[IXI! Digest] Preview Review: I Am Number Four

Just came back from an advance screening of I Am Number Four, a new Disney / Dreamworks film. I hadn't heard about it prior to getting free tickets through SCENE. I watched the trailer; my first thought was "Oh, another superteen movie like The Covenant? Might be worth looking at."

I decided to go in completely blind rather than doing research on it. If only I'd paid attention when someone responded to my initial reaction with "Aliens, actually." I had no idea how right he was.

Throughout the first half of the movie - and I KNOW I won't be the only one thinking this - I was like "why are they aliens?" There's zero footage of their home planet or anything resembling an origin story outside of a few minutes of exposition while he drives away from another community that outed him for finding out his secret.

We never get to learn the true names of the main character (Alex Pettyfer) and his guardian (Timothy Olyphant) - they change names and appearances every time they emigrate. First he's Daniel, then he's... John Smith? The fu? The obviously fake name ended up serving the plot, but it still did little more than establish the fact that they tried too hard to blend into human society.

You know this could have been just a superteen movie when he has to run out of his class because his powers are developing.

The love interest for this movie (Dianna Agron) was actually pretty cute and fit a character archetype that has always interested me - a shutterbug who lives in a boring town and wants to get out and travel. What better matchup than a guy who's not only travelled the world, but is from another planet?

The movie also features a conspiracy geek (Callan McAuliffe) who gets proven right, and immediately starts zapping aliens left and right.

The action is good and the effects are great for the plot that presented them - thank/blame Michael Bay for that.

If you like Twilight and/or The Covenant, I Am Number Four is for you.

PS - there will totally be a sequel and it will TOTALLY be called I Am Number Five. QUOTE ME ON THIS.