Poor Alex Pettyfer, a handsome young actor with but one expression, is a fugitive on the run in DJ Caruso's other-worldly thriller.
He is one of a dozen or so escapees from peculiar-looking aliens, hiding out in an Ohio high school where he finds the girl of his dreams (Dianna Agron) but little peace.
He does have one thing working for him: he can do miraculous things when danger comes too close and the chances of being victim Number Four are thereby somewhat lessened.
This is a thriller tinged with science fiction and the kind of romance that slots in neatly somewhere near the teenage vampire franchise. Pettyfer's John Smith, though, is a nice guy and only draws blood when he has to.
The secret of this film is not that it's directed by Caruso but that Michael Bay (Transformers) is the producer. So we get quite a lot of blasting action between the romance and high-school jinks with bullies, nerds and the rest.
All in all, it adds up to an attraction for a certain kind of audience - but if Pettyfer and Agron were less amorphous figureheads, and there had been a better script, the enjoyment might have been more.
I Am Number Four
Cert: 12A
