So, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we meet again. I've read the books - while Rick Riordan might not be the greatest at dialogue, he's certainly great at crafting a large world for his characters. For that, I enjoyed the Percy Jackson books.
This movie, however, not so much. One of my biggest gripes in movies is when a director decides to change something - if it's minor, it's not much of a problem. However, if it's a series of fairly big changes, then I think it's actually a bit of an insult to the author. PJatO did this, unfortunately.
One change I actually didn't mind was the casting of Brandon T. Jackson as Grover, Percy's friend. Grover is white in the books, but I see no problem at all with a (very funny, which benefited the film) black dude playing him. The other two actors were good as well - I think Logan Lerman especially has a future in film. Another positive I found was the whole "road trip" vibe of the film, which I thought was captured well.
Other changes, however, struck me as unneeded. For example, the Lotus Casino in the books was actually a very innocent idea of a place, where you had so much fun you literally couldn't leave. In the movie...it was a very thinly veiled allusion to drugs. It just struck me as awkward.
Another big problem I had with the movie was with the 'villain'. I say 'villain' because I never actually felt a villainous presence in the movie. When Jake Abel's character, Luke, was revealed as the villain, I was extremely disappointed. First off, the reveal of his villainy was extremely abrupt, and very different from the books. The final fight was disappointing.
Overall, it's a mediocre movie adaption of a good book. Oh well.
This movie, however, not so much. One of my biggest gripes in movies is when a director decides to change something - if it's minor, it's not much of a problem. However, if it's a series of fairly big changes, then I think it's actually a bit of an insult to the author. PJatO did this, unfortunately.
One change I actually didn't mind was the casting of Brandon T. Jackson as Grover, Percy's friend. Grover is white in the books, but I see no problem at all with a (very funny, which benefited the film) black dude playing him. The other two actors were good as well - I think Logan Lerman especially has a future in film. Another positive I found was the whole "road trip" vibe of the film, which I thought was captured well.
Other changes, however, struck me as unneeded. For example, the Lotus Casino in the books was actually a very innocent idea of a place, where you had so much fun you literally couldn't leave. In the movie...it was a very thinly veiled allusion to drugs. It just struck me as awkward.
Another big problem I had with the movie was with the 'villain'. I say 'villain' because I never actually felt a villainous presence in the movie. When Jake Abel's character, Luke, was revealed as the villain, I was extremely disappointed. First off, the reveal of his villainy was extremely abrupt, and very different from the books. The final fight was disappointing.
Overall, it's a mediocre movie adaption of a good book. Oh well.