Jason KingI Am Number 4 (7/10)
February 16th 2011 20:42
:
Pittacus Lore's book comes to the screen with Alex Pettyfer
Category: Reviews
I Am Number 4 (7/10)
Extraordinary teen John Smith (Pettyfer) is an alien fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (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 (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.
This is a young adult action blockbuster worthy of taking notice of. It has a hugely succesful, if not overly original, storyline. It is the story of Superman changed about with some added originality and mixed up with some Twilight for good measure and it is well written, well directed, well acted and I loved it. Imagine if Superman left Krypton with eleven of his mates and they all had a unique gift each. I would have scored it higher but I am a massive fan of the same titled book by Pittacus Lore and the changes, while not bad or detrimental to the storyline, still confuddled me at times and occasionally annoyed me. I swear I have got to stop reading the books first - will I ever learn?? I think if I had watched this movie before reading the book I would have scored an 8 or 8.5. It is no King's Speach or Black Swan but it does what it does well for its genre.
The only other quibble I have about the story that disappointed me was the bad guys, the Mogadorians, they were a comical version of Eric Bana's Romulans from Star Trek. If you make the bad guy comical a lot of people will have diffculty in following the heartbreaking journey of the guy in the lead role. The same thing was done in lead actor Alex Pettyfer's first film STORMBREAKER by making the asshole head of the spy agency Bill Nighy doing standup. It pissed me off because it makes fun of a serious storyline - it detracts from the urgency and heroic feats the characters face. I know studios are trying to throw in some comic relief and what they consider appeal to the younger viewers but serioulsy it was not required in Terminator and that is what these kind of bad guys need to be crafted on, an evil race set on the destruction of John Smith with NO DISTRACTIONS or prisoners.
I am not sure why so many of the scenes from the book were altered and I know there was probably a lot to be explained for the film but all of John's training was removed from the film and instead they just naturally developed and I was also sad there was no flashbacks to the explanation and destruction of his home planet and his journey to Earth with the other Loriens. Most of the character of Henri (Olyphant) was changed as was Sam (Callan McAuliffe) as was the important story behind the box but it looks like the box has been saved for the sequel. I would love to go into a massive explanation of all that was changed but I really don't want to give away any spoilers and as a film on its own it works - it was just my stupid fault for reading the book first because of course I would compare and judge more.
Now my gripes are out of the way I can talk about the things I loved. Firstly I thought DJ Caruso did a fabulous job, his last two films have been slightly more adult but a similar basic plot. Distrubia and then Eagly Eye, both with Shia LBeouf follow the trials of a younger lead character up against all the odds and way out of his league. I Am Number 4 leads to a more sci fi based story and the special effects of this film are totally top notch. There are great feats of strength when John Smith starts discovering his powers and even then the powers of the other members of his race are way impressive - I loved the angle changes mid jump - something new to be seen. The end battle special effects are edge of your seat stuff and I love the powers of faster developed Number 6. She is very cool and one ballsy woman
.
Alex Pettyfer is great as John Smith. I actually kind of know Pettyfer, we are Twitter and Facebook friends and if you follow me on FB and saw my recent 30 Day Challenge - it was Pettyfer who got me doing it. We don't chat on weekends and he probably wouldn't hang out with me but hey I am bragging - we have spoken a couple of times online and hopefully he will be reading this review I have followed Pettyfer and loved his work since Stormbreaker - not only is he drop dead gorgeous and capable of acting but he is also a martial arts expert and does a lot of his own stunts, plus hey, he dates the hot chearleader from Glee - who surprisingly is his lead costar in this film, Dianna Agron. They both met on set and make a very cute couple, he gushes on FB about her .
Rumors have been flying around that Pettyfer has been difficult to work with onset and is getting a prima donna attitude. The Hollywood Reporter reported there were renogtiations and dummy spits over pay conditions on the film. He was paid $250000 for this film and asked for more when he discovered another actor was making more, fair enough, he was the lead! Also, when people like Taylor Lautner are now in the $20MIL range when they have limited acting range I would not be blaming him for asking for more money. But Alex is smart, he has now signed with Lautner's agent as has Agron. That $20MIL is not far off. But Lautner never demanded his wages, he was in films and became a HUGE sex symbol and then they were throwing the money at him. Alex should have waited for this film and Beastly (with Vanessa Hudgens) to come out and then studios likewise will be throwing money left, right and centre for pieces of him. He is on a meteoric rise with sci fi NOW in post production, co starring Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timberlake and Cillian Murphy out in October and two other films slated for 2012 release. We will be seeing a lot of him in the future and considering he is Birtish and looks aweomse in a suit I see a future James Bond right here!!
