Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I read the books a few years ago and found them the perfect rainy day books. I found them exciting, humourous and well written, but I was 10 when I read them. Perhaps if I read them now I would not appreciate them as much?However, I feel that the film simply does not do the book justice and Rick Riordan’s name should not be sullied by some Potter-esque caper. I look forward to his future novels.

I’ve actually read the books and they explain why Olympus is above the Empire State Building. It’s something about how Olympus follows Western Civilization, which is now the US.

Medusa’s in rural America to be inconspicuous. I mean, you can’t really had a head full of snakes and turn people into stone in major cities without attracting attention.

The background of the series is how Greek mythology is intertwined within the modern world. They could have pieced it together better.

Lastly, in the series, the main characters are around 12, and it was targeted towards kids around the age of 12. Having the “violent, romantic mythologies of ancient civilizations”, would not appeal to the target audience.

For those who read the books and say that the movie was missing alot, you need to remember that they were trying to create a movie that could stand alone OR spawn sequels. And most of the stuff that they missed can actually be discussed in future movies (if there are any).

About the story line being over-used: how is it any different than from most movies ever made? No one was exactly expecting a ground-breaking, life-changing movie. I mean, romantic movies, the stories lines are either they end up together or they don’t and everyone’s all sad at the end. There are very few that break the mold. If you dig deeper, every single movie is the exact same thing; they’ve just been modified.

I’m a HUGE fan of the books and Logan Lerman. Even though the movie was really different and could have explained some things better, I still enjoyed it. Granted, I’m not that picky about movies.

I loveed this movie you totaly missed the point cos its nothing like harry potter at all!

cant believe steve coogan is in the moive, he doesnt fit the hcaracterisation at all.

i liked ur other reviews better and agreed with them more.
but think i get what u mean about the american landscape

Hey guys, cheers for commenting

Katie – Books you read as a kid have a big impact on you. I used to love the Redwall books by Brian Jaques – have you read them? They are ace. But I don’t know whether they would hold the same place in my heart if I looked back at them now.

I do get the feeling that this film doesn’t recreate the books in the way that it would perhaps like to. But director Chris Columbus didn’t do a particularly great job on the first couple of Potter movies either. It’s difficult to get a book translated to the screen well, espeically ones which rely so heavily on supernatural action.

Jennifer – Lots of good points. Again, the filmmakers were obviously constrained by their medium, and the attention span of the audience, so cramming in as much as possible would have been bad. But a bit more explanation might have been nice.

I think that kids are really drawn to violence and romance just as much as adults, and getting into history often involes delving into the bloodier bits to generate interest. That’s sort of what Percy Jackson is about, even if it’s based on a fictional history.

Also – Medusa’s being in rural America was not quite as odd as her existence at all, since she was slain in the original myth wasn’t she? Not that continuity has any part to play in a fantasy film.

In relation to the story being recycled, I do realise that all films, and narratives across the arts, are essentially based on a few select master plot arcs. However, not that many rip off existing stories and just rehash the time period. I wasn’t looking for something revolutionary, but I did expect something that had something deeper to say. Perhaps that was wrong of me.

Mr Lerman is quite a handsome chap, and I’ve liked his work in other movies (including 3.10 to Yuma and Gamer). He managed to make Jackson relatively likeable despite his godly powers.

Thanks again for taking the time to read the article and comment

Joe, I think you came down unnecessarily hard on this film. As a teacher, Mom, and moderator at a Percy fan site any film that comes out of Hollywood that causes children to read more and especially to give learning disabled kids a positive self image needs to be praised. The movie is not the book. The book is much richer, introduces its reader to the world of Greek Mythology, and heroes who persevere for whats right and loyal no matter the circumstances. The movie is enjoyable, light entertainment that in 2 hours introduces the watcher to a new realm of reality, that the gods are real and have followed the hub of western civilization to America and New York. I am not pleased with Craig Titley’s handling of the screenplay, especially from someone who has a Phd. in Greek Myth.. Parents are wanting to find decent entertainment to take their children to and Percy delivers. I have seen the movie 7 times and each audience has been the same in their basic reaction. All have found the action exciting and a deep appreciation for Gabe, the stepdad, getting it in the end. I have seen many adults without children who are fans of the books. The one thing not one person has said is any comparison to the Potter books or movies. I SINCERELY HOPE they go on to make the other 4 books into movies. The book sales have soared since the movies release and children are reading not just Rick Riordan’s novels, but books on Greek Myth. I do hope they replace the screenwriter and maybe even C. Columbus, but continue to tell Percy Jackson’s story on film; for decent family entertainment and positive hero role models.

Hi Suzannek

Thanks for commenting.

You’re an admin on a PJ fansite? Splendid
I totally agree that getting kids to read is important, and something that Hollywood rarely encourages. Although there was the Pagemaster many years ago. And Never Ending Story. Oh, and the new Alice in Wonderland is book-based, as was Fantastic Mr Fox, Where the Wild Things Are and many more. Perhaps we’re doing Hollywood a disservice?

I’m sure the books do a much better job of dealing with the mythology, but I’ve only seen the film, and so can only respond to its treatment of the source material. And as you and several other commenters have said, it doesn’t really work onscreen. There are some films that work for kids and adults (check out any Pixar movie, or Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs, for example) but in this case the younger members of the audience would have had a lot more fun than older, joyless sceptics like me.

On a side note, I too was pleased that ADHD was being treadted as a postive character trait rather than an affliction. On the other hand, I was fairly troubled by the ‘kill your stepdad’ message that concluded the film. No matter how vile a character he was, his death could have landed PJ in a juvinile detention centre. And the severed head in his possession would not have done him any favours

Phew, that’s a lot of smilies.

Oh, and it is definitely similar to Harry Potter.