In keeping with the delivery style of I Am Number Four, we’re (well, I am) going to bag the opening tease paragraph and just dive right into what went down in this 110 minute flick. As one will see, this approach can be a good, and possibly bad idea, for both mediums.

John (Alex Pettyfer) – better known as Number 4- is a wanted man. Actually, he’s wanted alien that looks exactly like an 18 year-old high school student. And Ryan Phillippe. He is labeled number 4 due to the fact that 9 special children are the only ones that can save other planets from the evil race that decimated their former world. Right away, the audience will know that he’s not from Earth, and that above mentioned small contingent of evil outer-space warriors – that look like a Nu-Metal band from the late ’90s – wants him destroyed ASAP. John has not fully realized all his powers and therefore has to live under the strict rules via his sworn protector Henri (Timothy Olyphant).

Anytime John’s powers involuntarily come out to play, Henri immediately packs up the place and they move to a new city complete with new identities. This gives John a version of cabin-fever and he begins to casually disregard Henri’s tactics. As they arrive at their latest hideaway city in Ohio, John convinces Henri to let him attend high school, as long as he promises not to draw attention to himself. Well, that plan goes to hell real quick, for he sticks up for the class-nerd in Sam (Callan McAuliffe) and begins seeing the former “it” girl Sarah (Dianna Argon). Which pisses off the Mr. popular football star Mark (Jake Abel).

When Mark either picks on Sam and/or tries to keep Sarah away from John, out of nowhere John’s X-Men like powers take over. Powerful beams of light shine through the palms of his hands, and his physical strength increases ten-fold. Realizing that John’s powers – or legacies as they call them – are growing, Henri fears these public outbursts are also drawing the attention of the Mogadorians, who plan on destroying Earth once they eliminate the remaining numbers. Taking all that into account, Henri prepares John to battle the Mogadorians. But he’s is going to need help from Sam, Sarah, his dog Bernie Kosar and whichever of the 9 legacies are still alive.

As stated above, the stripper-like tease structure commonly found in my reviews is not happening this time around. Like the flick, hopefully getting right to it will provide instant satisfaction (if only that was the case in real-life). I Am Number Four is a misplaced blockbuster. Meaning, this would be a huge and appropriate hit for the summer blockbuster season. There’s action, a substantial story, intelligent writing, decent acting and dazzling special-effects. It begs the question why DreamWorks and Walt Disney Pictures did not position this for a summer release date?

Sure the editing is choppy at times, for one can easily tell a chunk of footage was taken out from scene-to-scene based on the continuity of the characters’ actions. Which then bled into the writing being a tad irresponsible here and there. For instance, the audience never finds out the true origins of John/Number 4 and Henri’s journey. Why are they so human-like? Also, what is the rationale behind the Mogadorians bloodlust? How does Henri know so damn much? Questions such as these will linger, but keep in mind, this is just the first in a series of upcoming books (more on that below).

Yet these are all minor quirks that wash away very quickly. The script remains thoughtful and savvy in working with how a modern society would react to the abnormal actions the lead had to portray. That execution alone will have the audience impressed and wanting to be drawn deeper into this story. In fact, I Am Number Four needs to start producing a Number 2…As in sequel.

People that have ever wanted to wield some kind of superpower, find the right girl and be a part of higher cause will eat this flick right up. In an effort not to give too much away, “John” or “Number 4’s” powers come from his hands. So when he gets these “jazz” hands going, his power is Star Wars force-like. When the final act gets rolling, the display character puts on – along with another hidden digit (Teresa Palmer) – will keep one in awe. Credit this to the way the camera captures the action sequences. A nice balance of wide and tight shots enhance every fight scene. And believe it or not, you’ll actually care about the outcome of all the characters.

Overall, I Am Number Four is a marriage of X-Men and Spider-Man. With a better delivery. Since this is based off a proposed series of books that were just recently published, the ability of being mindful in the way society currently thinks; and improving on the faults of past comic/Sci-Fi themed products; enables I Am Number Four to feel energetic and fresh, despite borrowing angles from its predecessors in the genre.

The summer blockbuster season has come early my friends. Get to the theater and see this!

RATING: 4 out of 5

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According to Deadline Adrien Brody, Timothy Olyphant, Josh Lucas, James D’Arcy, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Benjamin Walker are all screentesting for the role of a young Abraham Lincoln in 20th Century Fox’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter .

Brody was last seen in Predators, and Hitman actor Timothy Olyphant will appear in I Am Number Four next month. Josh Lucas is best known for Poseidon and Stealth, while James D’Arcy had roles in Master and Commander and An American Haunting. Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Benjamin Walker are probably the least familiar to many. Cohen was last seen as the “Killer” in Faster and Walker narrowly missed out on playing Beast in X-Men: First Class.

The movie will be directed by Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov and is a 3D re-imagining of Lincoln’s life that depicts the 16th president as an axe-throwing, highly accomplished killer of vampires, an obsession of his since those bloodsuckers supposedly took the life of his mother. Taking revenge, Lincoln wreaks havoc on the vampires and their slave-owning protectors.

The project was hot property earlier this year when Bekmambetov and producer Tim Burton were shopping it to studios, but Fox wanted in on the vampire action so badly that when the filmmakers arrived to pitch it the studio had bloody axes and footprints all over the place. It worked.

Apparently the budget stands at $69 million and a release date of June 22nd 2012 has been set, so filming will begin later this year. Which actor do you want slashing up vampires as Abe Lincoln?

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DreamWorks Pictures has released the first teaser trailer for D.J. Caruso’s I Am Number Four which stars Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Kevin Durand, Callan McAuliffe and Jake Abel.

The film follows John Smith (Pettyfer), a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events — his first love, powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

D.J. Caruso’s previous films include Disturbia and Eagle Eye (both starring Shia LaBeouf), so I Am Number Four could go either way. I think i’ll wait for the full trailer to see whether to spend money on it, but human-looking aliens with superhuman powers is an interesting concept.

I Am Number Four will be released 18 February 2011.

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Exactly one year ago 20th Century Fox hired Kyle Ward (upcoming Bruce Willis movie Kane & Lynch) to write the script for Hitman 2, and now Deadline are reporting that Spanish director Daniel Benmayor has been hired to direct.

I don’t recall there being a big demand for a sequel to the 2007 film, but it made $100 million worldwide (not including DVD sales) which was a nice amount considering it was made for around $30 million. No word on whether Timothy Olyphant will return as Agent 47, although he’s contracted to do another film so it’s a possibility.

Hitman 2 will be Daniel Benmayor’s first big Hollywood film. He has directed commercials for Sony PlayStation, Renault, Mercedes, Heineken and Samsung, and his feature debut was action film Paintball, in which adrenaline junkies get dropped in a dense forest for a paintball match, and find that someone is using real ammo.

Are you interested in seeing a Hitman 2?

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What would you do if everyone in your small, isolated, horror movie setting town started to go crazy? Personally I’d move, but some people aren’t as lucky and the only option is to get the shotguns out. The Crazies follows the inhabitants of a small Iowa town who are suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply.

The film stars Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Timothy Olyphant, Joe Anderson, and is directed by Breck Eisner. His last film Sahara wasn’t all that, but this looks quite good.

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According to IESB 20th Century Fox have hired Kyle Ward to write Hitman 2. The first film came out in 2007 and starred Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott and a pre-Bond Olga Kurylenko. The critics didn’t like it, but it made $100 million worldwide (not including DVD sales) which was a nice amount considering it was made for around $30 million. No word on whether any of the original cast or director Xavier Gens will return, but the same producers are back.

Here’s a reminder of what the original looked like:

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