Dianna Agron is pretty fine in the film but I really want to see her in a role that stretches her abilities - she is so stunning to look at and I would love to see her in a period film as she has that timeless beauty - I just want to see her in something that gives more than smiles and beautiful looks but she does her part admirably. As does Timothy Olyphant - his character is in the film a lot less than he is in the book - I could have done with more of him in the film but those eyes of his always scare me so maybe he was in it enough hahaha.
Australia'a own Teresa Palmer was spectacular as Number 6 - she is basically the action hero of the film who takes no bullshit and can take on an army if she wants to. She has come a long way since things like The December Boys (with Harry Potter) and then last year's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, no longer the damsel in distress she is now a lean mean fighting machine. I cannot wait until the sequal to see where these two actors take these characters. And I also have to rave about Callan McAuliffe - another Australian that just came out of nowehere and is awesome. McAuliffe is who I saw as Sam when reading the book. I cannot wait to see him again in the sequal (of course if it happens and they all resign). But we will also see McAuliffe soon in the Cloudstreet TV show.
I am confident this film will gain hype after its release - Pettyfer is still pretty unknown in Australia but I am sure after this film his name will become a but more frequently mentioned, Australia teens definitely need a new hot guy on the block to give Lautner and Efron a run for their money. If you are soon to be missing that Harry Potter series and need a replacement this is much more enjoyable than the Narnia series and has some good action - I just hope they fix the bad guys for the second film. It should be noted that the film is taken from the book written by Pittacus Lore - Lore is actually a fictional character himself who is also from planet Lorien. I think when more books get published Lore will eventually make an appearance in the story. Interesting thing about Lore - he is the pen name of James Frey and Jobie Hughes. Frey you may remember as the guy who caused a HUGE stir as being the author who falsified his accounts in the book A Million Little Pieces and was outed internationally on Oprah. I don't really care - I just love the books by Pittacus Lore and cannot wait until "THE POWER OF 6 releases in late 2011. I want more of this story ASAP. I really hope the film is a success and the franchise of this can continue with the same actors.
I am Number 4 succeeds where Stormbreaker and Percy Jackson didn't - it's a teen film from a book series that works. It's definitely worthy of a film franchise like Harry Potter. Stormbreaker could've done it if it were more succesful but they originally stated Pettyfer could never be part of a sequel if it was made because he would be too old. Stupid mistake - he made the film. I Am Number 4 releases this weekend Fri 18th for 3 days for Previews and then full release will be on 24th February. Well worth the viewing, nice work Alex!! Worth 7 out of 10.
Extraordinary teen John Smith (Pettyfer) is an alien fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (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 (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.
This is a young adult action blockbuster worthy of taking notice of. It has a hugely succesful, if not overly original, storyline. It is the story of Superman changed about with some added originality and mixed up with some Twilight for good measure and it is well written, well directed, well acted and I loved it. Imagine if Superman left Krypton with eleven of his mates and they all had a unique gift each. I would have scored it higher but I am a massive fan of the same titled book by Pittacus Lore and the changes, while not bad or detrimental to the storyline, still confuddled me at times and occasionally annoyed me. I swear I have got to stop reading the books first - will I ever learn?? I think if I had watched this movie before reading the book I would have scored an 8 or 8.5. It is no King's Speach or Black Swan but it does what it does well for its genre.
The only other quibble I have about the story that disappointed me was the bad guys, the Mogadorians, they were a comical version of Eric Bana's Romulans from Star Trek. If you make the bad guy comical a lot of people will have diffculty in following the heartbreaking journey of the guy in the lead role. The same thing was done in lead actor Alex Pettyfer's first film STORMBREAKER by making the asshole head of the spy agency Bill Nighy doing standup. It pissed me off because it makes fun of a serious storyline - it detracts from the urgency and heroic feats the characters face. I know studios are trying to throw in some comic relief and what they consider appeal to the younger viewers but serioulsy it was not required in Terminator and that is what these kind of bad guys need to be crafted on, an evil race set on the destruction of John Smith with NO DISTRACTIONS or prisoners.
I am not sure why so many of the scenes from the book were altered and I know there was probably a lot to be explained for the film but all of John's training was removed from the film and instead they just naturally developed and I was also sad there was no flashbacks to the explanation and destruction of his home planet and his journey to Earth with the other Loriens. Most of the character of Henri (Olyphant) was changed as was Sam (Callan McAuliffe) as was the important story behind the box but it looks like the box has been saved for the sequel. I would love to go into a massive explanation of all that was changed but I really don't want to give away any spoilers and as a film on its own it works - it was just my stupid fault for reading the book first because of course I would compare and judge more.
