I Am Number FourMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 35 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    Arizona Republic |

    Like a good episode of "Smallville": You may feel a bit silly watching it if you're past high-school age, but you just might have a good time. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Betsy Sharkey

    The appealing new kid-on-the-teen-angst block, reverberates with much of the same dark combustible mix of action and romance that's been fueling the "Twilight" vampire mega-franchise for a while now. Read full review

  • 63
    Orlando Sentinel | Roger Moore

    Brit hunk Alex Pettyfer has grown into a solid and quite interesting lead to build this potential sci-fi movie series around. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The movie is a mixed bag, with many of the elements fun and intriguing, but since this is also a Michael Bay-produced movie, CG monsters and cartoon bad guys gum up a third act. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Justin Chang

    A flashy, lunkheaded sci-fi extravaganza sure to appeal to teenagers who like their interplanetary warfare bloodless, their high-school soaps squeaky-clean and their numbers countable on one hand. Read full review

  • 50
    Village Voice | Nick Schager

    Nothing but a million little pieces from prior superhero series and the "Twilight" saga. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Scott Bowles

    Four is so cobbled with bits of other sci-fi and comic-book movies, there's little to distinguish it. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times | Jeannette Catsoulis

    Sluggish and derivative, I Am Number Four is another elaborate puberty metaphor with superpowers substituting for testosterone. Read full review

  • 38
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    What we have here is a witless attempt to merge the "Twilight" formula with the Michael Bay formula. Read full review

  • 16
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Witless, insultingly derivative, muddy-looking, and edited in the hammering epileptic style that marks so many films produced, as this one is, by Michael Bay. Read full review

View more reviews for I Am Number Four on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Sci-fi thriller/teen romance isn't as good as the book.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this sci-fi thriller based on the best-selling young adult novel by Pittacus Lore is heavy on suspense and action, some of which may be too intense for younger fans of Glee's Dianna Agron and up-and-coming "it" guy Alex Pettyfer. In addition to the movie's action/violence (which includes fights, weapons, and menacing killers), expect some swearing (including "s--t" and "a--hole"), scenes depicting high-school bullying (taunts, shoves, pranks), implied teen drinking, and a bit of kissing/flirty banter.
  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it necessary to the story? Is it as scary as what you've seen in other movies? Why or why not?
  • What do you think of the bullying scenes? Do they seem realistic? What would the consequences for that kind of behavior be in real life?
  • Romances between two people who are very different -- as in one is human, the other isn't -- seem quite popular lately. Why do you think that is?
  • How does the movie compare to the book? Which do you like better?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: The movie seems to say that you can't avoid your destiny -- and no matter how overwhelming the responsibilities of that destiny may be, you can rise to them.
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: John is principled and protective, and Sarah is curious and kind. But other than them, far too many of the characters are one-dimensional -- the bullying jocks, the nerdy sidekick, etc.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Plenty of action-packed moments, some of which are somewhat bloody and involve intricate weapons that are similar to machine guns and scythes. The killers hot on John's heels appear quite menacing, flashing reptilian teeth and gills. They seem determined to destroy anything and anybody that gets in their way -- for example, one scene shows them about to gore a man with a weapon that looks like a small circular saw, and then he's shown being carried out in a body bag. One haunted house scene depicts teen boys manhandling a teen girl, and a boy who tries to protect her crushes them in an intense fistfight. Some bullying (taunts, shoves, etc.).
  • sex false1 Sex: Some kissing and light sexual banter.
  • language false3 Language: Some swearing, including "a--hole," "s--t," "p---ies," "ass," "crap," "hell," "oh my God," and "bitch."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Logos and brand names like Ford, Canon, and Nikon are flashed on screen. Characters use iPhones and call/text each other on them frequently.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: One scene takes place at a boisterous teenage party where kids are shown drinking what's presumably beer from cups.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Exclusive Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interviews Alex Pettyfer, Dianna Agron, Teresa Palmer and director D.J. Caruso talk aliens, ever-lasting love and... could our interviewer be Number Five?