle is killed, and Alex quickly finds out that his uncle's job wasn't as boring as he thought - he worked for MI6. His bosses, Mr Blunt and Mrs Jones, decide that Alex would be the ideal candidate for a spy, and, after a training course with the SAS, send him off on his first mission. This is to infiltrate the world of Darrius Sayle, the creator of a new computer network, who wants to install one of his computers, known as Stormbreakers, into every school in the country. But is Sayle's plan as philanthropic as it seems? And will Alex be able to cope with the responsibilities handed to him?
This film is based on a book of the same name by Anthony Horowitz - I have not read the book, so cannot comment on any similarities/differences between the two mediums. I am the first to admit that this film isn't really aimed at my profile - it is definitely a teenager's film and I suspect that the male demographic will like it more than the female. However, I was given a free copy and not being one to turn down a freebie, I thought it was worth a go. Considering that I am nearly forty and female, I found it much better than I expected - however, there are some major flaws that stop it from being a great film.
Alex Pettyfer plays Alex Rider, in what is apparently his first film role. I thought he was good in the role. There are occasions when I thought that he was a bit wooden, but I think that was as much down to the cheesy script as anything else. Most of the scenes he is in are action scenes and he certainly does those well - his facial expressions are convincing if nothing else. I did think he looked a little old for the role though - I think he is supposed to be fourteen, but he looked more like eighteen. This is perhaps the director's way of convincing the audience that Alex is old enough to be a 'spy' though; anyway, it didn't bother me all that much. His uncle, who has a few lines right at the beginning, is played by Ewan McGregor - it was good to see him, but he doesn't really add anything to the film and the role could have been played by virtually anyone.
Then there are a whole raft of roles that border on the comic - personally, although the film needed a touch of comedy to lift it, I am not sure about some of them. Mickey Rourke, who plays Darrius Sayle, is the worst. I just didn't get him. He wasn't funny, but he looked too stupid to be serious, and so it just didn't work. I think Rourke can be a fine actor, but he certainly didn't get the chance to show it here. I didn't much like Alicia Silverstone as Jack Starbright, the Rider's housekeeper, either - she looks odd and her character just didn't seem to flow right - I found her more annoying than anything else. Bill Nighy is almost unrecognisable as Mr Blunt, and again, I thought he was too over the top in the role and ended up being neither funny or serious. Sophie Okonedo as Mrs Jones can also do much much better - she looked so out of place I almost felt embarrassed for her.
There are some good supporting roles though. I thought Damian Lewis as Gregorovich, the man who killed Alex's uncle, was great. There is no silly make-up and fancy hair-dos here - he just looks like himself, yet manages to exude evil. That is the sign of a good actor. I also enjoyed Stephen Fry's role as the gadget man - clearly a take-off of James Bond, yet he did it well and actually raised a smile from me.
I really enjoyed the first forty-five minutes of this film. It goes without saying that you need to suspend disbelief - how many fourteen year old spies do you know?!! However, it is an entertaining concept and because I didn't really know what was going to happen next, I found it very compelling. Once Alex starts to infiltrate Sayles' kingdom though, I began to lose interest. This is partly because I didn't fully understand what was going on - simply because it wasn't explained very well - and partly because I didn't really care - as a major crook, Sayle is just not very convincing.
This is an action film and from that point of view, I think it is a good one. I have read some complaints that the special effects weren't all that good. Personally, I thought they were absolutely fine for the film - certainly any inaccuracies went straight over the top of my head, and I think if you're only planning on watching the film once, then you should be more than satisfied. I really liked the chase scene in a car junk yard towards the beginning of the film - this was really well done, particularly because at that point we didn't really know what sort of skills Alex was going to come up with.
There are a number of special features with this DVD, none of which I had the urge to more than flick through. These include a documentary on the conversion from the book to the screen - basically an interview with Anthony Horowitz. Then there's a brief discussion of the stunts and how they were put together - great if you like to know the ins and outs of things like that. The horse chase has its own section. There's a very boring section on how one of the buildings in the film was created - I think you'd really need to be a fan to like that one. A five minute documentary on how Alex was cast for the film is more interesting. Then there is a trailer. Not very exciting as far as I'm concerned, but if this is your thing, then there's plenty of fodder for you. My DVD also has a section on new releases, including films I have never heard of before - all aimed at the teen market.
On the whole, this is an okay film to while away an hour or so, and would probably make a great family film if you have teenage boys, but it didn't really bowl me over. I am, however, obviously not the target audience. I don't know how fans of the books feel about it - I have heard differing views of how like the book it is - but as a stand-alone film, it is certainly not that brilliant. It is worth a watch if you're a teenager though, or perhaps if you just like a good action film. Just about recommended.
Advantages: Funny, fast-paced, very tonge-in-cheek (& Alex is cute!) Disadvantages: Can't think of any
Bought from Tesco Jersey for £10.85.
This film is, in my opinion, very funny - it had me giggling regularly from start to finish! It did get some bad reviews, but I think this is because the reviewers were too serious and didn't realise how much it sends itself up!
The DVD case quotes a review from The Times: "Death-defying car chases, jaw dropping gadgets and enough adrenaline to boot James Bond into a bin liner". I have to say this is somewhat ... ...very simple: evil genius plans to destroy millions of British schoolchildren (despite being middle-aged, he's still throwing a tantrum about being bullied at school) - reluctant young hero saves the day just as the button is about to be pressed. There is a little more to it than that, but not a lot and it doesn't matter because the action is the important thing.
