Young Alex Rider (Pettyfer) reads his essay out at school about family. It is pretty depressing. an orphan, he has been brought up by his uncle (McGregor) who is always absent on boring business appointments. Alex spends most of his time at home with an American housekeeper (Silverstone). What he doesn't know is that his boring uncle is in fact a top agent for MI6 and is on his latest undercover mission in Cornwall.

When uncle is killed on the way back with information about a too-good-to-be-true entrepeneur, Darrius Sayle (Rourke), Alex is informed that he is ideal agent material, especially as his uncle has trained him in a range of extreme sports and the martial arts.

Posing as the winner of a computer magazines competition Alex visits the Cornwall manufacturing plant of Sayle's enterprise and uncovers a shocking plot to kill millions of schoolchildren in the UK. Armed with a backpack of fancy gadgets he has to get to London and avert disaster.

A fun adaptation of best selling author Anthony Horowitz's novels about a young super agent. This has great style and is even set in locations that many of us will recognise. There are even two super secret bases (one more than the average Bond film) and the goodies (that's MI6 this time) have a lair underneath Liverpool Street station that would make Spectre, Smersh, etc. green with envy.

Pettyfer as the young hero has the looks and talent to become a very big name indeed as his role calls for him to perform a number of stunts, and still look cool. There are some great gadgets hidden in yo-yo's, backpacks, gaming platforms etc and plenty of action, with the odd dash of humour.

The head of MI6, Mr Blunt (inspired by Anthony Blunt?) as played by Bill Nighy is even greyer than John Major and Silverstone adds some slapstick. There are plenty of shots of real London, and for once we don't have the familiar tourist shots, but instead Liverpool Street, Rotten Row and Brompton Cemetery and some CGI building next to the gherkin. Quite why an agent acting on his own soil hasn't got backup, and why a private army is allowed to swan around Cornwall isn't explained, but with a comic turn from Serkis as a failed knife catcher called Mr Grin, and a cool assassin nemeseis character (Lewis), there is plenty to divert from the plot pitfalls.

I don't know how many novels Horowitz has written with Alex Rider in, but this is great fun and certainly deserves a sequel or three.

It shows Spy Kids how it should be done.