The trailer for I Am Number Four: Misunderstood aliens are the new misunderstood vampires

Here’s an early look at I Am Number Four, the first adaptation of a planned young-adult sci-fi franchise from “Pittacus Lore,” the combined nom de plume of Jobie Hughes and disgraced-yet-still-popular author James Frey. As with most young-adult sci-fi/fantasy/horror/what-have-you concepts these days, I Am Number Four practically radiates its desire to be the next Twilight: It’s the green-filtered story of a brooding young hunk who’s also secretly an alien, and thus saddled with supernatural powers that make his already-angsty teenage life extra confusing—especially when it comes to courting girls like Glee’s Dianna Agron.

But those chaste, meaningful hugs will have to wait, as this trailer is mostly about the action: Director D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye), with the help of co-producers Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay, once again excels at putting young people in mortal danger, and (after a slow start) there’s a lot of old-fashioned whiz-bang stuff going on here, as things crash into other things and various teens in hoodies are tossed around the redwoods—again, Twilight-style. It’s a metaphor for the persecution we all feel during adolescence, you see. Deep down, aren’t we all misunderstood aliens in search of the right teenage girl to hold us, brush our hair softly, and tell us that they don’t mind our weird glowing hands so long as we promise to love them forever?