Cliché in every way and yet somehow original, I am Number Four strikes an odd balance between a typical high school coming of age flick and far out science fiction romp. Space aliens and mystery meet love at the county fair.
Based on a science fiction novel of the same name, I am Number Four is a standard science fiction tale of love, secrets, and homicidal aliens. The backdrop is in a high school, and is thus aimed directly at this age demographic. While much of the cast are in their mid-twenties, they all do an admirable job of portraying the archetypes of “immature football jock,” “quarterback’s ex-girlfriend / photographer,” “sci-fi nerd,” and “mysterious new guy.”
The mysterious drop in to this “Smallville”-esque town is “John Smith,” pseudonym for the unnamed alien refuge played by Alex Pettyfer. It seems that John is the 4th of a group of 9 refugees from the planet Lorien, sent to Earth by their predecessors in an attempt to save the ailing race at the hands of the planet consuming Mogadorians. The 9 are the only beings strong enough to defeat the Mogadorian goons, and so they are being hunted down sequentially before their “legacy” powers can come to fruition. The first three have been killed, and now John is on the chopping block. Hence his recent exodus to Paradise, Ohio, where he meets the love of his life and faces off against the baddies.
Watched over by his worldly guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John moves from place to place in an attempt to “blend in.” Of course the opposite happens, and John meets a girl (Dianna Agron) who happens to be the ex of the school quarterback (Jake Abel). Teen angst ensues and all three of them (plus the campus nerd, Sam (Callan McAuliffe)) are entangled in a conflict set amidst unsolved mysteries and planetary conquest.
John learns to control his manifesting powers surprisingly quickly, just in time for the plot to move forward. The occasional lack of logic and forced plot contrivance seem more exacerbated by the stiff reading of the dialogue. If the actors took the time to show that they were thinking about the problems and solving them, instead of simply providing the audience with the next key bit of dialogue, then perhaps the progression would seem more believable. Instead, their direct from the script performances serve to disconnect the audience from the tension of the scene.
Based on a science fiction novel of the same name, I am Number Four is a standard science fiction tale of love, secrets, and homicidal aliens. The backdrop is in a high school, and is thus aimed directly at this age demographic. While much of the cast are in their mid-twenties, they all do an admirable job of portraying the archetypes of “immature football jock,” “quarterback’s ex-girlfriend / photographer,” “sci-fi nerd,” and “mysterious new guy.”
The mysterious drop in to this “Smallville”-esque town is “John Smith,” pseudonym for the unnamed alien refuge played by Alex Pettyfer. It seems that John is the 4th of a group of 9 refugees from the planet Lorien, sent to Earth by their predecessors in an attempt to save the ailing race at the hands of the planet consuming Mogadorians. The 9 are the only beings strong enough to defeat the Mogadorian goons, and so they are being hunted down sequentially before their “legacy” powers can come to fruition. The first three have been killed, and now John is on the chopping block. Hence his recent exodus to Paradise, Ohio, where he meets the love of his life and faces off against the baddies.
Watched over by his worldly guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John moves from place to place in an attempt to “blend in.” Of course the opposite happens, and John meets a girl (Dianna Agron) who happens to be the ex of the school quarterback (Jake Abel). Teen angst ensues and all three of them (plus the campus nerd, Sam (Callan McAuliffe)) are entangled in a conflict set amidst unsolved mysteries and planetary conquest.
John learns to control his manifesting powers surprisingly quickly, just in time for the plot to move forward. The occasional lack of logic and forced plot contrivance seem more exacerbated by the stiff reading of the dialogue. If the actors took the time to show that they were thinking about the problems and solving them, instead of simply providing the audience with the next key bit of dialogue, then perhaps the progression would seem more believable. Instead, their direct from the script performances serve to disconnect the audience from the tension of the scene.
On the bright side, the action and choreography are exciting. Directed by DJ Caruso and produced by Michael Bay (“Transformers”), the explosions, computer effects, and fight sequences of , I am Number Four will leave you satisfied.
The one eye rolling exception occurred during the pyrotechnic introduction of Number 6, as she confidently strode away from the exploding building behind her that she herself set off. I couldn’t help but think, “Seriously, did that just happen in this movie?” It’s especially odd since at this point we have no idea who she is or why we should care. I believe “contrived” is the word I’m looking for.
I don’t have anything against the film, and feel overall that the cast and crew did an admirable job. The real problem lies with the untapped potential. It’s as if they tried to add too many ingredients to the formulaic soup: teen drama + suspenseful thriller + alien threat + super powers, and were not sure how to tie it all together until the end, when things finally start to make sense. It’s unfortunate that this is when the movie starts to become really fun, because I left wanting to find out what happens next. Although it seems that was the point, as DJ Caruso purposefully sets up the film for a sequel.
The sequel could be a success on multiple levels, since the heavy lifting of plot and character introductions are now complete, almost as if this first movie were the pilot of a television show. If it does come to fruition, then let’s just hope that the actors are allowed to open up a little more and play the characters from their hearts, rather than from the script.
[etRating value=“ 3.5”]
The one eye rolling exception occurred during the pyrotechnic introduction of Number 6, as she confidently strode away from the exploding building behind her that she herself set off. I couldn’t help but think, “Seriously, did that just happen in this movie?” It’s especially odd since at this point we have no idea who she is or why we should care. I believe “contrived” is the word I’m looking for.
I don’t have anything against the film, and feel overall that the cast and crew did an admirable job. The real problem lies with the untapped potential. It’s as if they tried to add too many ingredients to the formulaic soup: teen drama + suspenseful thriller + alien threat + super powers, and were not sure how to tie it all together until the end, when things finally start to make sense. It’s unfortunate that this is when the movie starts to become really fun, because I left wanting to find out what happens next. Although it seems that was the point, as DJ Caruso purposefully sets up the film for a sequel.
The sequel could be a success on multiple levels, since the heavy lifting of plot and character introductions are now complete, almost as if this first movie were the pilot of a television show. If it does come to fruition, then let’s just hope that the actors are allowed to open up a little more and play the characters from their hearts, rather than from the script.
[etRating value=“ 3.5”]
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