'I Am Number Four' is in 'Twilight' zone

It probably isn't easy to think up an original teen franchise in this post-"Twilight" world. But why work at originality when imitation will easily bring in the cash?

With the "Twilight" series nearing its end, "I Am Number Four" wastes no time trying to fill what it hopes will be a void in viewers' hearts. Based on the novel by Pittacus Lore - a pseudonym for the semihonest memoirist James Frey and his collaborator, Jobie Hughes - "I Am Number Four" tracks the "Twilight" story so closely it's a wonder the authors bothered to change the characters' names.

In this version, John (newcomer Alex Pettyfer) is a young man who drifts from town to town, hiding his identity, until he lands in Paradise, Ohio, where he spots a pretty, sulky high schooler named Sarah (Dianna Agron, "Glee"). Their love is forbidden, as he's an extraterrestrial and she's merely human. But when the evil Mogadorian aliens discover John's location, he must reveal his true nature and protect Sarah using his superpowers (speed, strength, glow-in-the-dark hands).

Another similarity to "Twilight": Just as sharp-minded director Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen") voluntarily dropped a few I.Q. points around Edward and Bella, so the otherwise nimble D.J. Caruso ("Disturbia") aims for the dumbest cliches in "I Am Number Four." Nearly every teen-movie requirement is here, from the yearning rock music to a shot of John and gun-toting Number Six (Teresa Palmer) strolling out of an explosion in slow motion.

How many more of these movies could they possibly make? John is the fourth of his kind on our planet - one of nine.