On Feb. 18, 2011, DreamWorks Pictures is bringing us “I Am Number Four.” I must say, from the extended trailer, my first impression was that it appears that “Twilight” and “Wanted” have conceived a teen dream child with “Percy Jackson & The Olympians.” I am really pulling for this kid, too.
John Smith, a.k.a. Number Four, is a teen who possesses some unique strengths and is now concealing his identity in a small Ohio town. He has been targeted for termination and must save not only himself, but the others out there who are like him and are on the same extermination list. Three of his kind have already been killed (I’ll let you guess what numerical rank he claims on that list).
Starring as Number Four is Alex Pettyfer (“Beastly”) and it looks like he devoured the role. I can very easily foresee the teen girls going gaga for this guy. Playing Number Four’s love interest is Dianna Agron of “Glee” and I am super-super anxious to see her step out of the Cheerio’s uniform and William McKinley High. She has expanded a tad — for example in “Burlesque” — but her part was too small in that film and I wanted to see more. One of my favorite actors, who I think is often overlooked, Timothy Olyphant, plays Henri, Number Four’s appointed guardian and I love the way he delivers on screen. Teresa Palmer (“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” “Bedtime Stories”) plays Number Six, and her part looks kick ass next to Alex Pettyfer’s.
The visual culmination and special effects look stellar for this film. I hope director D.J. Caruso harnessed the potential without going overboard, and when I say that I mean no disrespect towards producer Michael Bay, but we all have come to know and love the outrageous action sequences Bay is fond of, and 99 percent of the time it works. I’m just weary of that possible one percent. My fears are mostly laid to rest when I remind myself that Steven Spielberg is also playing producer. My only other fear surrounding “I Am Number Four” is the fact that it’s based off of a novel by the same name, written by Pittacus Lore, the pen name of authors Jobie Hughes and James Frey. I absolutely loved the book.
I think that the story is bountiful enough, and coupled with some great teen drama and special powers behind some awesome effects, it should, at the very least, do the book justice. Let’s face it, these teeny bopper supernatural books turned movies have had their downfalls on screen whether anybody is willing to admit it or not. I adored “Percy Jackson & The Olympians,” but anybody who read the book can agree with me when I say it was a travesty how much was left out. I know for film-making purposes it’s necessary, but it’s still a bummer. And you “Harry Potter” fans know exactly what I’m talking about too! *Cough Cough* Year Five.
“I Am Number Four” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for language. This film is on my must-see list and anything worth doing is worth doing right, IMAX is the way to go with this one folks.
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Follow Jessika Owens on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessika.
I agree completely, this movie definitely has all of the ingredients to make a fun kick-ass movie. So now it comes down to storyline and acting, let’s all hope that it is as good as the trailer makes it look.
This trailer really blew me away. I must admit it could all blow up and be a disaster. But, I have a feeling this movie will be surprisingly good. *here is to hoping*
I cannot wait to see this! I’m trying not to build my expectations to high, however.