I Am Number Four

"There were nine of us. Three are dead..."

2011 1h 49m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

32%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 5,155🥫32%Rotten Tomatoes●36Metacritic★6.1IMDB · 252,012

ActionThrillerScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A teenage fugitive with an incredible secret races to stay one step ahead of the mysterious forces seeking destroy him. 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.

“There were nine of us. Three are dead...”

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Cast

Alex Pettyfer
John Smith / Number Four
Dianna Agron
Sarah Hart
Teresa Palmer
Number Six / Maren Elizabeth
Timothy Olyphant
Henri Smith
Kevin Durand
Mogadorian Commander
Callan McAuliffe
Sam Goode
Jake Abel
Mark James
Garrett M. Brown
Mr. Simms

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: D.J. Caruso
Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Marti Noxon
Languages: French, English
Countries: India, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: India, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by D.J. Caruso, shot by Guillermo Navarro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jim Page shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron and Teresa Palmer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

D.J. Caruso directs. Guillermo Navarro behind the camera. Trevor Rabin scores. Jim Page cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in India, United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 15 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4International production across 2 countries: India, United States of America.
5Directed by D.J. Caruso, shot by Guillermo Navarro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jim Page shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron and Teresa Palmer carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "There were nine of us. Three are dead...".
10IMDB entry: tt1464540 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "based on novel or book", "secret identity", "heroism", "alien".
12Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro
Original score: Trevor Rabin
Editing: Jim Page
Production design: Tom Southwell
Costume design: Marie-Sylvie Deveau
Makeup / hair: Tarra D. Day
VFX supervisor: David Wallace Allen
Stunt coordinator: Bradley James Allan
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $149,900,000
Return: 300% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: I Am Number Four (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 32% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 36/100
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 252,012 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination total

Also by

D.J. Caruso

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-05-10
★ 8/10
“I am not a number; I’m a free man” John is a very gifted teen (Alex Pettyfer) who keeps having to move from town to town with his guardian (Timothy Olyphant) because they’re actually alien fugitives on the run from malevolent extraterrestrials called Mogs. They start over in southwestern Ohio and John insists on going to high school where he meets a special girl (Dianna Agron). Callan McAuliffe is on hand as a notorious geek at school while Teresa Palmer plays a mystery woman whose identity is revealed in the last act. “I Am Number Four” (2011) was based on the book by Pittacus Lore (aka James Frey & Jobie Hughes). I never heard of the flick until stumbling upon it on streaming. It turns out that this was a fairly big production, costing $60 million and being produced by Michael Bay. Directed by D.J. Caruso, the film starts out too busy, like it’s in a rush, not to mention there’s zero subtlety about the nature of the protagonists and their extraterrestrial-oriented dilemma. But the flick soon finds its footing once the setting switches to Ohio and John goes to school. This, of course, brings to mind “Twilight” (2008), but “I Am Number Four” is way more ballsy. Yes, it’s comic booky, but who cares? It delivers the goods as sci-fi drama/action. The creativity turned my head on a few occasions and when Teresa Palmer shows up in the final act, it’s all the better. Then there’s the cute dog with a revelation. Unfortunately, there was never a sequel even though the ending lays the groundwork. While the movie made $55 million domestically and $150 million worldwide, it was considered a disappointment. The fools. The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot in southwestern Pennsylvania as follows: Monaca (Sam’s house), Murrysville (high school), Beaver & Beaver Falls (the falls, etc.), McKeesport (house party & police car scenes), Vandergrift (street light explodes), Harmony (cemetery scene) and Pittsburgh. The opening was shot in Islamorada, Florida, with a scene or two done in Santa Clarita, California. GRADE: A-

Production companies