I Am Number Four

Ever since I saw this movie trailer, I wanted to go and see it. It seemed like it had all of my favorite things…action, adventure, with a little bit of romance….you know…everything!


There use to be 9 of us…3 are dead…I’m next. I am Number 4.
I am number 4 is about 9 good aliens, from a different world, coming to Earth after their planet was destroyed and trying to survive as well as learn how to use their new powers. The main character is John Smith, or Number 4, who has to stay “invisible”, which, of course, he finds hard to do. John and his protector, Henri, are constantly on the move so the Mogadorians (the evil aliens) won’t find them and kill them. In order to do that, they must keep their scent far away from them, or at least have a good head start. Can John and Henri find a way to defeat the evil Mogadorians for good, or at least keep running until John knows how to use his powers?
After I had seen this movie trailer, I was told that is was a book first, and of course I didn’t read the book before I saw the movie…that’s next. So far there is only 1 book out, but it is rumored that there is going to be 6 more books, which means 6 more movies.
Alex Pettyfer is the actor that plays John and is originally a model from Ireland. He hasn’t done much acting, so this is his first big movie hit, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I believe he will go very far in this industry because he is attractive, talented, but he is also fairly young, only 20 years old. The director, D.J. Caruso, is also pretty talented and has directed hit movies such as; Taking Lives and Disturbia. Michael Bay produced and we all know how FAMOUS he is, Transformers, of course.

Alex Pettfer hasn't really been in all that much. ‘I am Number 4‘, is his first big film and I am betting his 2nd biggest will be ‘Beastly’, which comes to theaters in March. Now, Michael Bay on the other hand….he's produced a TON of hit movies; e.g. Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and Transformers (to name a few). The one thing that they all have in common, is that they are all thriller type movies. They all have big budgets and have LOADS of special effects. He seems to go with what he knows, because what he knows pays him FAIRLY well! The director, D.J. Caruso, seems to go along the same route as Michael. He sticks with what he knows, because it pays him. He always seems to direct movies/TV shows that are action packed, e.g. The Shield, Smallville, and Taking Lives, and are pretty much the same genre….action.

I think that the audience is targeted towards teenagers/young adults. I believe the book is for young adults, so why wouldn't the movie be also? I mean come on, the actors/actresses are all cute and pretty and young….who does that appeal to? The younger generation. I think that the reason this movie is popular, is because it is following the “popular” trend for right now and that trend is the superhero type. The critics keep comparing this to Twilight, but I just don't see it . Twilight is about vampires and werewolves and I am number 4 is about aliens….far from each other. The only stereotype that I saw was that the “hero” is a cute, teenager, who is mysterious and falls for the pretty girl that all the boys just got to have. And of course she will choose the hero, because, duh, he will save the planet!!

I liked this movie. I didn't get bored while I was watching it or wonder how much longer there was to it…it kept me entertained throughout the entire movie. I think that this movie goes by the typical standard for the director, producer, and the main actor, because they do the same genre and don't mix it up with something different. The strengths of the movie would definitely have to be the soundtrack and the visual effects. Whoever picked out the music, did an amazing job and whoever created the visual effects…all I can say is wow! I will definitely buy the soundtrack though. The weaknesses of the film would have to be, that they don't explain things very well. They don't explain WHY they are the chosen 9 and WHY they have their powers.

As soon as I saw the movie, I started to read the book, so that I could compare the differences and see which one I thought is better. I went and saw this movie with Amanda Hayden and I believe that she liked….at least she didn't tell me she DIDN'T like it! My Mom has also read the book, but hasn't seen the movie, and said that the book is just amazing and that some of the characters are just outrageous. I would definitely see this movie again…hell, I might even by it when it comes out on Blu-ray!

In conclusion, if Hollywood is writing a play about saving the planet…they are going to make him cute, young, and mysterious, I mean who would want to write a movie about a guy that looks like Al Gore trying to save the planet?! I learned that if someone is going to save the planet than…he has to be cute and look good while doing it!!!

