Alien warriors who breathe through gills and hide weapons in their capes are approaching Earth for an inter-galactic war. But don't run to the panic room just yet. There is a hero among us and he could be sitting next to you in class

The latest Hollywood science fiction film to travel through space in a bid to document an inter-galactic war between Lorien and Mogadoria, I Am Number Four is the story of nine Lorien infants, who escape after their home planet is destroyed, land on Earth and disguise themselves as humans, each with a pre-assigned number of identity.


The Mogadorian characters are 7 feet tall and conceal large
weapons in their capes

But the bad guysu00a0-- the Mogadoriansu00a0-- follow the escapees to our planet to eliminate them. The catch is they need to kill each one in sequence. One to three are already dead. Now, it's time for number four.

Director DJ Caruso. known for his previous films Eagle Eye, The Salton Sea and chart topper Disturbia, took on the project as a personal challenge to create characters that looked intimidating but would allow a human connect. Researching mythological figures, and throwing in a cowboy influence came in handy.

The story of a young man searching for his identity on a planet where everyone else seems alien is what attracted Caruso to the film. English actor Alex Pettyfer, 20, plays protagonist John Smith, and Number Four.

As he grows up, he develop powers like telekinesis (the power of transportation) and lumen (the power to create light), but first he must face all the strangeness of adolescence, and of course, fall in love.

Shot in Pittsburgh, the film enters the domain of a teen-cult film series that usually have 14 year-olds around the world drooling over superpowers. Out in theatres on February 18

There came a hero

Alex Pettyfer plays the lead in I Am Number Four. How does it feel to have superpowers, and girls fans, we asked the model-actor

Were you nervous auditioning for the lead in a big-budget Hollywood film?
When I landed up for the auditions, I ended up trying to convince the director I wasn't right for the part. I thought I'd ruin the film. But later I realised I would be missing out on a really good opportunity, and ended up having a lot of fun with the film.

What was the experience of shooting the action scenes?
I like mountain climbing and I love cricket; I'm a batsman, so I like testing my body's limits. There was a two-month training before I began shooting. At one point in the film, I do a back flip from a waterfall. That was the coolest thing ever. And it's pretty good to have powers; I could get used to that.