I Am Number Four

It can’t be a good sign for a film intended to be a franchise kick starter that by the time the credits rolled, not only did I still not know why all of the ugly aliens wanted to kill all of the pretty aliens, but that I still didn’t care. Based upon a series of juvenile novels, I Am Number Four stars Alex Pettyfer as “John,” a high school-age alien orphan relentlessly hunted by a race of gilled and tattooed baddies called the Mogadorians. Although outwardly normal, John is forced to withdraw from making emotional connections, lest the Mogadorians track him over the Internet (talk about a lame plot device!). There is enough smoldering young talent and fits and starts of sci-fi action on display that I Am Number Four could have made for a passable time filler, if only the story weren’t such a smoldering shambles.