I Am Number Four Reviews

Beau Mirchoff ("Easy A") & AJ Amanda Joy Michalka ("Easy A")✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑

One Of The Best Right Actor & Right Actress Male Romance Romantic Lead & Female Romance Romantic Lead Beau Mirchoff (“Easy A”) And AJ Michalka (“Easy A”) Drew (Beau Mirchoff) Christina (AJ Michalka)

Excellent Excellence Extreme Extremely Like Likely Love Lovely Excellency Great Perfect Excellently Good Most Underrated

Beau Mirchoff (“Gametime” “Awkward” “Born To Race” & “Easy A”) With AJ Michalka (“Super 8” “Hellcats” “My SuperSweetSixteen 16” & “Easy A”)

D.J. Caruso is one of those directors I keep following even though none of his movies were really mind-blowing. The point is that even though all the movies he has made were flawed, there was always something intriguing about them and this flick was not an exception. Basically, it is a "Twilight" version of our beloved super-hero flicks and, even though, it really sounds terrible when you hear it like this, there was actually some potential. The issue with this kind of features is that they spend way too much time on some boring and preposterous action pieces, when they should develop the characters instead (on the other hand, since it was produced by Michael Bay, it was rather naive from me to expect something else...). I mean, take 'Inception' for example, even if you don't like it, you have to admit that Nolan at least tried to develop some intriguing characters. Here, you just have your typical stereotypes going through a pedestrian plot so it was rather boring to watch. It also reminded me of 'Push', another similar failed attempt to create a franchise around some teenagers with some super-powers, in the sense that the makers managed to create an interesting world but instead of exploring the implications of such a chaotic world, they just chickened out and made it as bland as possible to make sure that the average audience wouldn't be challenged during one single minute while watching this. To conclude, I think my rating is actually pretty generous but I guess it is worth a look after all, especially if you like the genre.

Alex Fettyfer has proven himself as quite an impressive young actor in the past few years by his performances in Beastly, In Time and I Am Number Four. It's just a shame that he doesn't appear in great films, or films that you can actually care about. This flick was neither good or bad but it was somewhat stylish and had an anti-superhero atmosphere to it which I liked. Even though I enjoyed the moody feel to it, it didn't have depth in the philosophy area nor in the character-development area. Not only do they give us questions with no answers, motives with no reasons, but also extremely cliche use(s) of superhuman powers. Once Daniel discovers his powers, he runs off into the woods. When push comes to a shove, he uses them against a group of jocks and saves his (possibly) blushing bride to be from a high fall. Hmm, now where have I seen this before? Oh, and he flips over a car, too. I haven't read any of the novels but what I saw I quite enjoyed, but not thoroughly. I mean, it was decently enough made, but doesn't have any impact-making ability neither it gives you enough reasons for revisits.

But despite this, I still think Alex Pettyfer should reprise his role should they make a franchise out of it, which I'm guessing might flop, as seeing how negatively it was received. But what the hey, it would be cool to see a fresh new face + a fresh new character rise and (possibly) replace Harry Potter and Edward Cullen as the new leading fantasy icon. I don't care about the rest of the cast, but if Alex reprises his role, then I'm definitely watching the next film - should there be one. He had in him a decent level of charm, a character, a likable presence, something both Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson sorely lacked. If he's there, then I'm there. If he's not, then well, end of story!

Performance-wise, Alex Pettyfer and Timothy Olyphant may win you over by their chemistry and performances. I enjoyed how they interacted with each other, felt smooth, subtle, not too grainy. Dianna Agron and Callan McAuliffe were unfortunately not in the same orbit as the above two. They were certainly charming in their different ways but not on the required level I'm afraid. Teresa Palmer was quite cool in her role as Number 6. I believe they should make a spin-off film based with her as the lead. Yes, by her I do mean Teresa Palmer, because she wa... oh, I've already said that. Is it me or did she resemble Roxy from the Scott Pilgrim film? Moving on, Kevin Durand was effectively haunting and spine-tinglingly chilly in his role as the Mogadorian Commander. Man, was it scary. The rest of the cast were OK enough, but easily forgettable.

In conclusion, I Am Number Four could've been a lot than what it is. It could've been philosophic and/or original. But instead it falls into the cliche pit of same old, same old. Think of this film as this way: a mature, serious version of Sky High. There, done!

6.5/10

In a perfect world, the convoluted mess called I Am Number Four could have been great. It had all the trappings for success: based off a semi-popular novel for teens, a fairly accomplished director in D.J. Caruso, the producing "talent" of Michael Bay, two hot young stars in Alex Pettyfer and Glee's own Dianna Agron, and an enigmatic, yet intriguing trailer campaign. So why is it that the final product is one of the most deeply unsatisfying theatrical experiences I have had in some time?

