My god! Words cannot reiterate how terrible this movie is. I didn't go with high expectations. I didn't expect Oscar winning performances or a witty and sharp script etc. I thought if I could give it a five or a six out of ten at most I would be satisfied with some great action, good special effects and reasonable acting, but it didn't even have that. Seriously the reviewers who have given this higher than a four have seriously deluded themselves. I'm not a teenager, which this film is aiming for (but even then it's so badly made even they shouldn't like this).
Before I critique this film. A brief synopsis from what I can gather. Teenager John Smith (Alex Pettyfer from Storm Breakers) who is an alien from another planet Lorien is a fugitive on the run from his enemies the Mogadarians who have been sent to destroy him after killing three other kids before him with the same abilities. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love Sarah (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others like number six (Teresa Palmer) who shares his destiny.
The first problem of this film is the screenplay which is a horrific mess. The synopsis I had to cobble together from a family friend who is a fan of the books (but wasn't of the film). It is very loosely explained during the movie at different points with huge plot holes. If these Mogadarians want to destroy earth, why don't they straight away? Why kill these teenagers who are a part of the legacy? How were the legacies and Mogadarians created? Why do the Mogadarians want to destroy earth? I think I heard something about "resources," but what? Maybe this is explained in the book or subsequent ones, I don't know, but for someone who hasn't read them, things should have been explained and more clearly, it's no excuse. Also when John saves Sarah from her ex-boyfriend and his friends pestering her at the fair, she sees him using his powers (his hands light up) to deal with the guys, but she dosen't say anything??? What the heck? Then later she suddenly "finds" out? This sort of thing just reeks serious laziness on the hand of the writers, either that or during that scene Sarah went temporarily blind. I could go on with several other plot holes, but you get the point. The structure of the film is terribly put together with certain scenes just feeling so random, without them being linked together. Maybe the fact the film just suddenly decides to introduce new information in a convenient "way" like those weird creatures who guard the legacies (including a dog that turns into the creature) and the others for the Mogodarian's or whatever. And while we're on the subject of the Mogodarian's as villains they are ridiculously laughable and not scary in the slightest.
All the characters are bland with little back story like we find out literally nothing about John's past or his parents. With that you just don't care about them as they are little more than cardboard cut-outs. Particularly when Henri dies, in one scene with "sad" music. We're meant to care but the characters are so shallow and boring we just don't care and the whole pathetic scene just comes across as sickeningly insincere. Of course the characters being boring also comes down to terrible performances. Alex Pettyfer is just unbearably plain and looks and acts bored. He hasn't got the slightest trace of acting ability (just like in Stormbreakers). None of the cast fare any better. They are all unconvincing and give some of the worst performances I've seen in films, even Teresa Palmer who I adored in The Sorcerer's Apprentice could not save this. She looks great but barely gets enough screen time to make an impact with little dialogue. I couldn't judge her acting as such though her voice when I heard it sounded like she was trying to be sexy with a sore throat. The trollop scriptwriter who put in the embarrassingly awful and very cheesy NOT funny script that she should speak like that needs a slap.
I am Number Four tries to come across as a romantic sci-fi action, but it has little action (for teen boys), only about ten minutes and even when there was, the camera jerked up and down with a shocking lack of continuity I felt dizzy and couldn't make out what was going on so as a result there is no excitement you feel in "watching" the action. (Michael Bay who was the producer of this and still hasn't learnt from Transformers 2) and little romance (for teen girls). With little romance or action, the film just pointlessly meanders itself sluggishly from scene to scene. In terms of the "romance" there is no chemistry between John and Sarah and even the special effects are very poor and look too obvious. The film is way too predictable with stereotypes across the board which you will notice straight away making it unimaginative and repetitive like the rest of the film.
