DVD review: I am Number 4

A supernatural film about an inter-species relationship, I Am Number 4 is formulaic and far-fetched.

I am Number 4
Director: DJ Caruso
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron
**

Even those who have consciously steered clear of the international phenomenon that is Twilight will be able to spot the not-so-subtle similarities here.

Based on the teenage bestseller by Pittacus Lore, I am Number Four features another unfeasibly pretty, supposedly teenage male (Pettyfer) with supernatural powers and a strong line in a smouldering glance.

Now teenage girls are powerless to resist a combination such as that (as the mania surrounding Robert Pattinson's every move proves) and it's not long before he's well on the way to wooing an earthling (Dianna Agron). This inter-species romance is doomed from the very start. Number Four (or John Smith, as he's otherwise known) is one of nine aliens forced to abandon their home planet and take refuge on Earth.

Unfortunately, the Mogadorians - a snaggle-toothed, trench coat-wearing, protein-munching species, who bare more than a passing resemblance to Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort - are intent on hunting them down and finishing them off, in chronological order. Our hero Number Four is next on the list.

Billed as a supernatural thriller, the film takes at least an hour to get going and when the action does finally kick off, it's far too overblown and unconvincing to make an impact, let alone be described as anything close to thrilling.

I Am Number Four is far-fetched, formulaic and occasionally fun - in short, it's best left to die-hard Twilight fans in need of a supernatural fix.