I AM NUMBER FOUR

I didn’t know anything about I Am Number Four beyond the fact that it looked like it might be a cool sci-fi action-romance for teens. And you know what? It is a cool sci-fi action-romance for teens.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by “Pittacus Lore” (aka: writers James Frey and Jobie Hughes) and directed by D.J. Caruso (Disturbia), the film centers on teenager John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), an alien descended from royalty, who’s secretly living on Earth along with eight other children from his now-decimated home planet. His protector is a guard named Henri (Timothy Olyphant), and together they flee from town to town in a bid to evade their intergalactic enemies – the vampiric-looking Mogadorians – who are picking off the nine teens, one by one, in order. Numbers One, Two and Three are dead, and John is Number Four. He’s next on the Mogs’ hit list.

Thing is, John and Henri have settled into an abandoned house in the quiet town of Paradise, Ohio, and John feels like he’s found a home. More specifically, he falls for an artsy high-schooler named Sarah (Glee’s Dianna Agron) and, with the pull of his heart growing stronger than his flight instinct, he begins to grapple with the dilemma faced by all film-hero fugitives at some point: is it time to finally stop running?

While it doesn’t really break any new ground in any of the genres it criss-crosses and is definitely skewed to appeal to a younger crowd, I Am Number Four is nonetheless an enjoyable, entertaining ride. The script, which frequently drops a little dry humor into the adventure-and-angst proceedings, keeps things moving nicely so the story never really lags. There are a few clichés – like the helpful science nerd (Callan McAuliffe) and the boorish jock (Jake Abel) – but they’re forgivable and, in this type of movie, aimed squarely at the Twilight demographic, to be expected.

Pettyfer is an ideal younger leading man and his John Smith will have many audience members swooning. He’s tough but sensitive, and kind with a killer instinct. Plus, he’s got all kinds of cool powers that manifest themselves via some equally impressive effects. Unfortunately, Agron is the weaker link, and Sarah seems a bit dull when she should be the appealing everygirl. This is amplified to the nth degree with the arrival of John’s fellow alien, the über-hot, ass-kicking Number Six (Teresa Palmer, last seen in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), who arrives on the scene in a blaze of glory. And riding a Ducati. Sarah is promptly relegated to the wishy-washy sidelines.

In the grey-and-drab cinematic landscape of February, I Am Number Four provides a fun respite that delivers on its storytelling promise. And, based on its cliffhanger ending, it’s a story that will likely continue in a sequel.

BLU-RAY NOTES

The Blu-Ray release includes a bunch of deleted scenes with commentary from director D.J. Caruso. Easily the most interesting scene is one which introduced the character of Sam's mom, played by Karen Allen! Alas, she was axed from the film, despite the fact that the director was obviously thrilled to work with her. There are also bloopers, and a featurette about Number Six, Teresa Palmer, and her training to be a bad-ass.