By Chase Stevens ’12
THE ROUNDUP

Nine-foot tall aliens with superior technology are attacking Earth, and a super-powered mysterious person must defeat them and save mankind.

While this may be the plot of about a quarter of all modern movies, it is also the story behind “I Am Number Four.”

“I Am Number Four” is based off of a book of the same title. It tells the story of John Smith, played by Alex Pettyfer, who is the fourth of nine alien children blessed with superpowers from the destroyed planet of Lorien.

The evil aliens who blew up John’s planet are called Mogadorians, and now they have come to Earth to kill the nine alien children in order.

The film opens with the death of the third alien child, making John the next target of the Mogadorians.

“I Am Number Four” tries to be both an action movie and a movie about fitting into high school.

When John is not fighting Mogadorians or training his mystical alien powers, he is trying to make friends and spend time with his girlfriend.

Pettyfer’s acting is decent, considering that he is either looking bored in class or fighting either bullies or aliens.

Dianna Agron, who portrays Quinn Fabray on “Glee,” plays the love interest of John, Sarah Hart, who is a artsy photographer. She plays the part well; however, considering that she is 24, it is hard to believe that she is supposed to be in high school.

The best acting comes from Kevin Durand, who plays the main antagonist. While he is unrecognizable underneath all of the makeup and costume for the role, he still plays the part well.

The story is overall bland, stereotypical and unoriginal; you probably already know how it ends.

But, like other superhero movies such as “Spiderman,” “The Hulk” and “Iron Man,” the film is still fun to see. While it may not win any Oscars, its still is a movie worth watching.

I rate it two and a half out of five stars.