Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Failed Attempt at an Adaptation
By: Brandon Palonis
Much more than lightning was stolen from the Chris Columbus adaptation
of the novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Plot twists,
ideas, and character portrayals were copied and stolen from more successful
and entertaining films. Actor Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Alexandra Daddario
(Annabeth Chase), and Brandon T. Jackson (Grover the satyr) do not fit the
appearance, personalities, and ages of their respective characters. Their
performances are mediocre. The film is mainly set in present day New York, but
it goes all over the country. Sometimes even to mythological places, like Mt.
Olympus or Half-Blood Hill. However, seeing these places come to life on the big
screen do nothing to help the pedestrian quality of the film.
The film follows little from the novel, but the basic plot is the same. Zeus’
master bolt is missing, and Percy is the supposed thief. Percy wants to find his
mother (who has been taken by Hades), and the master bolt so he can clear his
name. Along the way, Percy, Annabeth and Grover must battle monsters, solve
riddles, and even travel to the Underworld to recover the lost items.
The direction of this film is awful by Chris Columbus’ standards. Many
scenes were clearly rushed for production. Such as the Minotaur fight sequence.
The film’s version happens in about three minutes. While the book’s version has
much more going on in the fight. The film’s soundtrack is the worst choice of
songs for a film about Greek mythology. Songs by AC/DC and Lady Gaga were
used. Neither song fits into the respected scene. AC/DC’s song was used when
the main characters were getting off a bus. Lady Gaga’s song was used during
the Lotus Casino scene. The film’s own score sounds recycled from many
medieval films. Many parts in the music featured heavy orchestration and overlyepic tones during battles. Such as the Medusa fight scene, the music is just too
over the top for the battle. The special effects were next to ridiculous. Most shots,
such as Olympus, were obviously green screen editing. The characters did not
move correctly when walking around. The CGI monsters were almost
unbelievably bad. It appears as though no attempt was made for them to be
realistic in the scene. The Hydra at the Parthenon was ridiculous. Its heads move
around too much and it was just completely fake-looking. Chris Columbus didn’t
seem to focus on the quality of the film. It seemed very rushed. You would think
that since it was based off a book that Columbus would have more material to
work with.
All in all the film was bad. It features sub-par acting, bad special effects,
an unrealistic plot, and almost no relation to the novel it was based off of. The
only audience that would like this film would be children ages 1 to 12. None of
them seem to realize the overall horrible quality of the film. They will just like all
the action and the monsters. They won’t notice the plot holes and second-rate
ideas made for the film. In total, though, the film did at least try to be entertaining.
I did not say they succeeded, but the did try.
Bolt to the theater to see The Lightning Thief!
By: Lauren Waller
Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to be a god? In the
movie Percy Jason and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the young Logan
Lerman (Percy Jackson) begins to know what that is like. This action, drama and
comedy movie sends Percy Jackson and his friends, Alexandra Daddario
(Annabeth) and Brandon T. Jackson (Grover the satyr) on an adventure around
the country. On this adventure Percy needs to get his mom, Catherine Keener
(Sally Jackson), back and retrieve something even bigger and more powerful
than the gods themselves. Taking place in the 21st century New York, this
exciting action-packed movie will have you wanting more.
The Lightning Thief is a movie about a sixteen-year-old boy named Percy
Jackson. Percy attends Yancy Academy in New York City. One day while on a
school field trip, Percy encounters something terrible. Percy is then forced to go
to a special camp that his father wanted him to go to called Camp Half-Blood. On
the way there, Percy is told, for the first time, that he is a demi-god, son of Kevin
McKidd (Poseidon). While outside the camp walls, Percy loses his mom, Sally
Jackson. Percy goes to the camp to train for a quest, determined, to find his
mother and get her back. Although Percy is only focused on getting his mom
back, other problems arise. Being Poseidon’s son, Percy is being accused of
stealing one of Zeus’ most prized possessions. Now, Percy is going on his quest
not only to find his mother, but to prove he didn’t steal anything from Zeus. Along
with Percy, his friends from camp Annabeth and Grover, go on the quest with
him. On their journey they encounter many obstacles and visit many places. In
the end, will Percy find what matters most and become a true demi-god hero?
The directing, acting, photography and special effects in Percy Jackson
and the Olympians was overall pretty good. Chris Columbus, the director, did a
pretty good job. He kept the movie interesting. All of the scenes had great special
effects and background music. The very first scene in the movie stood out to me.
The great lightning special effects and the loud, powerful music just brought the
whole scene together. If the director had the movie follow the book a little better,
the movie would have been a lot better. The acting was great! All the actors and
actresses played their characters well! The acting was especially great in the
Lotus Casino when the actors had to act like they were under some kind of spell.
That specific part was portrayed very well and was very believable too. The
background music and special effects were tremendous. The up-beat music in
the Lotus Casino, corresponding to the scene, and Medusa’s snake hair were
great examples of some wonderful music and special effects that were displayed
in The Lightning Thief. This movie had outstanding, well-put, camera angles and
shots. It felt like you were actually there, in the movie. The different angles and
close ups during the capture the flag scene made you feel as though you were
there, too. All of the directing, acting, special effects and photography in Percy
Jackson and the Olympians was outstanding and made the movie stand out from
a lot of others.
The Lightning Thief would be enjoyed by preteens and teens who are
interested in ancient Greek history or those who love action, comedy and
adventure movies. Some parts in the movie, including scenes with well-detailed
monsters, might be a little scarier for younger children. Although this movie might
be a little scary, it had very good techniques used to make it more interesting and
enjoyable. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is absolutely a
tremendous movie!