I am Number What?

Oh right, number four.

I try not to rely too heavily on Rotten Tomatoes to guide my attitude toward movies (after all I loved 'The Love Guru' (15%) and laughed my way through the ridiculous train-wreck which was '2012' (39%)), so I proceeded with watching 'I Am Number Four' (27%) with cautious optimism.

Okay, can I first say that the advertising for this movie is HUGELY unrepresentative. This is NOT a sci-fi action film with romantic overtones.

It is a coming of age, puppy love movie, with sci-fi/action overtones...aimed at boys.

Okay, that said, I admit I enjoyed the movie.

I like puppy love.

I thought the story was sweet, simple and straightforward.

Oh, yes, lot's of comparison flew around in my mind to Twilight, Superman, you name it, but in the end, while it may be the 'same story', the new characters were interesting to me.

After watching the movie, I heard it was 'based' on a book.

Cool.

More research for my endeavors as a YA author.

I read the highest rated reviews on Amazon and thought perhaps I should try the Kindle sample first.

Soooooo glad I did.

First, let me note that the release date for this book was AUGUST 2010. Meanwhile, the release date for this movie two days ago.

There is NO way THIS movie was based on THAT book. In fact, I'd have to agree with some of those reviewers who speculate the book was written as an afterthought.

Back to the Kindle sample.

I was extremely disappointed in what I read. And I don't think this is a case of books and movies are different from one another.

The book was soulless.

At least the movie had character...or at least characters that were interesting enough to carry the story.

Almost always I'm hugely disappointment in the book to movie transition, but this may have been one of those rare times the book's story benefited.

And why? Probably because this story wasn't meant to be in book form.

Yes, I know I'm basing my opinion on only four chapters, but those chapters cover the same material as the intro scenes to the movie and are about a thousand times less interesting on every level.

Even 'Four's' delivery of thought lines comes across better in the movie, which I have to say is almost never the case in these matters, IMHO.

All told, I do think the Rotten Tomatoes pro-critic community gave this movie a bad rap (and I also feel that way about 'The Love Guru').

Further, I'm disheartened by the lack of quality writing in the book on which this movie was 'based'.

Regardless if the movie idea came first, whoever the editor was for this book should have stuck a couple of electric prods in the beginning and amped up the vitality.

Novelizing stage directions doesn't make for a good read.

We'll see what they do with the next number in this series.

Peace

A Pink American