I Am Number Four

RATING: D+

Most of the time, when a book series starts getting adapted to film, it goes pretty well. They're often quite successful and well cherished among different types of people. There are, however, the book series that are adapted into movies but don't make it past the first movie--often because it was a box office failure and it was well below the quality of other film adaptions of books. Inkheart and Eragon are such examples. This isn't always the rule--Ender's Game was a good movie that will probably never get a sequel, and Twilight should've never made it past the first movie. But I Am Number Four can be added fairly to the list of overall letdowns. 

This particular series focuses on a group of human-appearing aliens who have escaped to Earth after the destruction of their planet, and are being hunted down by another group of aliens. Nine of them... and they have to be killed in sequential order--one, two, three, and so on. (And *why* exactly they have to be killed in sequential order is never explained.) The film focuses on teenager "John Smith," aka Number Four, who's next on the hit list after the death of Number Three. 

His attempts to blend in while going to school, however, don't end up going too well as he only draws more attention to himself--making quick enemies with the jocks, and getting involved with a girl photographer named Sarah, and also with a conspiracy theorist kid named Sam. All in all, it's probably not going to take too long before those aliens find him, right? 

The film was marketed as sci-fi/fantasy/action, so the amount of time we spend watching absolutely *none* of the action early on is quite surprising. Ultimately, much of the first 45 minutes to an hour or so feels more like a teen drama/comedy--not what I planned on watching. And once things actually start getting a little more interesting, there's still not much action--not until the climax, when we are hit with an admittedly thrilling action sequence. One ends up being bored for much of the first half instead, and by the time we actually get to the good stuff, it's not enough to make an overwhelming difference. 

There are some notable story oddities. Like I mentioned earlier, it is never explained *why* the nine kids have to be killed in sequential order. Also early on, we are introduced to Number Six briefly--and then she disappears for 40 minutes. Makes another 10-15 second appearance. Then she disappears *again*--until the climax. Why they even bothered showing her early on is beyond me. Also of note is the fact that the aliens actually try to kill her a couple times--apparently forgetting that they can't kill her yet, since Four is still alive. 

Ultimately, I Am Number Four probably performed poorly at the box office for good reason. Though the marketing made it look pretty exciting, the fact is that there's not much exciting going on at all. It's a pretty dull ride much of the way, although you may get a few laughs out of the stupidity of the protagonist. Thrilling as the ending may be, it's not enough to save it. I Am Number Four is a book-to-movie adaption you can probably skip, especially since there won't be a sequel.