Stormbreaker

While in the superspy mood, we rented Stormbreaker, based on the novel by Anthony Horowitz... And it was the total opposite of Casino Royale.

Big budget, gadget filled and with more special guest stars than you can shake a stick at. Plus it was aimed firmly at the 'teenage' market - so the gadgets included a Nintendo DS with debugging and exploding cartridges.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement.

I've never been a huge fan of Anthony Horowitz anyway. A recent interview with him in The Writer's News had some interesting opinions on writing for teenagers and I didn't agree with them. I think the biggest mistake anybody can make is 'writing FOR teenagers' since teenagers are incredibly sophisticated. I was a terribly immature teenager and yet I was still reading John Wyndem and Ian Fleming, so 'dumbed down' books would have insulted me.

That's J.K. Rowling's secret of success. She wrote stories, not markets, and her books are loved by adults and children alike because the stories are true to themselves, not their intended audience.

Add this 'dumbed down' attitude to a cheap Bond rip off riddled with plot holes and the result is something slightly like a less amusing Spy Kids.

I will say, however, that Alex Pettyfer was an engaging lead and we can expect to see great things from him in the future. And what little we did see of Cornwall - a place I love - was lovely.