New on DVD: 'Gnomeo,' Number Four' and more

By Steve Jones, USA TODAY

Gnomeo & Juliet

• 

  Miramax Films

  Gnomeo, Juliet and Featherstone turn the Bard on his head in this animated film based on Shakespeare's tragedy.

Miramax Films

Gnomeo, Juliet and Featherstone turn the Bard on his head in this animated film based on Shakespeare's tragedy.

2011, Buena Vista, G, $30; DVD + Blu-ray, $40; DVD + 3D Blu-ray, $50

Shrek 2 co-director Kelly Asbury takes Shakespeare's tragic love tale into the world of garden gnomes, where pink flamingos talk and lawn mowers race. The 3-D animated family comedy abounds with puns and the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Voices are supplied by the likes of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith and Ozzie Osbourne.

USA TODAY's Claudia Puig says: ** out of four. "The incandescent language of the Bard spoken by tacky lawn ornaments could have been eccentrically funny. But much of the play's dialogue is updated. Jokes fall flat. And a ceramic gnome by any other name is still a kitschy little figure."

I Am Number Four, 2011, Buena Vista, PG-13, $30; Blu-ray, $40

John Smith is an alien masquerading as a human teen (Alex Pettyfer), trying to elude a deadly enemy. He and his guardian are hiding out in a small Ohio town, but he discovers that he has amazing abilities and is one of nine aliens on the lam from the bad guys. Three are already dead. He is No. 4.

USA TODAY's Scott Bowles says: **

The Big Bang, 2011, Anchor Bay, R, $27;Blu-ray, $35

Antonio Banderas plays a private eye trying to find a recently paroled boxer's missing girlfriend (Sienna Guillory) and a stash of diamonds in this noirish-apocalyptic mashup. His investigation takes him to the seedy side of Los Angeles, and soon bodies are piling up. He comes to realize there's a diabolical plot afoot that could lead to a catastrophe of epic proportions.

1. The Mechanic
2. No Strings Attached
3. The Green Hornet
4. The Roommate
5. The Dilemma
6. The Rite
7. Little Fockers
8. Gulliver's Travels
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,
Part 1
10. The King's Speech

Source: Home Video Essentials, Rentrak Corp.

Long before they became stars of big-screen summer blockbusters, the Transformers were nifty toys that became stars in animation and comic books. This 15-disc set captures the first battles of the "robots in disguise" ?the heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons ? which aired on TV from 1984 to1994 (there would be several succeeding generations). Extras include vintage Hasbro toy ads.

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