Every so often, we get a movie based on a young adult fantasy novel that looks very similar to the last film that came out around the same time of the year based on a young adult fantasy novel. These films usually come out around February. The first was Jumper in 2008 (which was terrible). 2009 gave us Push, which I felt was better. I don’t count it (because it was much stronger in quality), but I suppose Percy Jackson works for 2010. The most recent addition to this yearly onslaught is 2011′s ironically-titled-due-to-placement, I Am Number Four. But does it continue the yearly rise in quality?

For those that aren’t in the know on such award-winning fare, this movie is about 9 aliens who–at one point–escaped their home planet and traveled to Earth to hide until they could become strong enough to fight back. But the evil aliens (led by a hard-to-discern Kevin Durand) have been tracking down these powerful 9 one by one, in numerical order, and killing them off. The first three are gone, and now we’re left with number four, John (Alex Pettyfer). He moves to small-town Ohio with his guardian, Henri (Timothy Olyphant), and tries to blend in. He meets Sarah (Dianna Agron), a once-populer, now outcast hottie; Sam (Callan McAuliffe), a bullied boy who once used to track aliens with his father; and Mark (Jake Abel, also of Percy Jackson), the bullier. Of course, the aliens are hunting him down, blah blah, you know the drill. Fortunately, a very skilled Number Six (Teresa Palmer) is on her way to help, as well.

This is one heck of a flawed film. Just on a surface level, we have Alex Pettyfer, who is 21 years old, looks 30, and is playing a high schooler. Then we have Dianna Agron playing literally the exact opposite (yet almost exactly the same) of her Glee character, which is strange. Then there’s Jake Abel playing the jock/bully, though he doesn’t look the part. In fact, Pettyfer looks more like he would be the pretty-boy jock instead. If you’ve seen enough of these stories and know your monomyth, you can tell exactly what’s going to happen to every character–especially Timothy Olyphant–from the second they’re introduced. So just on the surface, we already have a predictable yet off-putting film.

But I haven’t even gotten to the story yet. Almost nothing is explained. How were the 9 numbered so? How can the evil aliens know what order to go after them in? Why do they have to kill them in numerical order? Why are they killing them in the first place? What’s with the glowing daggers? What’s with the leg scars? What about the necklaces? How come only 2 of the 9 are special, and why those random 2 (not to mention I could have sworn Olyphant said 4 and 9, yet it’s 4 and 6)? What happened to Sam’s dad? And more… a bunch more.

The actual story, when you’re not looking at the unexplained things, is relatively non-existent. Nothing is going on for the 100 minute run-time. They’re just trying to stay hidden from the evil aliens–Mogs, I think they were called for short (“Mog. I’m a Mog. Half man, half dog. I’m my own best friend!”). There are only about 2 short 30-second scenes that show us Number Six before the big climax when she appears to help save the day. Her whole purpose is just to be a badass. We don’t even get to know her name. I do have to admit, she is really cool… but that’s all there is to her.

On the upside, when we do get some action, like in the 20-minute climax, it’s really cool. The whole finale fight sequence is a lot of fun. It’s just getting to that point that’s a bit dull. There’s also the cutest dog in the world in this movie, which is a plus. The acting isn’t superb, but it’s bearable. The overall film is pretty forgettable. It’s not bad, but it certainly isn’t great. If you’re bored and looking for something to watch, this one won’t hurt, though I’m sure you could find better. But if you just like this genre or type of film, go for it. It fits right in with the first 2 films I listed at the beginning.

♥♥1/2