I Am Number Four (www.the-usher.com)

"You have no idea of what I'm capable of."

For John (Pettyfer) his whole life had been spent on the run. Moving from town to town and with his protector Henri (Olyphant) never allowing him to settle or make friends but when they move to the sleepy town of Paradise, John feels that he might just be able to fit in. Here he meets Sarah (Argon) and instantly falls for her but John has a secret that no one can know because he is special and is destined to become something that will save the planet from an unimaginable threat.

Hollywood’s search for the next teen franchise continues but can attractive aliens with superpowers be any match for brooding vampires and angry werewolves?

The dream of every major studio is have a cash cow of a franchise that will bring in the big money every two or three years. With the Harry Potter and Twilight sagas coming to an end, both the family and the teen audience are going to be looking for something to fill those very large gaps. ‘The Golden Compass’, ‘Eragon’, ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’, to name but a few, have all tried to be the next big thing but none of them have hit the heady heights of the Boy Wizard or a human/werewolf/vampire love triangle. Could ‘I am Number Four’ be the next big thing?

Based on the novel written by James Frey and Jobie Hughes, ‘I am Number Four’ is the first of a proposed six book series, the book and film tells the story of John Smith, an alien from the planet Lorien who is sent to Earth, along with eight other to protect them from an invading race called the Mogadorians. These nine children all have special gifts, gifts that could hold the key to freeing their planet and saving the galaxy from the tyranny of the Mogadorians. The problem is that their enemies now know that they have escaped to Earth and are hunting them down. With the first three lost, Number Four is next on their list but John Smith and his protector Henri have made a life for themselves on the planet after running for far too long. Now it is time for them to take a stand and reveal themselves to the people they can trust.

The whole film is structured to be an introduction to the world of the Lorien teenagers and their protectors but unfortunately this needed to be an origin movie and not just an introduction to a potential franchise. There is not enough emphasis on back-story or a real introduction as to how the nine child came to have superpowers, each seem to be put onto the back burner, maybe for later films, in favour of a teen romance and some good action sequences. This would have been all well and good if the storyline and plot points that the characters inhabit had been properly fleshed out but instead we have what could have easily been a very expensive TV pilot.

What they did get right however was the casting. After failing to launch another potential franchise with the Alex Rider/Stormbreaker stories, British actor Alex Pettyfer gets another chance as John Smith/Number Four. While he definitely has the brooding looks that the teenage audience will adore, he can also act, bringing much more to what could have been a very mundane character. Timothy Olyphant has a screen presence that can bring something a little extra to a film and he does just that as John’s protector Henri. ‘Glee’ actress Dianna Agron and up-and-coming Aussie starlet Teresa Palmer are more than just eye candy and Kevin Durand has fun as the Mogadorian Commander.

If they do make a sequel to ‘I Am Number Four’ it will give them the chance to really introduce us to the world these characters inhabit but instead with have a watchable romance with some superb action but not enough plot. A missed opportunity but if they do make the follow up films, it could be a good franchise.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Director D.J Caruso
Extended Strangers In Paradise
Sam’s Mom
Worth Mentioning
Power Prank
Trying To Connect
Extended Warsaw Basemen
Becoming Number Six
Bloopers

DVD Bonus Features

Becoming Number Six
Bloopers

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2011