Numéro Quatre

Watched the movie "I am number four" tonight. The first 40 minutes it felt like I was watching a re-hashed "Twilight" movie rather than a sci-fi/horror pic. But then it got good. It was well worth the watch if you can make it through that first half of beaten to death formula high school angst movies that Twilight has seemed to spawn. You can bet that there will be sequels too, but they may be straight to video. The first half of the movie I give it 1 star, but it was the fault of the story, not the acting. The second half, I give it 8 stars. The acting was good, there were very nice special effects and some pretty cool alien bad guys in the style of "Pinhead."

When I first watched it about 7 years I really liked it...watching it again I've obviously grown in my tastes...only watch if you enjoy sophomoric humor and films.

A film targeted at young adults, "I am Number Four" starts with some compelling action, then settles into a typical teen high school story--with budding love, the school bully, and the kid who is picked on--with a twist of mystery. The main character, John (Alex Pettyfer), has to move to another town whenever he and his guardian become too visible. They are on the run. And their pursuers are killers from another planet. He tries to fit into the new school, but new kids are misfits and they draw attention, right?

The plot has its awkward moments, but the action sequences, explosions, and firestorms are adequate distractions for those who want to suspend disbelief. And there are a few plot twists that keep things interesting, even if they are sometimes telegraphed to the audience ahead of time.

Dianna Agron ("Glee") is the object of John's affection, but romance is not the center of this film. Callan McAuliffe is effective in the role of Sam, the misfit who John takes under his wing.

The film is tailor-made for a sequel, but it appears none is in the works at this time. "Number Four" feels, at times, like a video game, but it's a third person shooter and those don't appeal to everyone. Maybe that is why the box office was less than hoped for.

Do you know that old movie rule that you subconsciously decide whether you're going to enjoy a film or not within the first ten minutes? Well, it wasn't true this time, because after the opening sequence, I was pretty sure I was going to hate "I Am Number Four". Thankfully, I was in for a pleasant surprise.

It all starts with bad CGI-monsters and some guys in Star Trek make-up chasing people around in the jungle. We then cut to some jocks doing tricks on jet skis and some bland blonde girls admiring them - and I thought this is going to be terrible. Then the story picks up and the movie gets better from there.

The story involves a couple of characters and mysteries, but is never too complicated. After the initial jet ski scene, the main character actually turns out to be played quite charmingly by Alex Pettyfer. He's supported by his mentor/protector (solid as always: Timothy Olyphant). Glee's Dianna Agron plays Number Four's love interest. She comes across very natural, so that the love story that unfolds is actually engaging instead of vomit-inducing like that of that other movie with the whining Vampires and the shirtless Werewolves.

Of course, "I Am Number Four" is by no means a great movie. The CGI sucks in places and the make-up of the bad guys is just awful. Characters are stereotypical, things fall into place way too conveniently and one has the feeling that a good junk of the original novel has just been crammed together to (barely) fit into the running time of a popcorn movie.

However, I think we can all agree that it would be silly to actually expect a masterpiece, considering the movie's premise. For what it is, "I Am Number Four" is an entertaining little fantasy flick for teenagers and undemanding twenty-somethings. Add to that the fact that this movie is neither a sequel nor a remake, that it's not based on a comic book, a TV series, a computer game or toys, and it's enough to lift "I Am Number Four" heads and shoulders above its genre competitors.

This movie isn't the best action film of the year. This movie isn't another tongue-in-cheek teen movie. Most importantly, this movie isn't a "wannabe" of the Twilight franchise. This movie is entertainment for all viewers that delivers a good story, action, and desire to want more at the end. I was lucky enough to work as an extra in this movie for about 2 weeks and was able to see how this film came together, piece by piece. The visual effects truly make the film enjoyable. Seeing it behind-the-scenes, I couldn't imagine what it would look like. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised.

The acting was believable and consistent (unlike previous reviews who claim the actors lost steam halfway thru the film). Timothy Olyphant is perhaps the best character in the film, Pettyfer following right after. The best part about this film: the love story within the plot WAS NOT painful/annoying to watch (such as Twilight).

This movie is definitely worth seeing in theaters, as the action scenes truly make the experience. I Am Number Four is a great start to what could be a fantastic franchise.