Now my gripes are out of the way I can talk about the things I loved. Firstly I thought DJ Caruso did a fabulous job, his last two films have been slightly more adult but a similar basic plot. Distrubia and then Eagly Eye, both with Shia LBeouf follow the trials of a younger lead character up against all the odds and way out of his league. I Am Number 4 leads to a more sci fi based story and the special effects of this film are totally top notch. There are great feats of strength when John Smith starts discovering his powers and even then the powers of the other members of his race are way impressive - I loved the angle changes mid jump - something new to be seen. The end battle special effects are edge of your seat stuff and I love the powers of faster developed Number 6. She is very cool and one ballsy woman
. 
Alex Pettyfer is great as John Smith. I actually kind of know Pettyfer, we are Twitter and Facebook friends and if you follow me on FB and saw my recent 30 Day Challenge - it was Pettyfer who got me doing it. We don't chat on weekends and he probably wouldn't hang out with me but hey I am bragging - we have spoken a couple of times online and hopefully he will be reading this review
I have followed Pettyfer and loved his work since Stormbreaker - not only is he drop dead gorgeous and capable of acting but he is also a martial arts expert and does a lot of his own stunts, plus hey, he dates the hot chearleader from Glee - who surprisingly is his lead costar in this film, Dianna Agron. They both met on set and make a very cute couple, he gushes on FB about her . 
Rumors have been flying around that Pettyfer has been difficult to work with onset and is getting a prima donna attitude. The Hollywood Reporter reported there were renogtiations and dummy spits over pay conditions on the film. He was paid $250000 for this film and asked for more when he discovered another actor was making more, fair enough, he was the lead! Also, when people like Taylor Lautner are now in the $20MIL range when they have limited acting range I would not be blaming him for asking for more money. But Alex is smart, he has now signed with Lautner's agent as has Agron. That $20MIL is not far off. But Lautner never demanded his wages, he was in films and became a HUGE sex symbol and then they were throwing the money at him. Alex should have waited for this film and Beastly (with Vanessa Hudgens) to come out and then studios likewise will be throwing money left, right and centre for pieces of him. He is on a meteoric rise with sci fi NOW in post production, co starring Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timberlake and Cillian Murphy out in October and two other films slated for 2012 release. We will be seeing a lot of him in the future and considering he is Birtish and looks aweomse in a suit I see a future James Bond right here!!
Dianna Agron is pretty fine in the film but I really want to see her in a role that stretches her abilities - she is so stunning to look at and I would love to see her in a period film as she has that timeless beauty - I just want to see her in something that gives more than smiles and beautiful looks but she does her part admirably. As does Timothy Olyphant - his character is in the film a lot less than he is in the book - I could have done with more of him in the film but those eyes of his always scare me so maybe he was in it enough hahaha.
Australia'a own Teresa Palmer was spectacular as Number 6 - she is basically the action hero of the film who takes no bullshit and can take on an army if she wants to. She has come a long way since things like The December Boys (with Harry Potter) and then last year's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, no longer the damsel in distress she is now a lean mean fighting machine. I cannot wait until the sequal to see where these two actors take these characters. And I also have to rave about Callan McAuliffe - another Australian that just came out of nowehere and is awesome. McAuliffe is who I saw as Sam when reading the book. I cannot wait to see him again in the sequal (of course if it happens and they all resign). But we will also see McAuliffe soon in the Cloudstreet TV show.
I am confident this film will gain hype after its release - Pettyfer is still pretty unknown in Australia but I am sure after this film his name will become a but more frequently mentioned, Australia teens definitely need a new hot guy on the block to give Lautner and Efron a run for their money
. If you are soon to be missing that Harry Potter series and need a replacement this is much more enjoyable than the Narnia series and has some good action - I just hope they fix the bad guys for the second film. It should be noted that the film is taken from the book written by Pittacus Lore - Lore is actually a fictional character himself who is also from planet Lorien. I think when more books get published Lore will eventually make an appearance in the story. Interesting thing about Lore - he is the pen name of James Frey and Jobie Hughes. Frey you may remember as the guy who caused a HUGE stir as being the author who falsified his accounts in the book A Million Little Pieces and was outed internationally on Oprah. I don't really care - I just love the books by Pittacus Lore and cannot wait until "THE POWER OF 6 releases in late 2011. I want more of this story ASAP. I really hope the film is a success and the franchise of this can continue with the same actors.
I am Number 4 succeeds where Stormbreaker and Percy Jackson didn't - it's a teen film from a book series that works. It's definitely worthy of a film franchise like Harry Potter. Stormbreaker could've done it if it were more succesful but they originally stated Pettyfer could never be part of a sequel if it was made because he would be too old. Stupid mistake - he made the film. I Am Number 4 releases this weekend Fri 18th for 3 days for Previews and then full release will be on 24th February. Well worth the viewing, nice work Alex!! Worth 7 out of 10.
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