I Am Number Four

John (Alex Pettyfer) is just a regular alien guy trying to survive attacks from the Mogadorians–-gill-faced 7-foot enemy aliens with shark teeth-–attempting to kill him.

Originally from the planet Lorien, he’s hiding out on planet Earth trying to blend in along with his fellow Loriens. His parents have died, as well as most of the Lorien population. There are only a handful of them left. While out on the beach with some friends he learns that Number Three (a fellow native of his planet) has been killed, meaning that he is next. Hence, he is Number Four.

So he and fellow Lorien, Henri (Timothy Olyphant), who is his protector but also poses as his dad, relocate to Paradise, Ohio to remain obscure. Their goal--to move from town to town changing identities and avoiding any close relationships with the humans.

Although John is an alien, he looks more like a human teenage athlete with super powers, which makes easy for blending in. So he goes to school. But he can’t seem to escape befriending strangers, whether helping the target of a bully or catching the eye of a pretty girl. Confusing enough for his new sweetheart Sarah (Dianna Agron) at first, but chicks dig the alien-dude type, so she eventually comes around.

Too bad it seems like a forced and contrived alien version of a Twilight film.

Unbeknownst of his own powers, John learns of his super strength and his hands that light up, beaming insurmountable forces of energy. Unfortunately, a few of his fellow classmates and others witness this, ready to put it on YouTube and Facebook.  So Henri decides they should leave due to townies becoming suspicious of their identities. But John is reluctant due to his new found love interest.

Yup, in this movie, aliens eat, sleep, and fall in love just like humans.

But Henri reveals unlike humans, Loriens only fall in love once and it's forever. Odd fun fact.

In a plot to trap John, the Mogadorians kidnap Henri, forcing him to come towards their territory and soon enough he is forced to face them in a battle of excessive CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) proportions.

The film relies heavily on graphics (which aren't exactly eye-popping) and not so much on storyline. Because we don’t learn much about Loriens and their life back home or why Mogadorians prey on them, it’s difficult to care about the characters.

This movie just seems like an attempt to cash in on the teenage girl market cash cow. Number Four is Twilight meets comic book superhero film with less substance, earning it 1.5 out of 4 stars.