LINKS:

*I Am Number Four
*6 more books
*Alex Pettyfer
*D.J. Caruso
*Michael Bay
*critic
*I Am Number Four Video
*Number 6 picture
*Number 4 picture
*Number 4 and Sarah picture

Extra Credit....

As I walked into Forum 104, I was handed a red ticket, with the numbers 359191, and was told to put part of the ticket into the basket because there was going to be a drawing with a $50 prize, sadly I didn't win! I was also handed this pamphlet describing the play and filled with tons of information about the many faces of racism and other useful information on how you can help solve the problem. Before the play started, Jeanie LaFrance and Monica Lee Noe (both of these women were the project coordinators), told the audience that they are going to go through the plays twice and that the first time they will go through the entire play, then the second time they will stop when the audience yells stop. Once someone from the audience yelled stop then that person had to go up there and take the place of someone on stage, but they couldn't take the place of the person they thought was doing the racist part, and then once the person picked the character they wanted to be, then they had to react the scene with a different ending. They would have to act out what they would do in real-life and make the outcome a better one and make sure that at least ONE person stood up.

The name of the play was "Other Compounds and Equilibriums" and was about real-life problems these actors have faced in their own lives. The play started out with 4 girls in a coffee shop, waiting for their coffee orders and Delia, called her Native American friend, Pocahontas with a drinking problem, all because she accidentally bumped into her and none of the other girls around them said anything. Then the next scene, all of the girls are getting ready to leave with their coffees and as they are walking past Claire, the barista, Delia says that she wished that the people who worked in America could all speak English, that way they wouldn’t have a reason for messing up at their jobs, and yet again no one said anything.
The second scene was set in a classroom. All of the girls are circled around this table and trying to figure out the chemistry assignment when the teaches walks up to them and looks over Grace’s notes and tells the girls that they will do alright because she is Asian and every single Asian that he has met are really smart. As the professor is walking away, Delia says that they are surely to get an A because they have Grace in their team. Because all Asian people are smart and don’t have to work as hard to get ahead, because they already are. And surprise…no one says anything, yet again.
The final scene was set in Grace’s and Bridget’s apartment and the girls are going over their notes and figuring if they have anything to do, when Grace leaves the room to get the food that she had cooked for them, and Delia starts to talk about her, not knowing she could hear all of what she said. Delia said that she didn’t want to eat the food that Grace cooked and that she didn’t want to smell the way that Grace did because of the food that she ate. Finally, someone stands up and it is Bridget. She tells Delia that the food is actually pretty good and to try it, but they don’t. When they have all left, Grace brings it up with Bridgette and asks if she stinks because of the food she eats. “ If you stink than so do I. I mean I am your roommate”, says Bridgette, but Grace is still hurt and says that she is just going to take a shower and wash the “stink” off of her.
Once they ran through the entire play, they went through it a second time and this time the audience could participate and act out what they would have done and then say why they did that.
When I saw the play, the first time, I realized how easy it is to be racist/prejudice without even trying. These girls were all friends and didn’t mean to hurt each other, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t.
I think that once people saw how easy it is to be racist/prejudice they started thinking twice about what they say and how they say it. Most people don’t mean to offend people, it just happens. I know that once people see this play they will think twice about what they say and how they say it. People are very sensitive and most of the time never speak up about what hurt them.


CAST:
* Christina Finn- Bridget (student)
* Angelica Lim- Grace (student)
* Kasey Lorraine Thornton- Xena (student)
* Jocelyn Gutierrez- Claire (barista)
* Clarice Joy Jordan- Delia (student)
* Allan Trinidad- Nick (professor)
* Amanda Rabauliman- stage manager
* Jeannie LaFrance- project coordinator
* Monica Lee Noe- student project coordinator

LINKS:
* http://www.pcc.edu/resources/illumination/
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racist