Rating:  

Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand, Jake Abel, Jeff Hochendoner, Patrick Sebes, Greg Townley, Emily Wickersham.
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Director: D.J. Caruso
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 109 Mins.
Release Date: February 18, 2011
Home Video Date: May 24, 2011
Box Office: $55.1 Million
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DreamWorks SKG, Reliance Big Entertainment, Bay Films, and Touchstone Pictures.

Written by: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Marti Noxon; adapted from the novel “I Am Number Four”, written by Pittacus Lore (pen name for authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes).

Hiding away on Earth, nine alien teenagers are being hunted and killed by a rival alien race who seek to eradicate an alien population once and for all. This bleak description comprises the latest teen novel adaptation to hit the big screen in Pittacus Lore’s “I Am Number Four”.

Starring newcomer and heartthrob to be Alex Pettyfer as the title character, “I Am Number Four” is a romantic science-fiction epic, produced by Michael Bay, that introduces us to the Lorien race (the hunted) and the Mogadorians (the hunters). Apparently in an undisclosed time, the Mogadorians eradicated Lorien, but Lorien sent their nine smartest and most gifted of youth to Earth with guardians – soldiers sent to protect them. To successfully finish off the Lorien race once and for all, the Mogadorians must kill off the now teenage Loriens in the order in which they were sent. And they have reached Number Four.

Number Four’s guardian, Henri (Timothy Olyphant), is very keen on when they must pick up stakes and move on. After a girl takes a liking to Number Four, known on Earth as John Smith, a romantic dip in the ocean stops abruptly when John’s right leg becomes unbearably painful and begins emitting a powerful light. John returns home and notices a third circular design/scar has formed on the side of his calf. Henri and John know that this means Number Three has been terminated and they need to relocate immediately.

The aptly named Paradise, Ohio is where the duo end up and Henri implores John to lay low and avoid school and friends; essentially anything that will draw attention to himself. John can only sit still for so long and enrolls himself in the local high school, assuring Henri that he will simply blend in and remain unnoticed. Naturally, John is immediately targeted as the new kid by bullies, comes to the aid and befriends another bullied kid, Sam (Callan McAuliffe), and catches the eye of Sarah (Dianna Agron), an attractive student who always has a camera with her and whose ex-boyfriend is the ringleader of the bullies targeting John and Sam. As John starts to struggle in controlling his Lorien superpowers and the Mogadorians are closing in on their location, Henri is pushing John to leave but John is torn between saving his community, his loyalties to father figure Henri and best friend Sam, but also to his first true love, Sarah.

Not having read the source material, I can only assume that the popularity of the book means that this story and these characters read better than they are depicted on screen. Director D.J. Caruso seems lost in trying to find a mix between good dialogue and character development and developing the more sensational elements of the science-fiction story.

Rather troubling is the fact that despite its best efforts and intentions, “I Am Number Four” is essentially another take on “Twilight” and its franchise. I know, I know, I can hear the naysayers discount that assertion, and indeed I should read the source material before marrying the two concepts together I suppose. However, watch the first half of this film and Caruso’s “Twilight” badge is out and vividly noticeable. While it may be too far of a reach to simply replace Kristen Stewart with Alex Pettyfer and Robert Pattinson with Dianna Agron, the similarities exist whether intended or not. The small town setting, the angsty frustrations of John Smith, his opining and struggles to declare true love for Sarah while concealing a potentially revelatory secret, the bullies, the stilted dialogue, it just feels done before and done very recently. I should have looked to see if Pettyfer or Agron bite their lip in any of their scenes…but I digress.

Alex Pettyfer may look camera-ready and seem poised to take that next step to becoming a big star, but he seems overmatched as Number Four. The British-born actor noticeably struggles with his American accent and seems too reserved and withdrawn to be someone we care about. This is not an impressive performance from a new breakout actor arriving on the scene; rather, this is a heartthrob-in-training being molded into an actor on screen before our eyes. I never felt his chemistry for Sarah and his friendship with Sam felt convenient and not organic enough to be real.

Dianna Agron, famous for her supporting role as Quinn on TV’s “Glee”, is decent as John’s love interest, but engages only for as long as you are watching the movie. And the same can be said with all of these characters – good or evil. Screenwriters Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Marti Noxon distill these characters down to their simplest form and we only get surface level insight into the motivations of anyone involved, be they Lorien or Mogadorian. By the time we truly get to actually meet another Lorien, the no-nonsense badass Number Six (Teresa Palmer), I had emotionally checked out to the point that even the energy Six tries to bring to the film felt mute and desolate.

As the film carries on the plotholes are simply too cavernous to ignore. To wit:

The entire premise of the film centers on there being nine Loriens sent to Earth when the Mogadorian’s destroyed their home planet.

No, no…wait a minute though…

John/Number Four has a guardian named Henri. In John’s voiceover we learn that Henri is believed by many to be a father to John but is described as a “Warrior” from Lorien sent to accompany John/Number Four and protect him on earth. Which begs the question, is he Number Ten? Or perhaps Number Thirteen? Did each one of the nine children have a guardian? So there really are not 9 Loriens because at one point, there were eighteen of them right?!?

Also, are there no police in Paradise, Ohio investigating the strange happenings? Like anywhere? And would you not want to alter your appearance somewhat when you relocate as often as Henri and Number Four/John Smith seemingly do? I could find these two if all they do is simply hop in a vehicle and drive somewhere. For pete’s sake, they look no different regardless of where they are . Do they not have bank accounts, debit cards, or credit cards? How do they obtain wealth? People do tend to leave a paper trail that certainly the insanely intelligent Mogadorians would figure out and track with their sophisticated equipment here on Earth, right?!?!

My head hurts.

SHOULD I SEE IT?

The movie will appeal to those familiar with the popular source material and the marketing around Alex Pettyfer and other young stars on the rise will draw in the 12-20 crowd.

Amidst the ridiculousness, there are a few nice scenes – a haunted hayride sequence is expertly shot with flashlights disorienting the images and an always present puppy lightens the fare for awhile.

With the rabid following “Glee” cast members are starting to develop, fans of Dianna Agron will want to check this out.

There is so much to choose from – the screenplay adaptation fails consistently, the lead actor is not all that good and the visual effects are rather simplistic and look low rent at times.

The basic similarities between this and “Twilight” are present and if you didn’t fancy yourself a “Twilight” fan, then…

It is a Michael Bay production. ‘Nuff said.

Watch D.J. Caruso’s better previous directorial effort with a teen cast, “Disturbia”; a well-made tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic “Rear Window”.