Four-cing the issue

Director: D.J. Caruso,
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer

Three are dead – he is number four.

Outwardly normal teen John Smith (Pettyfer) never gets too comfortable in the same identity, and along with his guardian, Henri (Olyphant), he is constantly moving from town to town – the perpetual new kid in a series of strangely familiar schools. After finally settling in a small Ohio town, John begins to develop extraordinary new powers and his bond to the beings that share his fantastic fate grows stronger.

Based on a sci-fi novel of the same name, I Am Number Four is basically a big screen version of Smallville: a humane, handsome teenage alien living in small town America comes to terms with his newfound powers while battling otherworldly enemies and falling for the girl-next-door.

The film essentially accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to make a middle-of the-road, Twilight-esque sci-fi film aimed at teens. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any good, or something you couldn’t watch for free on TV.

On the bright side, the action and choreography are quite exciting – the explosions, computer effects and fight sequences are slick and satisfying.

As long as you don’t go in with high expectations, you won’t be disappointed. And that’s about the best we can say for it.

Genre: Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Age Restriction: PG - 13
Runtime: 109 min