Opening with the death of "Number Three", we jump into the life of John (Pettyfer), an alien being protected on Earth from a group called the Mogadorians. As it turns out, the Mogadorians wiped out the population of John's planet years before, except for nine children with extraordinary powers. For some reason, they have to be killed in order, and with three down, John is next in line for extermination. As he goes on the run with his protector Henri (Timothy Olyphant), they settle into the small town of Paradise, Ohio. Soon after, John starts gaining and learning more about his powers. But with a new love (Agron) and his lust to just be normal thrown into the mix, John may be in more trouble than he can imagine.

I have never read the source material for I Am Number Four, but I would hazard a guess that it did a half decent job of explaining what is going on, and did not just strive to set future sequels in motion. The film on the other hand, suffers because the sequel seems to be the only thing in mind outside of special effects. We are thrown right into John's life, and we only get little nuggets of reason for what is going on at any given time. We never get full explanations, and are never even offered the ability to piece it together by ourselves. The film seems merely content giving us hints, offering little enigmatic moments to get us thinking. But instead of doing anything with these scenes, it merely continues trucking along to its eventual ending which promises a continuation and the hope for some further reasoning for what is happening. But if the filmmakers do not care about informing the audience now, why will we care later?

But this would not be such a slap in the face if we had not already seen so many films in the past half-decade doing the exact same thing, attempting to replicate the success of the Harry Potter, Twilight and The Lord of the Rings franchises. The Golden Compass, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (which this film oddly resembles) are all examples of studios making films out of young adult books, specifically to capitalize on the potential for sequels and lengthy franchise possibilities. They all failed in varying degrees, because they all suffer from the same thing I Am Number Four suffers from – not enough plot, too much dependence on a sequel. Had all of these films even attempted to be able to stand on their own, perhaps they would have gotten the sequel they seemed to think they deserved. I know Four is part of a proposed book franchise, as opposed to an already established book franchise, but it merely skipped the waiting in the middle for the eventual film.

Should these plot and sequel problems not already be enough, Four suffers from copying Twilight a little too close (even including the notable musical cues from current alt-rockers). Sure, there are no vampires, but the romance between John and Agron's Sarah feels a little too forced for comfort. Right in the middle of being hunted down to be systematically wiped out, we are supposed to believe that someone who has spent their life running, would simply fall in love out of the blue, and not feel any consequences? We are supposed to believe he does not know better? Sure he's a teenager and we all did stupid things when we were that young, but why does the focus of the film seem to hinge on the chemistry and romance between these two star-crossed lovers? I was intrigued from the early moments in the film where it started to set the plot into motion, and the need for John and Henri to keep running to avoid death. But then it suddenly shifts from a science fiction tale to a romantic love story, and totally loses anything it has going for it. A last minute save in the final act of the film where it shifts back into the realm of sci-fi is not nearly enough to make up for well over an hour of melodrama and teen angst. It is awkward, silly, and practically plagiarizes Twilight.

I will say I was interested and intrigued when the film was attempting to do something with the plot and overarching story, but these moments are never given the chance to fully develop. The film criminally underuses Olyphant, the only actor who actually acts in the entire film, and makes him into an almost useless background character. We only get glimpses of Teresa Palmer's character throughout the film (the trailer already gives away any mystery of who she might be), and when she finally shows up to do something, she merely speaks in overtly sexual allusions. Pettyfer and Agron both seem to suffer from not knowing what emphasis to put on their character and when, and relative newcomer Callan McAuliffe is stuck in the cliché-ridden role as the know-it-all geek of a best friend.

When it attempts to work, I Am Number Four is quite interesting. I would have loved more story, and a whole lot less romance. Even what does work (including the decent special effects) seems to suffer as a result of all the melodramatic romance..... :(

Hace raro que una película no había pegado tan duro en materia de ciencia ficción mezclando la ciencia ficción suave con la dura, un film que nos lleva a una historia simple pero emotiva y que quedo para continuación y con una banda sonora que envidiarían las mejores películas de acción y ciencia ficción que se han hecho hace varios años Adele - Rolling in The Deep

To watch this movie once, it is mostly okay. Pretty bland, forgettable story, but it does have some decent action scenes. To sit through it a second time, however, is pretty untolerable. One time is all this movie deserves, or needs. And while it does leave you kind of hanging, I really hope they don't bother making a sequel. If they do, I will have to watch it, and I do not think that Alex Pettyfer is worth sitting through yet another movie for. It was a barely worthwhile story, not worth the price I paid for my movie ticket. The writing was juvenile and really needed to be a whole lot better. Timothy Olyphant did a good job, but since they killed him off, for me, there's really no point in ever bothering to watch another movie of this series, should one be made.

This will be my 2nd time viewing the movie. I viewed it again, because I know have a bigger love for Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron's acting. I must say I still don't love the movie. I did put the rating up a point though. To me the story just doesn't develop, screen play is horrible, and they leave important things out, plus number 6 was not needed. Timothy Olyphant was great as usual, and Dianna Agron was very dreamy, and had some scene stealers. I still don't like it, I just think there could have been so much more potentional with the movie. Be sure to check out my other review of the movie