Parents' Guide to

Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker

By Jane Boursaw, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Teen spy hero makes leap from book to screen.

Movie PG 2006 93 minutes
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 10+

Based on 11 parent reviews

RubyRose
RubyRose Parent of 9 and 12-year-old
January 31, 2015
age 9+

James Bond for tweens

My 9 year old is in to anything to do with spies. There are few movies that are appropriate for this age. I was looking for a young James Bond-type show. We had seen "The Spy Next Door", the Cody Banks movies, the Spy Kids things. This one is a little more grown up but well done. A little funny, a cute protagonist, no drinking or smoking, no making out, no double entendres. Lots of action (people get shot but no blood) and a kids doing amazing bike riding stunts and martial arts. 12 year old enjoyed it too.
SunnyZim
SunnyZim Adult
October 5, 2013
age 8+

Bad acting, lame plot, overall boring.

Terribly boring, lame plot and poorly acted. In addition, the villain's motivation was pathetic and unconvincing to say the least. I'm not surprised this was a flop at the box office.
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

After his parents' tragic deaths, 14-year-old Alex Rider (Alex Pettyfer) ends up living in London with his banker uncle, Ian Rider (Ewan McGregor). When Ian is killed under mysterious circumstances, Alex learns he was a secret agent for MI6, Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, and he'd actually been craftily training his nephew to become a spy. The head of MI6's Special Operations Division, Alan Blunt (Bill Nighy) decides it's time Alex got into the spy business. Alex is reluctant, but acquiesces when he sees all the cool spy gadgets and learns that his nanny (Alicia Silverstone) will be deported if he doesn't cooperate. Soon, Alex is tailing Darrius Sayle (Mickey Rourke), a shady businessman with ties to several dangerous and hostile nations, and the creator of Stormbreaker, the most sophisticated computer system of the 21st century.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (44 ):

If James Bond had taken up spying as a teen, his adventures probably would have looked a lot like this action-packed movie based on the popular Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz. There's plenty of action and violence, but no blood is shown, making this an acceptable film for tweens who aren't overly sensitive. The film should be especially appealing to kids who've read the popular book series it's based on.

As Alan Blunt, head of MI6's Special Operations Division, Bill Nighy is a scene-stealer, but Mickey Rourke gives a rather uninspiring turn as the bad guy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether a 14-year-old would really have the guts and gumption to be a spy. Why does he put himself in dangerous and life-threatening situations? Did he have any other options, or was he forced into being a spy? Parents can ask kids who've read the books to compare them to the big screen version -- which do they like better? Why? Who would they have cast in all of the roles?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate