MOVIE NEWS: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Whoa. Whoa. We’ve been waiting for this day for months, and now it’s finally here: the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics start tonight! I suspect everyone will be glued to the TV tonight watching the opening ceremonies, waiting to see which great Canadian will light the Olympic torch. Personally, I can’t wait.
But, while we’re waiting, I’ve got another bit of awesome Olympic-esque news: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (“Olympians”! Right?) comes out today as well. I saw the movie at a sneak preview earlier this week, and I’m here to share some thoughts.
For those who don’t know, the movie is based on a series of books by author Rick Riordan. The books follow the adventures of Percy, an average boy who quickly discovers he’s not average at all — he’s the son of Poseidon, god of the sea in Greek mythology.
Being a “demigod” gives Percy special powers, but it also makes him a moving target for evil monsters. And when Percy finds himself accused of a crime against the gods, he must embark on a quest with his two new best friends — Annabeth and Grover — to both clear his name and save the world.
Here are three observations about the movie:
1. It’s fun! Though the weight of the world hangs in the balance, there’s a lot of humour in the movie. Much like Harry, Ron, and Hermione (of Harry Potter fame), Percy, Grover, and Annabeth have a great dynamic and tackle every problem with fearless smiles on their faces. The special effects — crazy monsters, fireballs, you name it — are fantastic, and the action sequences are engrossing. Speaking of action sequences…
2. It’s fast-paced! I mean, Percy gets in three fights and encounters three dangerous mythical beasts before he even sets out on his quest. It’s so fast, in fact, that some of the story is lost in the shuffle. For instance, the god Zeus believes Percy has stolen his lightning bolt, and is threatening war with Poseidon if the bolt is not returned. But at no point in the movie do we find out why Zeus thinks this. Seems like an important detail, no?
3. It’s different from the book! The movie stays true to the basic plot from the Lightning Thief book, but there are a lot of subtle — and some not-so-subtle — changes. Mostly, things are cut to keep the length of the movie down, and that’s to be expected. But, in the book, Percy Jackson is 12. In the movie, he’s in high school. The actor who plays him, Logan Lerman (pictured above), is actually 18.
Overall, I liked this movie for its pace, acting, and special effects. I also liked how it felt like a refresher course on Greek gods and mythology.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, I definitely recommend picking up the book. It adds a lot of layers and helps fill in some of the gaps.
Talk to you next week.
Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com
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that sound cool
Now I understand the title.
I feel so sorry for the guy who was in the luge accident this afternoon.
Me too Katie (the author) I just found out about that
I know, its so sad, he was only twenty one.
I’ve read all of the percy Jackson books and it sounds like the movie is a lot different.
one of the torch bearers that was supposed to light the internal flame didn’t because of a mechanical error. One of the caldrons didn’t rise. It was so nice that they included a minute of silence the the luger that died.
Oh, Craig …
You said – “I suspect everyone will be glued to their TV watching it tonight” ….
Not me! I was there, at the Opening Ceremony!
thats sooo kool Mary! It’s also sooooo sad about that luger that died and it was nice they included a monment of slience for him!Only 3 out of 4 towers for the flames came up so two people had to stand out!
It’s really too bad that there were technical difficulties with one of the indoor cauldron’s. It was the person’s only chance with the Olympic flame.
Mary, you’re so lucky!
Happy valentines day every one
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Year of the Tiger!(Kisa from Fruits Basket!)
Yay! Bilodeau won Canada’s 1st Gold Medal of the Olympics and Canada’s 1st Gold Medal on home soil! Historic moment!
it is so great oh oh sister alert
Hey Mary! That is so cool that you were at the Olympic opening ceremonies. If you have a minute, drop me a line at owlblog@owlkids.com and let me know what it was like to be there. Iâll try to publish your observations as a special blog post!
I’ve read the lightning theif (Really good book) and I’m going to see the movie. It’ll be awesome!!!!!
I’ve read the PJ books and they are amasing. When I heard the movie was coming out I was soooo excited. I watched the movie and the movie itself is a good movie but, I didn’t like how they made the characters so much older. Compared to the book it sucks… but like I said movie for the sake of movies is good.
Same here Mila. I read the book and the movie was good, but over 25 things that were changed or cut out.
P.S. Your right Mila. Percy is supposed to be 12 but he looks 17!
I personally didn’t like the Percy Jackson books, but the movie was even worse. They cut out some of the major plotlines.
i personally think that a book based movie ,the book i better
Hey Karen!I did like the books (in fact so much that I read the first in a day…)And havent seen the movie but now that the bboks are so popular ,there not so good.
dude so awesome it like was sick i was totaally like whoa that is so wack!!!!
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