Review: I Am Number Four

 I Am Number Four (from the novel by James Frey and Jobie Hughes) tells the story of an alien, Number 4 (Alex Pettyfer) and his guardian (Timothy Olyphant) in hiding from deadly villains that wish to destroy the last of his race. Things are complicated when Number 4 meets Sarah, an earth girl…


That felt like a crap summary, which is quite fitting for the film I feel. This is cliche ridden picture feels like an unused Twilight script – mysterious teenage outcast – check, quirky female love interest – check, nasty villains – check, CGI beasts – check. Firstly the nice, Alex Pettyfer is a very capable young lead and regardless of the outcome of this film, is going to have a big career in Hollywood. Timothy Olyphant, has his moments but sometimes comes across as very wooden, I recommend he sticks to TV or horror films (Check out the excellent Deadwood, Justified or The Crazies) where he seems completely comfortable. Dianne Agron and the underused Teresa Palmer do their best with bland
characters, purely there to excite teenage boys. The film also lacks decent villains, extremely forgettable and
could possibly have done with a well known supporting actor to act as a leader figure, to give theme a little
more character – think Danny Huston in 30 Days of Night. 

There seems to be an issue with the film’s script by Smallville writies Alex Gough and Miles Millar. The film features a plethora of unnecessary scenes, which add nothing to the characters or story. Essentially I Am Number Four feels like a stretched out TV pilot – It lacks character and feels a bit too cold and commercial, there’s no heart behind this film, it’s more of a “give me your money” type movie. This all makes sense when you see Michael Bay’s producer credit.

The film seems to be doing quite well, so it’ll be interesting to see whether or not this becomes a series, and if the second outing fares any better.