12A - 109mins - Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller - 23rd February 2011
Part teen drama, part sci-fi and part coming of age is how I would best describe this one and I don't think that amalgamation came together as well as it could have, which if I'm being honest would not have been very good anyway.
I Am Number Four is about a boy called John (Alex Pettyfer). He is no ordinary boy but an alien that has found himself on planet Earth with his guardian, Henri (Timothy Olyphant) who helps to protect him. Protect him from what you ask? John is being tracked down my the mysterious enemy of his race known as the Mogadorians who are intent on destroying every last one of his kind. In the opening scene of the movie we are shown the demise of one of his kind, the aptly named Number 3. Therefore for some reason that is never expanded upon, John is next as he is Number 4! Quite why the Mogadorians have an OCD killing problem is also beyond the scriptwriters knowledge- all we know is that in total there are 9, 3 are dead and poor John is next.
In order to stay safe, both John and Henri have to keep moving towns so that they are harder to find. They end up in Paradise, Ohio where John settles into a high school and our teen drama begins where he gets bullied by the jocks, hangs out with the geeks and falls for a girl (Dianna Agron) as in every other high school movie. We must now add to this the need for John to harness his powers which he is only just becoming aware of and to keep his real identity a secret. Remind anyone of some TV series called Smallville? This movie tends to mish-mash other ideas and tries to turn it into something new rather than be original which is ironic considering this is one of the few new movies out that is not based on anything (book aside) or a sequel/prequel to something else- it's an unoriginal original!
The Mogadorians are convincing as an enemy but not what I would call that scary with shaved tattooed heads, sharper teeth and a enhanced ability to smell the only thing distinguishing them from anyone else. The CGI for some of the monsters was a bit basic as well leading to an altogether average experience.
Other things that made this not quite my cup of tea (which is strange because in general I am a fan of sci-fi) were simple things such as the baddies guns all fired red light and the goodies all fired blue- could you get any more stereotypical! Or the fact that the movie didn't really have a conclusion in the normal sense of the word i.e. they have definitely left it open for there to be a sequel. In fact thinking about it, this concept would probably have worked better as a series rather than a movie.
Summing up then, I Am Number Four didn't do it for me. There was the potential for a decent storyline but the background detail was glossed over and it felt very 'samey' when comparing it to other ideas already out there. Saying that though I never felt it drag and the movie passed the hours without me demanding my time back at the end of it. One to watch if you want a sci-fi action but don't want to think too hard.
Next I delve into funny medieval times with Your Highness. [my review]
Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @ FAbFilms
Other things that made this not quite my cup of tea (which is strange because in general I am a fan of sci-fi) were simple things such as the baddies guns all fired red light and the goodies all fired blue- could you get any more stereotypical! Or the fact that the movie didn't really have a conclusion in the normal sense of the word i.e. they have definitely left it open for there to be a sequel. In fact thinking about it, this concept would probably have worked better as a series rather than a movie.
Summing up then, I Am Number Four didn't do it for me. There was the potential for a decent storyline but the background detail was glossed over and it felt very 'samey' when comparing it to other ideas already out there. Saying that though I never felt it drag and the movie passed the hours without me demanding my time back at the end of it. One to watch if you want a sci-fi action but don't want to think too hard.
Rating: C-
Next I delve into funny medieval times with Your Highness. [my review]
Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @ FAbFilms
