I Am Number Four is really not a bad movie, it just never really hits the sweet spot. It has a bloated run time, yet feels unfinished. While still having a kick-ass soundtrack, I can’t help but feel Disney didn’t really ‘feel’ this film either – nor did the two main stars. The features are lacking as-is the picture quality. It is worth a rental, however.
I Am Number Four (2011)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Action
Buena Vista | PG13 – 109 min. – $44.99 | May 24, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Writer(s): Jobie Hughes & James Frey (novel); Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Marti Noxon (screenplay)
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olymphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron
Theatrical Release Date: February 18, 2011
DISC INFO:
Features: Featurette, Deleted Scenes, DVD Copy, Digital Copy
Number of Discs: 4
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.85
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Region(s): A, B, C
THE MOVIE – 3.25/5
Three are Dead. Who is Number Four?
John Smith (ALEX PETTYFER) is an extraordinary teen masking his true identity to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him. Living with his guardian (Olyphant) in the small town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events – his first love (DIANNA ARGON), powerful new abilities and a secret connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.
As a somewhat fan of “Glee”, I was looking forward to seeing this film as I don’t recall Dianna Argon being in anything pre-”Glee”. But I still kept my expectations low for this since a. the male lead is unknown, b. this is a Disney live-action film and c. the trailers didn’t make it look all that interesting. And to a degree, it wasn’t. The plot seems to be all over the place and many of the characters are never really fleshed out.
Let’s start with the cover – who the hell is the girl on the left hand side? She has a quick scene thirty minutes into a film and is pretty much gone until the last fifteen. What’s her name? No idea, I already forgot. But why is she featured on the cover while Timothy Olyphant – who has a much bigger leader – is not? The film is trying to appeal to young tweens, right? That’s why you casted a hunk and a girl from a popular tween shown. Yet showcasing off an unknown women was a better idea?
Anyway, let’s talk about the film a bit John is the fourth person in a group of nine who are special. Something about them being from a planet and be it’s only hope. So they get sent to Earth and the big bad Aliens hunt and kill them. So Number Three was offed at the start, and now Number Four is, well, next in line. His guardian comes up with a sweet new name for him that won’t draw any attention to him – John Smith. Right. They also move to a new town where John meets and falls for a cute, edgy girl who just happens to have an ex boyfriend who is jealous of any guy that comes in contact with her. So as you might expect, John and ex-boyfriend-who’s-name-I-forgot hates him and tries to beat him up when his super-awesome powers come out. It’s kinda like “Smallville”.
Moving forward, there is a dog who is also some monster and eventually the film turns into a bad CW-Pilot…but for some reason, I strangely enjoyed it. Since the ending is obviously setup for more sequels (which will likely never arrive), be aware you may feel like the movie cuts off about 10 minutes to early (even though it has a bloated run time).
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2/5
The film is houses in a shiny Slip Cover.
Becoming Number Six (12 Minutes; HD) – Teresa Palmer (Number Six, the girl on the cover) talks about her character and how badass she is. Of course, she gets to be on the cover when the dog has more screen time. Makes sense. Oh, and she gets her own Special Features?
Deleted Scenes (19 Minutes; HD) – Half a dozen Deleted/Extended scenes are presented with Optional Commentary. Nothing here worth noting. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **
And a Blooper Reel (HD). Yep, that’s it folks!
Also included is a copy of the film on DVD and a Digital Copy (** Digital Copy **).
VIDEO – 4/5
I Am Number Four is presented in 1.85:1 (MPEG4) on a 50GB Disc. This is a below average film that gets average marking on Blu-ray. While the film shows signs of pure brilliance (the opening scene), some other scenes are muddled in the dark or filled with excessive amounts of grain. It lacks the polish of other live-action Disney flicks, but given the box office performance, I guess we know why.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
Disney has included an English 5.1 DTS MA Track for this release. The good news is the audio is fantastic. The film has just about everything – an awesome soundtrack, clear dialogue and some pretty cool effects (later on in the film). A very great effort.
OVERALL – 3.25/5
I Am Number Four is really not a bad movie, it just never really hits the sweet spot. It has a bloated run time, yet feels unfinished. While still having a kick-ass soundtrack, I can’t help but feel Disney didn’t really ‘feel’ this film either – nor did the two main stars. The features are lacking as-is the picture quality. It is worth a rental, however.
Brad Lowenberg
Published: 05/24/2011
For more screen caps, go to page 2.