Movie · 2011 · Action, Thriller, Science Fiction, Adventure · 1h 49m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.5/10 (339.8K ratings)
There were nine of us. Three are dead...
Overview
A teenage fugitive with an incredible secret races to stay one step ahead of the mysterious forces seeking destroy him in this sci-fi action thriller. With three dead and one on the run, the race to find the elusive Number Four begins. Outwardly normal teen John Smith never gets too comfortable in the same identity, and along with his guardian, Henri, he is constantly moving from town to town. With each passing day, John gains a stronger grasp on his extraordinary new powers, and his bond to the beings that share his fantastic fate grows stronger.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.5/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 2.37/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Metacritic: 36
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
D.J. Caruso
Production
Bay Films, DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance Entertainment
Cast
Alex Pettyfer, Dianna Agron, Teresa Palmer, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Durand, Callan McAuliffe, Jake Abel, Garrett M. Brown, Patrick Sebes, Emily Wickersham, Jeff Hochendoner, Greg Townley, Reuben Langdon, Molly McGinnis, Brian Howe, Andy Owen, Sophia Anne Caruso, Charles Carroll, L. Derek Leonidoff, Sabrina de Matteo
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, fast-moving YA sci-fi adventure with a few solid action beats and enough earnest energy to make it watchable, but it’s also heavily derivative, rushed, and thin on character development. It works best as disposable early-2010s studio genre fare rather than a memorable standalone franchise starter.
Best for
fans of teen sci-fi adventures
viewers who enjoy earnest but cheesy blockbuster adaptations
people in the mood for lightweight alien-action spectacle
audiences nostalgic for early-2010s YA franchise attempts
Skip if
you want strong writing or deep worldbuilding
you’re allergic to formulaic chosen-one plotting
you prefer grounded sci-fi over glossy CGI melodrama
you dislike movies that feel like setup for sequels
Overview
I Am Number Four is the kind of studio-made YA sci-fi that arrived in the wake of Twilight and The Hunger Games, hoping to launch a franchise by mixing teen angst, alien mythology, and small-town danger. The result is slick enough to keep moving, with a few decent action sequences and a serviceable sense of mystery, but it rarely rises above its familiar ingredients.
Worth noting
What stands out most is the movie’s commitment to being watchable rather than distinctive. The cast is attractive, the pacing is brisk, and the effects do enough to sell the premise, yet the script leans hard on clichés and underdeveloped relationships. It often feels like a highlight reel of better genre movies, only with less personality.
Bottom line
Still, there’s a certain charm in its earnestness. If you miss the era when studios were constantly trying to turn young-adult sci-fi into the next big thing, this has a time-capsule appeal. As a standalone film it’s forgettable; as a relic of that moment, it’s mildly entertaining.
Top Letterboxd reviews
c.w. scott (1★) · 425 likes
it doesn't matter how bad this is because I read the imdb trivia and learned that Stephen Spielberg is a big Glee fan
untitleduser (4★) · 368 likes
Hoo boy. This film is awful. And I LOVE IT! This movie is a pure train wreck. It's a disaster. It does everything wrong. It has a scene of a fireproof woman walking out of an explosion set to I kid you not Rolling in the Deep. This is the kind of movie you want to scream "have you seen this!?!" I love it so much.
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (3★) · 262 likes
I miss when studios were just spitting these out
DirkH (1★) · 243 likes
Yeah well, your film is a number two.
Generically attractive, dimwittted twentysomething teenagers diddle daddle through a spot of CGI without plot.
jessica🐾 (2.5★) · 202 likes
Alex Pettyfer: I am number four
Theo James: bitch, please!