The name game – I’ve always contended that a title can make or break a film as it’s the first chance to create some buzz. Because the last thing any new film needs is bad vibes before it ever comes out, but it happens. And once that ball of negativity starts rolling, it’s hard to stop as one bad review turns into another and another. It’s for that reason titles like “I Am Number Four” should have never made it past the first production meeting, as something that goofy doesn’t deserve to be on a big screen. But, it was and unfortunately, it never got any better from there ultimately leading to giant waste of time.
What’s it about? I’m actually still trying to figure that out, as I was completely lost for the first 30 minutes, wondering what the point was. Turns out, this entire film is based on the science fiction novel by the same name written by Jobie Hughes and James Frey. And here I thought something this ridiculous could only come from a Hollywood producer or director. In any case, it all follows this alien that actually looks like you or I, as he attempts to fit into a culture that far too amateur. Part of a clad of nine kids that survived the destruction of their home planet Lorien, at the hands of the Mogadorians, they each were assigned a number and hidden on Earth. Number Four, a.k.a. John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) was one of these kids, now disguised as a teenager who was desperately trying to have a normal life. But, just when things started to calm down, something happened and this time, it was after Numbers One, Two and Three turning up dead, leaving his number up next. Unwilling to stick around to see what would happen next, Number Four and his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant) flee and take residence in the small town of Paradise, Ohio. Hoping to stay off the grid, Number Four tried to not draw attention, but when his love for a girl unleashed powers he never thought he had, all hell broke loose for he and anyone close to him as this game of hide and seek turned viral in more ways than one.
Who was in it? The only real face most people will recognize, but won’t know from where, is Timothy Olyphant. And really, that’s OK because with how poorly this script was written, it took a veteran like Olyphant to keep it all in front of him. Unfortunately, his supporting cast didn’t have that same fate, often stumbling through scene after scene like it was their first drama class back in middle school. About the only real highlight of this cast wasDianna Agron, who was a breath of fresh air each and every time she opened her mouth. That was unexpected, as virtually no one else was able to capture the audience the way Agron (TV’s Glee) did. Sure, Alex Pettyfer had his moments when he didn’t have to do too much, but that was mostly when he and Agron were together on screen. So, as much as I would like to give him credit, I think he was just a product of Agron’s good work.
Every direction but the right one – I should have known, before ever sitting down to watch this, that it probably wasn’t going to be all that great based on who directed it. That was none other than D.J. Caruso, the same man who created such classic failures like “The Salton Sea,” “Taking Lives” and “Two for the Money.” Even his most recent films, “Disturbia” and “Eagle Eye” could have been a lot better, so when you add it all up, Caruso is just not that good of a director. He definitely can’t turn a mediocre script into something worthwhile, no matter how much money is given to him. Good concepts can only go as far as the background that accompanies it, so when there’s no background like in this film, there’s not a whole lot to like. Any explanation would have gone a long way into understanding more of what this film was built upon. Too often, I felt lost within the chaos that was this script and that’s just wasteful given how cool some of the special effects were. Anything that might have been good was quickly covered up with all the fluff that seemed to dominate this film. Nothing ever really added up within the choppy story leaving me to think either the book is just too hard to understand or too corny to make a film after. Either way, by the time this film even remotely started to get energized, it was too late.
Bottom Line – At one time, “I Am Number Four” might have been a decent idea for a motion picture, but somewhere along the way it got all jacked up. Whether that was before or after director D.J. Caruso signed on, we’ll never know, but he certainly did nothing to help it implode from within. And in the end, all you’re left with is a film that scattered around the edges without ever deciding to dive in.
D
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You know I was not sold on this film from the very beginning because the trailer looked very cheesy but your review has me sold, I think I will skip this one.