"I Am Number Four" Gets Lost in Translation on the Way from Page to Screen

Recently, I read a book that let me get lost in my imagination, the science fiction novel "I Am Number Four" by Pittacus Lore. The multi-layered story literally demands a second or third reading to find all the nuances, mythology, and character development. For about a week, I carried the story on my Kindle, reading it whenever and wherever I could.

That's the reason why I attended a special midnight showing of "I Am Number Four" from director D.J. Caruso. With the help of three screenwriters, Caruso created a decent popcorn film that is slightly reminiscent of the "Twilight" movies. Unfortunately, for the sake of expediency, Caruso's interpretation deviates from the original source material in several key areas.

John Smith, the alien hero of "I Am Number Four," has escaped from the planet Lorien with several other children. While the book explores the history and culture of Lorien in great detail, Caruso treats the planet and its importance to the survivors as an afterthought. Caruso also leaves out some essential details about John's family and the Lorien culture.

Alex Pettyfer does, however, capture the brooding qualities of John Smith quite well, as does Timothy Olyphant as Henri, his guardian and teacher. Their onscreen relationship is a far cry, though, from the characters in the book, as is John's relationship with the beautiful Sarah Hart. As played by Glee's Dianna Agron, Sarah is edgier than her literary counterpart.

With "I Am Number Four," D.J. Caruso has made a good action film, but something definitely was lost in translation.