Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes during the new show, Young Sherlock.
Streaming Services 6 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus, and more (March 6-8)
Dune 2
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Alan Ritchson as 81 in War Machine
Sci-Fi Movies War Machine director says practical FX was "paramount" to make the sci-fi action movie feel as real as possible
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Superhero Shows Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
Ghostface in Scream 7
Horror Movies Scream 7 review: "Never as sharp as the series' best, but still has a few neat tricks up its billowing sleeve"
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
Comedy Movies How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Horror Movies 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
Horror Movies Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
Holly Hunter as Captain Ake in Starfleet Academy.
Sci-Fi Shows Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sci-Fi Movies Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
Power Armor in Fallout season 2
Action Shows Fallout season 2 review: "A hell of a lot of fun despite being overcrowded and convoluted"
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride earns mixed first reviews, as critics call it everything from "a modern classic" to "unholy mess"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Animated Movies

I Am Number Four review

If Edward Cullen came from Mars…

Reviews
By Jonathan Crocker published 15 February 2011

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

You can see why Spielberg liked the story: nine infant aliens with extraordinary powers being hunted down on Earth by the evil invaders who destroyed their home planet.

And just as he proved with Disturbia, director DJ Caruso is an incredibly sure hand at old-school adventures. His smartest move in this romantic thriller is assembling an immensely likeable cast – none of them are stars, all of them leave us wanting more.

Emerging as a solid screen presence, Alex Pettyfer’s teen superhero Number Four finds himself pretending to be a normal boy in an Ohio school populated by the usual suspects: he falls for the shy hottie (Glee’s Dianna Agron), takes on the bullys (led by Jake Abel) and makes friends with the lonely nerd (Callan McAuliffe).

Despite obvious parallels, the core courtship holds its own against Twilight, largely thanks to the sweet, subtle Agron as the girl who makes Number Four understand earthly passion.

Like Edward Cullen, Number Four has superhuman strength. Unlike Cullen, he also has telekinetic blasters for hands and isn’t tempted to drink his girlfriend’s blood.

The bare fangs here belong to memorable villains the Mogadorians. Styled up with tattoos, trenchcoats and piranha gnashers, they’re also handed a weirdly malicious sense of humour by the script.

After the movie cruises through standard-issue coming-of-age themes, the action arrives with a blockbusting footballfield finale.

Time for Teresa Palmer’s Number Six to gatecrash, doing a killer Terminatrix impression (black leather, red Ducati, guns). We have a feeling they’ll all be back..

An enjoyable teen rom-thriller that never swerves off the beaten path but always keeps its footing. Expect a franchise, and career boosts for Pettyfer and Agron.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Hulu Streaming Services
Jonathan Crocker
Read more
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
Pirates of the Caribbean director's new sci-fi movie hailed by critics as "best Black Mirror episode in nearly a decade"
 
 
Joe Kerry as Travis 'Teacake' Meachum and Georgina Campbell as Naomi Williams in Cold Storage
Stranger Things star's new zombie horror Cold Storage is a love letter to gooey, goofy sci-fi from the early 2000s
 
 
Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
 
 
Holly Hunter as Captain Ake in Starfleet Academy.
Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
 
 
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
 
 
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
 
 
Latest in Animated Movies
Mario riding Yoshi through space with Luigi and Peach flying along beside him
Super Mario Galaxy Movie reveals Donald Glover as the voice of Yoshi and more new casting in a star-spanning trailer
 
 
Mabel and a lizard in Pixar's Hoppers
Hoppers debuts to $88 million at the box office, the best opening weekend for an original animated movie since Coco
 
 
Princess Peach and Mario in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
New Super Mario Galaxy Movie poster unveils first look at Super Mario Bros. 2 villain Wart
 
 
The Wild Robot still
The Wild Robot is officially getting a sequel, with the director of Netflix's Nimona at the helm
 
 
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Adam Driver accidentally "invented this thing that changed animation forever" as Kylo Ren: the Adam Driver bar
 
 
Super Mario Galaxy movie
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie runtime has been revealed, and it's close to a 120 star Super Mario 64 speedrun time
 
 
Latest in Reviews
Slay the Spire 2
Slay the Spire 2 early access review: "Instantly familiar, but already bursting with new ideas"
 
 
The player raises their fist as it glows blue in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Monster Hunter Stories 3 review: "This Pokemon-like JRPG evolves to almost match the highs of the main series' hunts"
 
 
Chelsea green raises a belt as she enters the ring in WWE 2K26
WWE 2K26 review: "Outstanding action in the ring grapples with overly-monetized rewards, which feels like a work"
 
 
Lego Eevee on a wooden table in front of shelves filled with board games
I'm calling it now, I think Lego Eevee is the best of the Pokemon sets
 
 
Key art for World of Warcraft: Midnight showing Xal'atath hovering against a dark sky
World of Warcraft: Midnight review: "My devotion to this RPG world has been renewed"
 
 
Photo of the black Logitech G325 Lightspeed headset sitting in front of its box.
The Logitech G325 Lightspeed is light on weight, and light on providing a good microphone | Review
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
    1
    "The first track spoils the whole game": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 devs confirm they were filling your ears with spoilers the entire time
  2. 2
    The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reveals Donald Glover as the voice of Yoshi and more new casting in a star-spanning trailer that sends the entire Mushroom Kingdom to another planet
  3. 3
    Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
  4. 4
    Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force: "Because it was a JRPG, we tried to find a mix"
  5. 5
    "The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," former Sony Santa Monica writer says, which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...