The tagline is "you're never too young to die" (one of Darrius Sayle's lines), but I ...
sgjenning 23.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stormbreaker (DVD)
Advantages: fun and light hearted Disadvantages: a bit cheesy
Stormbreaker
I borrowed this DVD from my brother-in-law and I have to say I was sceptic, he told me it was a about a 14 year old spy. And that was enough to put me off. It sat on my shelve for a while I until one night when the telly was depressing and I was bored I finally opened the case and tried the film out. The cast
Robbie Coltraine Damain Lewis Ewan Mcgregor Bill Nighty Sohpie Okonedo Alex Pettyfer
Andy Serkis
Allicia Silverstone Micky ... ...actors only have small roles)
its great to see a good english cast, some great actors here even if they only have a few lines.
The Plot
A 14 year old boy Alex is living with his banker uncle in London but when his uncle dies he suspects fowl play then discovers that his uncle was a spy and now mi6 want him to take his uncles place and work for them. Alex must spy on the evil Darrius Sayle. A multimillionaire who is planning to despatch a deadly ...
tinac37 09.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stormbreaker (DVD)
...on the book shortly.
Stormbreaker follows a fourteen year old boy called Alex Rider (Alex Pettyfer), who, after his uncle Ian Rider (Ewan McGregor) is killed is thrown into an adventure which requires him to take the place of his uncle, who was working for the MI6 and spying on the millionaire entrepreneur, Darius Sayle (Mickey Rourke) who plans to give away one of his enormously powerful Stormbreaker computers to every school in the country. The ... ...better?
Ah, the book, Stormbreaker is an outstanding book and if you liked the film but haven't read it, I advise you do so; they have a lot of differences. First of all, the scenes with Alex at the SAS training camp lasted 50 pages, but the film covered it in the time taken to type one. The scenes with Jack Starbright and Nadia Vole don't take place, the MI6 headquarters is in a bank, Alex find's his way through the mines to the factory floor by ...
Xemnasaix 03.04.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stormbreaker (DVD)
Advantages: Good actors Disadvantages: More for young teenagers
...called Stormbreakers to schools. The Stormbreaker brings things like Dinosaurs and space seem real to the user.
MI6 dont trust Darius so they want Alex to go and find out what is really going on. What follows is a race against time to find out what Darius's real intentions are in giving away the computers.
This is a good film for younger ones. The girls will like the lead actor Alex Petyfer! There are some good actors in this film like Ewan McGregor, ...
rufusredcoat 24.11.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stormbreaker (DVD)
Advantages: High flying kick ass schoolboy film Disadvantages: not as good as the book
Well Stormbreaker, let's start with the cast first...
Alex Pettyfer as Alex Rider: Young, his name is Alex, is that so he doesn't forget who he his playing???!!!??? Hmm, well he does well I guess, lots of action for him, and some lines to learn, and he sort of suits the part.
Sarah Bolger as Sabina Pleasure: Again young, and a bit pathetic really, didn't rate her much. Ewan McGregor as Ian Rider: Not in it for very long, but he makes it worthwile, ... ...more of him in films!
Damian Lewis as as Yassen Gregorovich: Truly evil, has that evil look about him, and the way he delivers his lines, scary I guess is one way to put it. Alicia Silverstone as Jack Starbright: Beautiful, even though she is American, but then that was written in the book, good fight scene too. Bill Nighy as Alan Blunt: OMG, Bill Nighy, and guess what, he is the same in this film as he is in all the others, he doesn't suit the ...
smiler01 15.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Stormbreaker (DVD)
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Advantages: A real crowd-pleaser for family audiences Disadvantages: Some shoddy effects and a handful of duff performances
Unknowingly British schoolboy Alex Rider has been raised by one of the country's top secret agents and trained in all the skills a super-spy will ever need. But when his uncle dies mysteriously, he is strong-armed into joining the secret service. MI6 want him to infiltrate the world of billionaire Darrius Sayle, who has offered to donate a Stormbreaker computer to every school in the country. But Sayle isn't doing it out of the goodness of his heart; he has plans to use the machines to unleash a biological weapon on the world. So it's down to one boy to stop the criminal mastermind in his tracks?
Director Geoffrey Sax has created the best children's action film since the "Spy Kids" franchise. In his hands, Alex Rider becomes a mini James Bond of the old style. There are plenty of gadgets, stunts, nefarious villains, white ...
Advantages: Great Special FX (World Blowing Up) Disadvantages: Slightly Confusing.
This is the film i put on every night when i go to bed, At the moment, (when Stormbreaker comes on DVD, thats gonna replace it) I dunno why i put it on.
It's the year 3028 and te Drej are planning on Destroying the Human race as they are afraid on what we might become. Who knows, for all we know, we might become mutants that can kill anything. That was an example :l Couldn't think of anything better. Got summit better, say it. ANYWAY...
Young Cale (a boy roughly aged 4-7 and is FANTASTIC at inventions) is in the forest. His Father turns up and tells him 'It's time to leave' They get to the space ship where they are meant to go on. Until, Cale finds out his Father has to leave him for 'A While' and travel on the Titan. He gives him his ring and leaves him with Teck. Nobody knows what the Titan is or does. Except a few. His Father ...
Director's Commentary, 2 Music Videos (Matt Willis, Rooster), From Page To Screen, Stunts, The Horse Chase, VFX Creating Sayles Tower, Casting Alex, Donnie Yen, Documentary, Trailer
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Professional reviews
Review
An explosive, kick-ass crowd-pleaser for all ages. (The Sun, 11/10/2006)
DVD Description
Based on the first in the series of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider novels, STORMBREAKER tells the story of a teenager who is enlisted by MI6 in order to save the world. This action-packed blockbuster features a star-making turn from Alex Pettyfer as Alex Rider; a pint-sized super spy to rival James Bond and Jason Bourne.
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