a common trend in movies is giving visions to words that have proven to be popular to readers, not only prompting them to watch and compare how their imaginations compare to that of the movie makers but also giving the opportunity to those less inclined to read the chance to share in the spectacle of how more "creative" people create worlds and circumstances that they otherwise would not have thought of. in a few instances, the process is even reversed if a film has been popular enough that it deserved to be put into words. in my remembrance, thats how it usually goes, never have i heard of a book optioned to be a film before it was published. that is, until I AM NUMBER FOUR.
a novel of the same title written by james frey & jobie hughes (collectively known as PITTACUS LORE), it follows the story of a young man by the name of JOHN SMITH who turns out to be one of nine alien children gifted with extra-ordinary powers (no, those are not flashlights in his hands) and destined to save the world. originally coming from the planet LORIEN, these nine children were scattered all over Earth with each a guardian that must guide them and hide them from the deadly MOGADORIANS set to conquer Earth after delivering Lorien to destruction. the story is set in PARADISE, OH where Number Four aka John Smith struggles to stay anonymous after the death of Number 3 in the jungles of Kenya.
as a book, it kept me awake until I was done with the last page; including the first chapter of the next book in the series which is entitled POWER OF SIX set to be released August of this year. (something i should not have done since I cant wait for it to come out - spoiler: its the story of SEVEN) it had all the right ingredients of a well packed action and sci-fi with the right amount of mushy stuff inside. and since then i had been dreaming of the scenes, the magic and the almost smallville-like discovery of power.
as a movie, its different. the story is there, the action is there, and as movies from novels go - the magic. i remember suddenly the outworldliness of harry potter, the mystery of narnia and the sweeping panorama of lord of the rings. and like before, i forced myself not to compare what i see onscreen to the thoughts that i created when i was reading them.
as expected, some things were changed to fit into the media that is film. but the more important stuff were kept and some were even added so as to be easier for those who were not fortunate enough to read the book. from the death of number three to number four's discovery of his first legacy one cant help but be propelled like the story is pushed to its climax. be amazed, gawk and be surprised ( i was surprised even if i knew what would happen next). alex pettyfer {this 20 year old british actor is set to be known as the novel prince; i saw him first as alex rider (2006) , he is set to be the beastly (March, 2011) , jace wayland in the city of bones,mortal instruments (2012), and talks are for him to play Peeta of the Hunger Games (2012)} shines in this film, though obviously older than the fifteen year old Number Four of the novel, the movie was adjusted to fit him perfectly. the rest of the cast does not fail either. Callan McAuliefe, the young australian actor playing Sam will be an actor to look out for, and NUMBER SIX totally sizzles.
as for the other aspects of the film, its all there; effects, suspense and a totally to die for soundtrack (some parts of the film plays like a music video - awesome!)
for the most part I AM NUMBER FOUR, both book and movie is highly recommended. a word of advise though, i'd rather you watch the movie first then read the book. you'll enjoy both all the better.
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