I Am Number Four, adapted from the novel of the same name by Pitticus Lore, tells the story of John Smith (Alex Pettyfer, Beastly) an alien refugee from the planet Lorien. He lives on Earth, hiding from a race of dangerous aliens called Mogadorians or "Mogs" who seek to eliminate the last few survivors of John's race. Many years before, a handful of special children escaped from their planet shortly before its complete destruction by the Mogs and a member of the Garde is sent with each of them to watch over the nine children. One by one, the children are hunted and killed by teams of Mogs and since Numbers One, Two and Three have already been eliminated, John is next on the list - Number Four.

When he narrowly escapes discovery in Florida, John and his guardian, Henri (Timothy Olyphant) pick up shop and move to Paradise, Ohio where Henri has some unfinished business. Although Henri wants John to lay low and stay off the radar, John wants to go to school and live as normal a life as possible. While at school, he meets Sarah (Dianna Agron), a lovely blonde with an eye for photography. Unfortunately, he also meets her brutish ex-boyfriend, Mark (Jake Abel) and his band of thugs who make it their business to not only threaten and try to intimidate John for his interest in Sarah, but also to pick on the class science nerd and UFO aficionado, Sam (Callan McAuliffe), who soon becomes John's friend and ally. As John struggles with the typical woes of a high school student, he soon finds himself exhibiting strange behavior, namely blue lights shooting from his hands and incredible strength.

Henri informs his that these are his "legacies," amazing powers that the special Lorien children tend to develop. The pair also realize that the Mogs are hot on their trail and will soon be in Paradise. As John's powers grow, so do his feelings for Sarah, so when Henri states that the pair must go on the run again, John refuses. However, with the Mogs breathing down their necks and Sarah and Sam in imminent danger, John will have to team up with a mysterious but beautiful young woman, Number Six (Teresa Palmer, The Sorcerer's Apprentice), to defeat the Mogs, protect those John has come to care about, and together with Number Six, locate to the whereabouts of the rest of their kind.

I Am Number Four is a non-stop thrill ride pretty much from start to finish. Well, it's a Michael Bay production, so I'd be disappointed if it wasn't loaded with 'splosions of all kinds and it doesn't disappoint. The story is deeply engaging and the action is intense. Some of the fight scenes are just spectacular and the Mogadorians are a really creepy new type of villain. The special effects are plentiful, but well done and there's some pretty fantastic stuff that happens when these aliens are afoot.

Special features are sparse, but enjoyable. The Blu-ray contains exclusive deleted scenes with intros by Director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) and they are all worth watching. One even contains a scene with the iconic Karen Allen (Star Man and Raiders of the Lost Ark), wonderfully cast as Sam's mom, but the footage wasn't used. There's also a funny blooper reel and a cool featurette on the rigors of Teresa Palmer's job as Number Six.

Because of the sheer number of special effects and the lush settings of some of the scenes, I Am Number Four really benefits from the high-def treatment. While the DVD still looks pretty good, with some of the flashier special effects, the Blu-ray definitely looks better. Surround sound, especially during the battle scenes, is intense and adds a lot to the experience.

Overall, I Am Number Four is just a great popcorn flick, with a nice combination of action and sci-fi, plus a dash of teen romance. But don't mistake this for a Twilight clone, but with aliens instead of vampires. The romance aspect is well done and not suffocating like the aforementioned film series. As for me, I can't wait for the sequel (since it was definitely set up for one). Definitely check it out if you like action flicks with an interesting story and plenty of twists and turns.

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