I paid £6.20 to see this abomination, I wish I hadn't. This is the first turkey of the year I've awarded for a film (suppose it was only a matter of time). This is just complete rubbish and I would not advise anyone to see this travesty. There will be sequels unfortunately but I certainly won't be signing up to see it. I would rather throw up thanks then put myself through seeing another one of these. Trust me I am Number Four is that crap. I would seriously advise you to skip it. It is one of the worst films I have ever encountered.
Before I critique this film. A brief synopsis from what I can gather. Teenager John Smith (Alex Pettyfer from Storm Breakers) who is an alien from another planet Lorien is a fugitive on the run from his enemies the Mogadarians who have been sent to destroy him after killing three other kids before him with the same abilities. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love Sarah (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others like number six (Teresa Palmer) who shares his destiny.
The first problem of this film is the screenplay which is a horrific mess. The synopsis I had to cobble together from a family friend who is a fan of the books (but wasn't of the film). It is very loosely explained during the movie at different points with huge plot holes. If these Mogadarians want to destroy earth, why don't they straight away? Why kill these teenagers who are a part of the legacy? How were the legacies and Mogadarians created? Why do the Mogadarians want to destroy earth? I think I heard something about "resources," but what? Maybe this is explained in the book or subsequent ones, I don't know, but for someone who hasn't read them, things should have been explained and more clearly, it's no excuse. Also when John saves Sarah from her ex-boyfriend and his friends pestering her at the fair, she sees him using his powers (his hands light up) to deal with the guys, but she dosen't say anything??? What the heck? Then later she suddenly "finds" out? This sort of thing just reeks serious laziness on the hand of the writers, either that or during that scene Sarah went temporarily blind. I could go on with several other plot holes, but you get the point. The structure of the film is terribly put together with certain scenes just feeling so random, without them being linked together. Maybe the fact the film just suddenly decides to introduce new information in a convenient "way" like those weird creatures who guard the legacies (including a dog that turns into the creature) and the others for the Mogodarian's or whatever. And while we're on the subject of the Mogodarian's as villains they are ridiculously laughable and not scary in the slightest.
All the characters are bland with little back story like we find out literally nothing about John's past or his parents. With that you just don't care about them as they are little more than cardboard cut-outs. Particularly when Henri dies, in one scene with "sad" music. We're meant to care but the characters are so shallow and boring we just don't care and the whole pathetic scene just comes across as sickeningly insincere. Of course the characters being boring also comes down to terrible performances. Alex Pettyfer is just unbearably plain and looks and acts bored. He hasn't got the slightest trace of acting ability (just like in Stormbreakers). None of the cast fare any better. They are all unconvincing and give some of the worst performances I've seen in films, even Teresa Palmer who I adored in The Sorcerer's Apprentice could not save this. She looks great but barely gets enough screen time to make an impact with little dialogue. I couldn't judge her acting as such though her voice when I heard it sounded like she was trying to be sexy with a sore throat. The trollop scriptwriter who put in the embarrassingly awful and very cheesy NOT funny script that she should speak like that needs a slap.
I am Number Four tries to come across as a romantic sci-fi action, but it has little action (for teen boys), only about ten minutes and even when there was, the camera jerked up and down with a shocking lack of continuity I felt dizzy and couldn't make out what was going on so as a result there is no excitement you feel in "watching" the action. (Michael Bay who was the producer of this and still hasn't learnt from Transformers 2) and little romance (for teen girls). With little romance or action, the film just pointlessly meanders itself sluggishly from scene to scene. In terms of the "romance" there is no chemistry between John and Sarah and even the special effects are very poor and look too obvious. The film is way too predictable with stereotypes across the board which you will notice straight away making it unimaginative and repetitive like the rest of the film.
I paid £6.20 to see this abomination, I wish I hadn't. This is the first turkey of the year I've awarded for a film (suppose it was only a matter of time). This is just complete rubbish and I would not advise anyone to see this travesty. There will be sequels unfortunately but I certainly won't be signing up to see it. I would rather throw up thanks then put myself through seeing another one of these. Trust me I am Number Four is that crap. I would seriously advise you to skip it. It is one of the worst films I have ever encountered.