Gary Thompson: 'I Am Number Four,' 'Gnomeo and Juliet' DVDs debut this week

HOLLYWOOD must figure you'll be AT the movies this week, not watching DVDs, so it's releasing only "I Am Number Four" and "Gnomeo and Juliet."

"Gnomeo" is yet another riff on the Shakespeare classic. It's also so-so animation backed by some reworked Elton John songs. Skip this, take the kids to "Kung Fu Panda 2."

"I Am Number Four" is based on a not-bad young adult book about an alien refugee (Alex Pettyfer) hiding on earth, posing as a teenager. Interstellar ogres find him and chase him, and he's also got problems with the captain of the football team, because he's dating the guy's ex (it's true love!).

It's a more dude-oriented version of the "Twilight" formula - supernatural action, romance - and even steals some "Twilight" sequences.

The thing is, director DJ Caruso is pretty good at stealing; he's the same guy whose pop riffs on "Rear Window" turned "Suburbia" into a minor hit.

"Number 4" isn't as bad as its box office suggests, and is suitable for teens and tweens.