Movie Review: I Am Number Four

After much waiting, I finally watched I Am Number Four. It was between Unknown and this, but Liam Neeson's latest film seems a tad bit like Taken and such movies will probably be released on DVD soon. Nonetheless Liam Neeson's pretty good with thrillers and I have yet to catch January Jones on the big screen so maybe it's worth a watch. It has been awhile since I caught a movie with some good special effects so I Am Number Four was choice for the day.

I actually had a little crush on Alex Pettyfer after watching the movie, probably 'cause I love height on a cool guy who can rock a simple ensemble of a sweatshirt under a leather jacket worn over a pair of cargo khakis. Number 4, Alex's character in the show, or you might remember him better as his alias John Smith, has a simple wardrobe but definitely what I like to see on a guy. Just a bit of juicy info, Alex Pettyfer, who turns 21 this year, was previously a model and has modelled for Burberry, Ralph Lauren and Gap.

But I digress.

The plot may be a turn-off for those of you who find that there are too many of those aliens-taking-over-the-world flicks out there, from Independence Day way back in the 90s and War of the Worlds which go even further back in time. I Am Number Four takes on a younger vibe with a young cast of good-looking people. The movie is based on a novel written by Pittacus Lore, which supports the very point that it's difficult to translate a book on to the big sceen.

Nonetheless, the action was pretty good, credits to a good director D.J. Caruso and producer Michael Bay. Not forgetting the young but amazingly professional cast who did their own stunts, yes, including Alex Pettyfer's free-falling backwards down a cliff and Dianna Agron falling off the roof of a house. He was great with facial expressions - very realistic, but I preferred him doing the action scenes over the lovey-dovey ones with on-screen costar Dianna Agron (by the way, they just broke up, in real-life). Maybe it was Dianna Agron whom I had a problem with, she has such a pretty face but she looked so stiff and unnatural.

Teresa Palmer (Number 6), despite her short appearance, did leave quite an impact. It wasn't just the Australian accent that hit me, but also how she's pretty good with the stunts and expressions. If you do happen to watch the show, try and see if she gives off an Ali Larter vibe to you as she did to me. My favourite scene of hers was probably that of her sliding on the ground and slicing the Mogadorian's leg (see second picture below). Teresa totally fits the bill for a female superhero. X-Men, anyone?

Fellow Aussie actor Callan McAuliffe, otherwise known as Sam in the movie, reminded me so much of Zac Efron I swore that Zac had a long-lost brother. His mannerisms, the way he spoke, his sad expressions - gosh, you'll know what I mean if you caught High School Musical (especially the first installment). He did a great job acting like a total geek who gets bullied in school. Yet he looks absolutely cute. What a waste.

Most of all, I loved the special effects, from the light beams to the explosion to the invisibility of Number 6.

To sum up, it was a pretty okay movie, though not fantastic. I just hated that no one seem to have the on-screen chemistry with Dianna Agron and she only has one facial expression throughout the entire show. I'd probably watch it again (for free) for the action. And just an interesting fact to note, those men acting as the tall Mogadorian aliens which tiny, razor-sharp teeth and fish gills for nostrils are really that tall - almost 2-metres in height. That includes Canadian actor Kevin Durand, who also starred in Legion against Paul Bettany as Gabriel. Phew.

I Am Number Four gets 3 and a half stars out of 5 from me. Plenty of eye-candies in this one.