I Am Number Four

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.

Critics largely dismissed the film as a derivative and noisy sci-fi thriller, citing a familiar plot and unconvincing performances that made it difficult to care about its world-building ambitions. Audiences were considerably more forgiving, suggesting the film connects better with its target demographic than professional reviewers were willing to admit. The central divide is whether a passable action-heavy second half rescues an otherwise generic and schmaltzy first hour.