Movie Review: “I Am Number Four”

Seen on: February 18, 2011

The players: Director: D.J. Caruso, Writers: Miles Millar, Alfred Gough, Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron

Facts of interest: Produced by Michael Bay.

The plot: An alien named No. 4 is hiding from a group of ruthless monsters trying to eliminiate him and eventually take over Earth.

Our thoughts: Although it boasts quite an interesting concept, D.J. Caruso’s new sci-fi thriller “I Am Number Four” takes way too long to lift off and impress viewers with a couple of fast-paced action scenes and an explosion of solid special effects. In the end, the film feels more like a mix of “Twilight” and “Smallville,” and no, that’s definitely not a good sign. Did I also mention it was produced by Michael Bay?

Based on the novel by Pittacus Lore, the flick introduces us to John (Alex Pettyfer), a young alien who took refuge on Earth after his planet was destroyed by evil extraterrestrials. John is one of only a few of his kind that survived and escaped the annihilation, and his life now consists of traveling from place to place hiding from those coming after him.  

With a group of evil aliens hot on his tail, John must learn how to use his special powers in order to battle and destroy his enemies for good. Further complicating things though is the fact that John falls in love with a charming human girl (Dianna Agron) who gives him enough reason to stop running and deal with his predicament once and for all.

“I Am Number Four” sure sounds like a thrilling ride, but what should’ve been an action-packed movie with little room to breathe is in fact a dragging big-screen experience that focuses too much on setting up the ultimate battle between good and evil. Only the film’s final 20 minutes pack a solid punch, but by then we’re exhausted, bored and maybe even annoyed.

The majority of the film attempts to build John’s character, who along with his strict guardian Henry (Timothy Olyphant) moves to Paradise, Ohio to lay low. By wanting to lead a normal life, however, John puts everything at risk, and that creates tension at home and within the small community. Be it trouble with some jerks at school, a sweet kid who believes in aliens, or the romance with the girl, John has a lot to deal with.

Alas, for us spectators, not all of this is particularly compelling. We do know all along that the bad guys are eventually going to find John, so any attempts to build suspense through the whole hiding thing obviously fall flat. The plot takes a simplistic turn early on, and all we get to watch is a so-so high school drama stretching across most of the film’s 110-minute running time.

In that sense, “I am Number Four” disappoints, especially when compared to Caruso’s previous two flicks “Eagle Eye” and “Disturbia.” Those two were intense all right, but this one can’t quite keep up. I can’t say “Four” is a totally boring ride, but it’s simply not memorable enough for me to care about anything that’s developing on the screen.    

What did like about this one though are the visuals. The special effects are solid, the stunts are pretty impressive, and once the big action finally starts to roll around, the film’s pace blasts off supplying viewers with some sweet alien battles. Although ridiculous at best, the amount of action we get to observe during the finale really delivers the goods. And surprise, the acting isn’t that terrible either.

Freaky quote: "All I ever do is wait for my life to start." - Alex Pettyfer

The final word: I’m sure Michael Bay is convinced his “I Am Number Four” kicks butt big time, but I wish we could’ve seen more of those final 20 minutes throughout the movie. Pettyfer proves to be an interesting lead, and if it weren’t for all the human drama he had to deal with, his character may actually have come across as interesting. Better luck next time. After all, we may be in for a sequel at some point...

On the web: http://www.findnumberfour.com/

Article by Franck Tabouring