Why So Blu?

I Am Number Four (Blu-ray Review)

I would like to think that I have a completely open mind when it comes to reviewing movies.  Don’t get me wrong, I try very hard to have an open mind, I just don’t often succeed. The honest truth is that expectations are everything.  If I expect too much from a movie, an otherwise decent film is disappointing.  When I expect terrible and see a mediocre film I’m pleasantly surprised.  In the case of I Am Number Four, my expectations weren’t that high, and I ended up kind of liking it.

The only information I had going into this movie was a vague memory of a preview with an alien or something weird.  Based on the title I figured the movie would be about the fourth in a series of weird things.  That much I had figured out.  What I didn’t know was the movie stars Timothy Olyphant.  Okay, Timothy Olyphant is a co-star in this but I happen to love Timothy Olyphant so what others call a cameo I call a starring role.  My crush on Timothy Olyphant does not allow me to do anything but enjoy a film he is in.

Film  

Director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia), and Producer Michael Bay deliver a typical Michael Bay film, and I mean that in a good way.  Big action and special effects keep I Am Number Four interesting.  Unfortunately, the writing definitely failed to do the same.

The film begins with the death of someone that’s been identified as number three despite his efforts stay off the grid.  When number three dies, a scar is burned into the leg of the next person in line – number four.  It turns out that Four (Alex Pettyfer) is part of an alien species known as Loriens.  Four has spent his life  just trying to blend in and be a normal teenager here on Earth but unfortunately for him, with the death of number three,  a third scar is burned into his calf during a late night beach party which draws quite a bit of attention from his fellow teenagers.

When the girl he’s been flirting at the party proclaims that he is a freak, Four runs home to his protector Henry (Timothy Olyphant) who has been Four’s father figure/guardian, whose sole purpose is to protect number four from another alien race known as the Mogadorians.  Mogadorians are big, bad and are systematically murdering the Loriens in numerical order.  Thanks to Number four’s early warning system of getting a scar for each death of his predecessors , the three scars on his leg tell him that his number is up and it’s time to get out of town since he is next.

The middle of the movie drags on a little bit when it gets formulaic.  First, Four and Henry are in a new, small town and Four meets a girl who doesn’t quite fit in (Dianna Agron, Glee).  Then of course, they have to deal with the usual jealous boyfriend and the weirdo kid getting bullied because his dad was a bigger weirdo than he is who’s been searching for aliens.  This whole part of the movie was complicated but not terribly interesting so we’ll move on.

It’s clearly spelled out, as are all plot points, that the Lorien kids are stronger together than separate, but throughout the film we only meet Four and  number six (Teresa Palmer) .  Six is a hot teenage girl whose protector has been killed and she eventually tracks down number four.  Naturally, they join forces towards the end of the movie and kick some Mogadorian butt.  After the lull from the middle of the movie, it’s great to finally get to all of the action at the end of the movie and the monster effects are pretty cool.

I Am Number Four was clearly written with at least a sequel in mind.  I wish they would have tightened up the middle of the movie and introduced us to more of the numbered Loriens.  I get the feeling that the filmmakers wanted this to be a trilogy when one well written movie would have sufficed.

Video  

I Am Number Four is presented in1080p 16×9 wide-screen (1.85:1 ratio) and in the daylight scenes the detail is excellent.  Whether it’s a fireball that used to be Four’s house, or a scene in a high school hallway, the colors are vivid and skin tones appear consistent.  On the other hand, the darker scenes had many problems.  The opening scene of the movie, which takes place at night in a jungle setting has almost no detail.  It was a black and blue blurry mess and all the drama of the scene is lost as you are trying to squint and decipher the images.  The ending football field fight has some impressive CGI monsters and very nice explosions.  It’s a shame that the video quality wasn’t consistent throughout.

Audio  

The Blu-ray offers a Dolby Digital DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1  mix which is also dubbed in French and Spanish, along with English, French and Spanish subtitles as well.  As with most Michael Bay productions, you can crank up the volume and have the surround sound vibrate the room.  Explosions in particular will make you feel like you are caught in the middle of the alien combat.  The forceful soundtrack adds a lot to the film.  With so much action going on, dialogue is easily understood and not overwhelmed.

Special Features  

The DVD and Blu-ray offer some interesting special features, but again I find myself complaining that there just aren’t enough of them.  With a big budget wannabe blockbuster like this I’d expect a lot more behind the scenes content.

The DVD includes:

• Becoming Number 6 Featurette – Teresa Palmer, who plays Number Six takes you behind the scenes.  Glimpses into her training and preparation are remarkable and her own stunt work is impressive.
• Bloopers – Timothy Olyphant seems to have had a lot of fun making the film, and is responsible for a significant number of bloopers.

In addition to the DVD special feature the Blu-ray includes:

• Six deleted scenes – with introductions by Director D.J. Caruso

The Digital Download has everything on the DVD plus 1 deleted scene, Power Prank.  Power Prank is one of the deleted scenes on the Blu-ray.

Final Thoughts  

I Am Number Four isn’t the blockbuster it wanted to be but it’s considerably better than I expected.  The movie as a whole felt like it was directed towards teenage boys and I wish it was more of an adult oriented film.  I also wish that we had met the whole line up of Loriens in this movie.  If there had been less teenage melodrama and more alien smack-down, this would have received four stars and some more special features would have helped too.

Order your copy today!