Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for language.
Starring Alex Pettyfer and Timothy Olyphant
Directed by D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia and Two for the Money)
I Am Number Four sure felt a lot more like “number two.”
An extraordinary young man, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events — his first love, powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.
Let’s be clear right out of the gate, this film was made for a teenage audience…think Disney Channel meets X-men.
John Smith is from another planet with some cool super powers and a very cool guardian…yeah I love Timothy Olyphant. But all he cares about is going to school and girls. I know…SHOCKING!!
So we get to see every high school movie cliché that exists: his special ability will make him greater and more awesome than his peers, but his or his family’s safety will require him to hide that ability and pretend to be less awesome than he truly is. Which means he will end up being bullied by one of the popular kids (most likely the football star) while protecting a smaller, less awesome student. He’ll fall in love, have conflict with authority figures and ultimately overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, to save the day. You get the idea.
So besides being extremely unoriginal, I Am Number Four is just…lifeless. The special effects are not special at all and the cast (except for Timothy Olyphant) is average at best. Because, like a lot of young adult leads, I have to believe they were chosen more for their looks than anything else.
Finally there is the script, which is filled with empty, thoughtless dialog and more than a few major flaws. For example a major character gets her first line of dialog in the last 20 minutes of the film and completely takes over the final battle scene. So instead of the characters we have watched for the last hour shining, they get pushed completely out of the way.
It’s not worth your time, but it will make a nice Coaster.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The movie is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for language. Again think the Disney Channel meets X-men.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: Every good story has conflict and I Am Number Four deals with two main conflicts. There is the conflict between superhero teens and alien life forms whose sole purpose is to kill the heroes and then there’s the conflict between teens and authority (in this case it is Number 4’s protective guardian Henri). Let’s focus of the latter. For as long as there have been teenagers, there have been conflicts between teenagers and adults. Whether they are parents, teachers or bosses, we usually don’t see eye to eye.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: As with any and every conflict there are two sides to the story. And in this case there are two sides to the solution. Ephesians 6:1-4 gives us great insight into how we can not only get along, but how we can have a loving and fruitful relationship with each other.
1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions? A: Well the answer to this question is easier said than done. But the truth of the matter is we must live out the words of Ephesians 6:1-4. Jonathan and the team at The Source have been working diligently to bring you some practical help to you and your family. Check out the new site
www.thesource4parents.com
