When it comes to young adult book adaptations, “I Am Number Four” is often overlooked in favor of more well-known series like “Twilight” or “The Hunger Games.” But while those other franchises had their fair share of action scenes, romances, and chosen-one story line, “I Am Number Four” has them beat in one area. Despite not being a completely faithful adaptation of its source material, the movie delivers some of the best fight scenes that any young adult novel has ever been adapted into.

When the young adult (YA) genre exploded into the mainstream, it wasn’t the action scenes that hooked the audiences. We were all there for the love triangles, the coming-of-age stories, and, of course, the supernatural elements. Twilight set the stage, and while it was hit, let’s face it—no one was blown away by Edward and Jacob’s fight scenes. And sure, The Hunger Games gave us Katniss kicking butt in a dystopian future, but even then, the action often felt secondary to the rebellion and survival.

Enter I Am Number Four, a 2011 adaptation of the first book in Pittacus Lore’s “Lorien Legacies” series. It was packed with sci-fi adventures, alien threats, and, yes, the expected young love. But what made it unique were the fight scenes—particularly the final battle at the high school, which gave fans exactly what they’d been missing from YA adaptations. The showdown between John (Number Four) and Number Six against the Mogadorians had action, special effects, and a level of intensity that other YA films simply didn’t bring to the table.

A rough start, but worth the watch

First things first: yes, I Am Number Four was never a hit with the critics. It received mostly negative reviews and, as happens with many YA movies, was branded with the “generic” stamp pretty quickly. By now mean was the movie trying to be an Oscar contender—it was, after all, a movie aimed at the young adult audience. If you went into it expecting something like The Hunger Games or Harry Potter, maybe you were setting yourself up for disappointment.

The plot of the movie follows John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), an alien from the planet Lorien, who is hiding out on Earth while being hunted by the Mogadorians—a group of other aliens that have already wiped out his home planet. Alongside his protector Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John tries to blend in at a high school in Ohio (as you do when you’re a hunted alien) and soon finds himself drawn into a romance with Sarah (Dianna Agron), the classic girl next door.

And yes, while there are plenty of YA tropes—alien powers, chosen-one vibes, and an inevitable romance—the movie stands out for not dragging too much into the love drama. The story got enough meat on the bone to keep you interested, but the real juicy part is the action scenes.

Action that packs a punch

Say what you will about the cheesy love story or the occasionally clunky dialogue, but when it comes to action, I Am Number Four knows how to deliver. The final battle at the high school is arguably one of the most satisfying action sequences from any YA adaptation.

Let’s break it down: John (Number Four) and Number Six (Teresa Palmer) team up to take on a group of Mogadorians who have tracked them down. With enhanced abilities like speed, strength, invisibility, and energy shields, the fight scenes are full of high-energy, fast-paced action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Unlike some other YA adaptations (cough Twilight), these characters don’t spend too much time brooding or pining after each other—they get right to the heart of the action and go full throttle against their enemies.

The introduction of Number Six is unusually satisfying. She doesn’t waste any time making an impression—she’s a total badass, flipping through the air, dodging energy blasts, and taking out Mogadorians with ease. Her powers complement John’s, and together, they make one impressive team. It’s the kind of action-packed finale that many YA movies lacked, particularly Twilight, which focused more on the love story than any real sense of danger or excitement—after all, Twilight the book is a romance novel.

What Twilight and The Hunger Games missed

Here’s the thing—when Twilight hit the big screen, it set a new standard for YA adaptations, for better or for worse. Fans loved it, but if you’re looking for a movie with action-packed fight scenes, you probably walked out of Twilight feeling a little underwhelmed. The same goes for The Hunger Games. While there were some cool moments, like Katniss shooting arrows with deadly precision, the action was often more symbolic than visceral. The violence was dialed back, and you didn’t get the same high-energy clashes that I Am Number Four offered.

The battle at the school in I Am Number Four is what those movies lacked—a satisfying, knock-down, drag-out fight, superpowered characters, and some seriously cool effects. And sure, the movie leaned into clichés at times, but it made up for it in spades with its action sequences.

Undeserved criticism

Despite all this, I Am Number Four didn’t get the love it deserved. The movie was a financial success, grossing over $149 million on a budget of $50–59 million, but it never became the franchise it was meant to be. Plans for sequels were scrapped, and the story of John and the other surviving Garde was left hanging.

Some of that likely had to do with the timing. By the time I Am Number Four hit theaters in 2011, the YA market was already oversaturated. Fans had moved on to other franchises, and I Am Number Four couldn’t quite capture the same level of excitement.

But if you’re looking for an underrated  YA movie, I Am Number Four is worth revisiting. Sure, it’s got some predictable moments, but it also brings the kind of action that many of its peers just didn’t deliver. It may not have the cultural impact of Twilight or The Hunger Games, but for fans of sci-fi action, it’s a solid entry that deserves more credit than it gets.