Percy Jackson: Book vs. Movie

I'm going to do this for real. I just want you to know now that I am not one of those readers who hate  movie adaptions of books because they aren't EXACTLY like the books, nor am I one of those watchers who hate the books because they aren't EXACTLY like the movie. I am one of the in-betweeners. The only book/movie adaption I absolutely hated was Eragon.

So. With no further ado, I begin my study of the movie/book adaptions of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

PERCY JACKSON: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

I enjoyed both the movie and the book, but I must say that I enjoyed the movie more than the book.

...Are you over your initial shock? Let me explain.

For one, I made a massive mistake. You see, my sister read all of the books and had just borrowed the second series's first book, The Lost Hero, from the library when I finally said, "Okay, fine, let's see what this is all about." So, I downloaded The Lost Hero onto my Kindle Fire.

It. Was. Amazing.

I was so shocked and enthralled that the books were this good that I immediately downloaded The Lightning Thief with great anticipation. But when I started reading it, I was disappointed. Wait a minute, I thought. This isn't nearly as good as that second series book. What's going on here?!

I then realized that Rick Riordan was writing from a twelve-year-old's point of view. Thus, logically, writing the book for a twelve-year-old audience.

You see, as the series progresses, Percy Jackson gets older (approximately a year every book, so far as I know). I didn't know this in the beginning. I just assumed he was about the same age as he was in the movie, fifteen or sixteen.

Since the book was written for a younger crowd, it didn't appeal to me as well as the movie did. But know that I enjoyed the book!


BOOK VS. MOVIE: STORYLINE

I was actually pleasantly surprised that the movie had about the same storyline as the book. Other than the placement of the battles (as in the hydra battle, the Medusa thing, Lotus Casino, etc.), the whole pearl-teleportation thing (which me and my sister both agreed they played out better in the movie), and of course the shortening of the book to fit in movie time, the plot was basically the same. They left out some scenes (I would have liked to see Percy in St. Louis on the arch, falling into the river), but I thought the movie was pretty good in its own little way. More action-packed, less time for resting like in the book, where you have action, rest, action, rest.


BOOK VS. MOVIE: CASTING AND CHARACTERS

Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson in
Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

PERCY JACKSON: I thought Logan Lerman played an awesome Percy. The only qualms I have with him is that he doesn't really seem that ADHD. You can sort of tell he's a little hyperactive, but not exactly ADHD. Otherwise, he played Percy well, except for the ADHD and the slight lack of quippage. I mean, the Percy in the books is ridiculous. But maybe they did that on purpose.

Now I heard from one girl I met that "LOGAN LERMAN IS TOO OLD!! FOR GOODNESS'S SAKES, PERCY'S ONLY 12! HEL-LOOOO!!!" But the reason they made Percy 16ish is so, like I mentioned above, the movie would appeal to a larger audience. I understand how this would get some readers angry, but personally I would much rather watch a 16-year-old fight dragons than a 12-year-old. It just wouldn't seem real.

Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth
Chase in Percy Jackson:
The Lightning Thief

ANNABETH CHASE: I've heard all sorts of arguments about Annabeth.

• She's not blonde.
• She's not as scary as the real Annabeth is.
• She's not blonde.
• She doesn't act like Annabeth.
• She's not blonde.

But I give the directors credit, because they at least tried to make Alexandra blonde in the second movie.

Anywho, the point is, though Daddario didn't play the best Annabeth Chase, I though she definitely played a kind of Annabeth Chase. After reading the book I realized what others were talking about, how Annabeth in the movie wasn't as scary as Annabeth in the book. In the movie, she plays up the wise girl more than she does the fighter-strategist type. And personally, I always imagined Athena as a dark-haired person. Plus, Daddario looks like a very wise person (those eyes kill me).

But yes, she is nothing like Annabeth in the book, and I must admit the movie would probably be more interesting if Annabeth was calling Percy "Seaweed Brain" and threatening him with a dagger all the time.

Brandon T. Jackson as Grover
in Percy Jackson: The
Lightning Thief

GROVER: In book terms, Grover stunk horribly.

He looks nothing like Grover. He acts nothing like Grover. Overall, he is not Grover.

But I LOVE THE MOVIE GROVER. And I HATED the book Grover.

So I'm totally okay with them changing him up. Scaredy-cat Grover drove me crazy in the books and it was just seriously annoying. But in the movie, he was one of my favorite characters.

Jake Abel as Luke Castellan in
Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

LUKE CASTELLAN: Jake Abel was an amazing Luke, Son of Hermes. He had the looks exactly: mischievous, sly, the required "tall, handsome, short-cropped sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, an athletic and muscular build, and a sneaky look". And he did awesome with the acting. I have no complaints against him, other than I'm really sad as I always am that he [spoiler]. And that he lacks what would have been a really epic dragon scar on his face.

BOOK VS. MOVIE: "TONE AND FEEL"

The book had a very playful and kiddish tone to it, which I enjoyed with Percy's youthful point of view. The movie was much more mature, not holding true to the book but, again, in its own way achieving excellence.

OVERALL:

TRUE-TO-ITS-ROOT-NESS: Though the movie wasn't true to the book in some aspects, it did better than some book-to-movie adaptions that I have seen (*coughcoughERAGONcoughchoke*). I enjoyed the book and the movie separately, but compared, I personally liked the movie better. (Wow. I hope no one kills me for that...)

BOOK: The book is better for young people between the ages of 10-14. Not for us mature, boring 17-year-olds. Still, it's a good relaxing read for older teens, more humor than epic battle scenes (though there are some in there). Definitely worth reading. Do not not read this book. You must. The storyline is just so imaginative. I am so jealous sometimes. All the time. I cry at night.

MOVIE: The movie is aimed more towards older audiences, so for those who just can't get into the book but still want to know about the demigods, the movie provides an accurate representation of the book's world. Individually, I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. At first I thought it sort of fast-moving and low-budget, but once I saw the first part (the two times I saw it I always missed the first 30 minutes) I really understood the situation. Thus allowing me to enjoy the film better.

So what do you think about the Percy Jackson movie vs. book? Do you like the movie? Book? Do you hate me for liking the movie a little better (just a little)? Voice your thoughts!