The combination of sci-fi aliens, angsty teenage romance and car-flipping action scenes is a very tough one to pull off, but it seems natural for I Am Number Four.

The film, which hit theaters Feb. 18, made it to number two in the weekend box office, behind Unknown with Liam Neeson.

The movie pulled off an amazing feat by incorporating different elements that usually only appear in one movie at a time. It was a triple play of       Twilight romance,       Transformers action and War of the Worlds aliens  that eventually led to a home run. By incorporating each of these, the film is relatable to the male and female young adult audience.

I Am Number Four is centered around John Smith, aka Number Four (Alex Pettyfer). He is the fourth of nine alien children who had to flee their home planet Lorien  to hide amongst the humans of Earth after it was attacked by the Mogadorians. The “Mogs” hunt the aliens in numerical order. After Number Three is killed, Number Four is next.

John comes to hide in Paradise, Ohio with his mentor and protector Henri (Timothy Olyphant). He goes to school among high school humans and meets Sarah (Dianna Agron). Sarah runs her own website where she posts photos. John falls in love with her and does nothing to prevent her from putting photos of him on the internet where the world, including the Mogs, can see him.

Sam (Callan McAuliffe), the school geek, quickly becomes very close with John after John sticks up for him as he is bullied by Sarah’s ex-boyfriend, the quarterback. Sam, bullied because of his father’s belief in the paranormal, learns of John’s secret alien background and helps him in his quest for survival.

Number Six (Teresa Palmer) teams up with John as they battle the Mogs. John and Number Six decide to hunt down the remaining children of Lorien because together they are more powerful and they stand a greater chance of survival.

The females in the audience are treated to a destined love story, as John’s kind has a biological predetermination to only fall in love once, which hints at a reuniting with Sarah.

The men, on the other hand, are treated to action-packed scenes that are very well-shot and display many alien abilities that John learns to control. The fight scenes are well-choreographed and mildly violent, but nothing to make the movie rated R.

The movie flows well, is easy to understand and appeals to young adults. However, it appeals only to young adults, which is one of the movie’s main problems. It lacks an in-depth, unique twist that would make the movie appeal to a wider audience.

There is no new storyline that audiences have not seen before, although this one is spiced up with the combination of the different types of movie elements.

Another issue that comes with the movie being geared towards young adults is the very obvious moral messages that are “hidden” inside the movie.

The characters of Number Four and Number Six are, to put it bluntly, drop-dead gorgeous. The Mogs, however, are the most hideous creatures in the film, showing a very basic “good guys are pretty, bad guys are ugly” complex first introduced to young audiences in Disney movies.

Another message in the film is the classic high-school drama situation, that being popular isn’t the most important thing and everyone should get along. It’s overplayed in the film and reminds too much of an episode of Glee. This is another example of the movie lacking a unique quality, since the characters are thrown into the high school scene that audience members know all too well.

Even for something featuring aliens, the film is unrealistic. John’s secret is posted on the Internet, and when word gets out, local small town cops take on the challenge. Where is the government and why aren’t they already on their way?

Aliens are a big deal, and the government’s inactivity throughout the movie is a big issue, taking away some of the spark the movie causes. It seems this issue was either not planned out or underdeveloped.

The flaws do bring a bit of repetitiveness to the formula, but overall it doesn’t hinder I Am Number Four‘s success. The film is well-done, has a better-than-expected result and is definitely worth the trip to the theaters.