I Am Number Four

Long ago, nine aliens traveled to Earth as an escape from invaders who destroyed their home planet. Those invaders have now been hunting down and eliminating each one of them in order of their number. One, Two and Three have all been killed. Number Four is next.

John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is Number Four and has been moving around the country all his life, staying in hiding from the Mogadorians. His only friend is Henri (Timothy Olyphant), a guardian from his now extinct home planet of Lorien who has been assigned to protect him. After learning that the three previous Loriens have all been killed and he is next, John ends up in Paradise, Ohio posing as a high school student. There, he falls in love with a girl named Sarah (Dianna Agron). Unfortunately he's made enough of a ruckus to attract those who want to kill him. Rather than continue to run, John realizes that he now has something to fight for.

The film acts like a coming of age story, only for aliens. John doesn't really know who he is or what his purpose is. One thing special about his is that he can develop Legacies, power abilities that allow him to fight against the Mogadorians led by their commander (Kevin Durand). Some of the Legacies you'll see John exhibit include telekinesis and the ability to produce light from his hands that can act as a weapon. Later in the film you'll meet Number Six (Teresa Palmer) and she has a whole different set of Legacies. She's much more of a fighter and is skilled enough to take on the Mogadorians, unlike John who still hasn't quite learned how to control his powers. It's just too bad that she's mainly present towards the end of the film.

People have been suggesting that I Am Number Four was going to be the next Twilight. It has the same basic formula in which a mysterious and good looking guy falls for a somewhat secluded girl. While I don't think it'll ever reach the same level that the Twilight series has reached, I believe it can create a name for itself. The film is based off a book by the same name and a sequel is expected to come out later this year. Should the film do well enough, I imagine we'll be seeing plenty more films.

In regards to finding his place in the world, I think I Am Number Four is a film many younger audiences can relate to. There's action, sci-fi, romance; even a little bit of comedy. The ending battle scene alone makes the whole high school drama stuff worth it. There are a few things that bothered me, such as the fact that Henri can instantaneously delete pictures of John from the web but can't break a firewall to delete a video. They're just little things though, and nothing really ruins the film.

I Am Number Four successfully brings to life this alien species and reveals bits and pieces of the lore surrounding them. By the end of the film, you can't help but want to learn more about them. Will it be the next Twilight? Probably not but if there's ever a battle between John and the sparkling Edward, my money's on John.

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