There were 3 reasons why I was dying to see 'I am Number Four', unfortunately these reasons all ended up directly effecting my negative opinion of this film.
Here are the reasons I needed to see it -
1. I loved 'Disturbia' - I give most of the credit to it's director - D.J Caruso. It was a mediocre, predictable neighbor-is-a-serial-killer plot featuring a typical sarcastic, tech savy, fast-talking high school kid who crushes on the super hot girl next door. Yet, combined with the charismatic charm of Shia LaBeouf, Caruso created a film that was so engaging, fun and watchable. Over and over again (I can probably recite every word). I saw 'Eagle Eye' with much anticipation and was slightly disappointed but I shrugged it off as one of those films that was just too complicated for its own good. I thought with this film - Caruso would be back in his element...making high school kids interesting.
2. I needed to prove to myself that Dianna Agron can't act - I sometimes feel bad for ripping the poor girl to shreds on her seemingly phoned in performance on Glee ever week. I often cite her as the weakest link on the show. She never shows any real emotion, she very rarely can carry a note and compared to every other girl on the show her character is just plain blah. If you don't believe me just re-watch her performance of 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World' from season 1. This was a perfect song for her to shine in - it was meant to be angry and powerful yet she failed miserably and the song was luke warm - tepid even. I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt - so sometimes I tell myself that perhaps that is the way she is directed to portray Quinn and maybe I shouldn't be so harsh. I needed to see her in something else so that I can keep bashing her acting.
3. Alex who? - There is much hype surrounding the hot, young star of the film - Alex Pettyfer. With the help of Caruso - I was hoping for the next Shia LaBeouf (who has been such a disappointment lately - I am over the Transformers films and he seems like a complete dick in real life).
And here is why it ended up being a huge disappointment -
1. It is nothing like 'Disturbia' - obviously, seeing as the plot is not even close - Yet I think the film was trying to replicate the same tone and it failed miserably. I actually think the plot was probably the only thing it had going for it. I love sci-fi, I love action and I love teen angst so the film had it been done well would have been a hit in my mind. Plus it has the potential for sequels and not the usual let's put something together quickly so we stay relevant sequels this one could potentially be about a completely different character like the super hot #6 that we were introduced to in this film - they could be films that form a series but stand on their own. How did it go so wrong? It wasn't amusing (I think I laughed once), I didn't invest in any relationship with any of the characters (who were all extremely boring with cliched personality traits) and don't even get me started on the dialogue (cheese central). Plus, while Disturbia had a modern take on Rear Window by focusing on how new technology was effecting our world - creating voyeurs, building relationships etc - this film was basically just one big ad for the iphone.
2. I was right - I wouldn't say Dianna's performance is awful....she certainly isn't the worst actress I've seen in this type of film. However, she isn't good either. She didn't exactly stray from her comfort zone (small town girl who goes from popular cheerleader and the QB's girlfriend to a girl turning to art in order to "find herself"). I have high standards for acting - mostly because I have a lot of respect for acting - I actually think it is something that is extremely hard to do well. I don't think acting is just showing up and memorizing your lines - you actually have to embody a different person. For Dianna to play 2 characters so similarly that they are practically inter-changeable is proof that she is not a great actress. I honestly think I could do what she did (maybe even better) and I would consider myself to be a horrible actress. So now I feel better about bashing her on Glee and will continue to do it unless I see some actual effort from her. She doesn't deserve to be a part of such a phenomenon when every other actor on that show deserves accolades for their talent (although only a few are actual triple threats - I feel that they all bring something incredible to the table).
3. Alex who? - I don't see it. The thing that made Shia so great is - (to be blunt)...he is not exactly hot. Not in any traditional sense. Yet, his on-screen personality (in every film he has been in) is just so lovable and real. You can't help but fall in love with him or at the very least relate to him. Alex doesn't have even 10% of Shia's charm - he may have more of the "traditional" hot guy appearance and the sexy accent...but that is only going to get you so far. He just didn't sell his character - I could care less about his past, future or even his present and if they didn't explain to us that his "kind" falls in love with one woman and it is for eternity then his relationship with Dianna's character would have been a complete disaster. He had more chemistry with #6 than with the love of his life, mostly because Teresa Palmer was the only actor in the film with any stage presence - which I am not convinced this chemistry was supposed to happen (unless he is becoming more human - i.e flawed and polygamous). Teresa rocked the screen and made the last 1/2 hour of the film actually enjoyable. Alex however, will disappear from my memory faster than the trailer for his next venture Beastly.
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