by Brianna Anderson
John is a fugitive on the run from a deadly enemy on a mission to destroy him. A hostile race, the Mogadorians, have already killed three others like him; adolescents with unusual powers. John is Number Four.
John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) changes his identity and moves from town to town with his guardian Henri. He and eight other children were sent to earth from the planet Lorien in order to escape the Mogadorians. Paradise, Ohio is John’s new temporary home where he meets friends and tries to live under the radar. But adapting to his new abilities, which suddenly come in full force now that he is of age, makes it hard to blend in.
“I Am Number Four,” directed by D.J. Caruso (“Disturbia”) and produced by Michael Bay (“Transformers”), is an action adventure, suspense thriller. The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, action and for language. Fleeting kisses and a shot of Pettyfer in a bathing suit is about as sexy as it gets. The film takes on familiar characteristics of sci-fi television shows such as “Star Trek” and “Smallville.”
“I Am Number Four” is the first book of a series called “The Lorien Legacies,” released in 2010. The series has been compared to other books like “Artemis Fowl” and “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”
The author of the series, Pittacus Lore, is a pseudonym for writers James Frey and Jobie Hughes. Copying the idea from fictional authors such as Lemony Snicket, Frey and Hughes created a character who recounts the stories of the Lorien Legacies. Pittacus Lore is the ruler of Lorien and has been hiding on Earth for 12 years but his whereabouts are unknown.
Frey has a reputation for fabricating more than just fictional characters in his books. It was revealed that in his memoir, “A Million Little Pieces,” he lied about spending three months in jail like he described in his book, when in fact he spent only a few hours in police custody, according to Time Magazine.
Frey eventually admitted to the allegations against him and has since then made a comeback with this highly anticipated film.
The film soundtrack features familiar recording artists such as Kings of Leon, Adele, Jimmy Eat World and The Temper Trap.