Ambitious action

‘I Am Number Four’ packs in too much plot for its own good

By Carl Kozlowski 02/17/2011

Most outsiders have it rough enough in high school, feeling like aliens in their little social universes. But for John Smith, the alias of the lead character in the new sci-fi thriller “I Am Number Four,” things are infinitely worse.

John’s the new kid in the Norman Rockwell-esque small town of Paradise, Ohio, having just moved there after fleeing his previous home near a California beach. In fact, John’s constantly running, because, in reality, he actually is an alien known as Number Four, one of only a few specially gifted members of a species that survived a vicious attack on its home planet from an evil alien race known as the Mogs.

The Mogs have seized control of John’s home planet and live in fear that specially gifted young aliens such as John may someday lead a rebellion to take back their planet. Therefore, vicious Mog killers are tracking down the heroic young aliens on Earth and killing them — with John’s number next up.

With only a fellow alien warrior named Henri (Timothy Olyphant) to protect him, John must keep his identity secret while blending into yet another small-town high school. But things get extra-complicated this time after he falls in love with Sarah (Dianna Agron), a good-girl cheerleader whose jealous ex-boyfriend is the school’s quarterback and lead bully.

John teams up with the school’s long-established nerd Sam (Callan McAuliffe), whose father mysteriously died while investigating alien and UFO appearances, to fight off the Mogs and save Paradise. But can they do it alone, or will the hot blond girl (Teresa Palmer), who keeps walking away from explosions, have to help them?

Got all that? This is easily the longest explanation of a plot I’ve had to dish out in ages, and it truly offers just the setup for what’s to come rather than everything but the ending. This means that there’s an awful lot going on here, and while it’s often enjoyable, it ultimately feels like too much to digest — kind of like the giant turkey you regret having a fourth helping of at Thanksgiving.

Blending teenage identity issues, slam-bang action sequences, solid performances and a sweetly written romance with often-impressive special effects, the inventive “I Am Number Four” theoretically should prove to be both a blockbuster and a teen-movie classic.

Yet, in trying to juggle multiple genres into one slick show, writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (TV’s “Smallville”) and Marti Noxon (a top writer from the late great “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) wind up dropping the ball at a few key points.

The main problem with “Number Four” is that the Mogs’ attacks and action scenes often seem like jarring afterthoughts rather than integrating fully into the story. The final battle has so many laser zappings and objects getting destroyed — plus dozens of Mogs and their monster sidekicks coming out of nowhere — that the film nearly goes off the rails. The appearance of a character able to help save the day comes so randomly that it almost makes the film feel like it has a laughable, come-out-of-nowhere ending.

The performances from all the young leads — particularly Alex Pettyfer as John/Number Four — are solid enough to make the quirky inconsistencies forgivable. And the small-town aspects of the film are nicely rendered, with the central romance between John and Sarah a refreshing throwback to the positive teen relationships of John Hughes’ teen films.

With most of the movie’s other suspense and action scenes directed by D.J. Caruso (“Disturbia,” “Eagle Eye”), “I Am Number Four” may not quite merit four stars, but the  many elements that work ensure that it will still be a hit.

pasadenaweekly