After weeks of serious, intelligent movies all clambering for award nominations, we are now in the realm of big, dumb, loud blockbusters that will appeal to an audience not really looking for story but more just a good time. The first of those movies is I Am Number Four and after a slightly dodgy start this isn’t that bad.
John Smith has had a very unsettled life, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri. As it turns out, John isn’t from this planet but has escaped from a dying world along with nine others, all protected by guardians. Three have been killed already and it is up to John to find the others, thus making them stronger in a war against an alien race intent on ruling the universe. As John settles into a new life, he meets Sarah, a young girl obsessed with photographing everything and placing it on her website, including pictures of John, causing his anonymity to be in jeopardy.
As the film starts, the performances are pretty ropey but it’s a strange thing when as the movie continues they get better. Brit Alex Pettyfer, who you might remember as Alex Storm in Stormbreaker, starts off quite poor but he really does shine as he starts to discover things about himself he didn’t know. Pretty Dianna Agron, best known for being a star of Glee, is a little too wet to really appeal as the girl that captures John’s heart and I did want her to open her mouth more when she spoke.
Let’s face it, movies like this are not based around performances but more on the action side and while there are moments when the romance between John and Sarah blossoms which seem to go on forever, director D.J. Caruso keeps things moving at a brisk pace and has created some very exciting scenes. The battle in the school, while totally ludicrous, is brilliantly executed with effects and stunt work mixed in nicely.
The film does have, what could be, the scene of the year, in which a mysterious blonde girl (I won’t give away too much), ram shacks John’s previous beachside home and blows it up to a soundtrack of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. It’s a real moment.
So this might not be The King’s Speech or Black Swan but you do come out satisfied that you have been entertained and even though it is nonsense, it’s exciting nonsense that will appeal to anyone looking for something they don’t necessarily have to think about too much.
You can see that the film makers, looking for a replacement for both Harry Potter and the Twilight saga, are hoping that this could be it, as the film is left open for a follow-up. Well if it is going to be as much fun as this, I, for one, am looking forward to it.
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