Goodreads Rating: 4.13
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 337
Reviewed by: Nicole
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
I wanted to see the movie for Percy Jackson and I tend to be the type of person that needs to read the book before I watch the movie adaptation. I like to know what the story is supposed to be like before you see the movie version. I have this silly theory that if you watch the movie first then read the book you're going to favor the adaptation over the original. This isn't a perfect theory, but I've seen it happen.
I suppose I'll start with what I thought about the book before I compare the movie. I really liked the book, I felt that it was really cute the way the 12 year old Percy fought for his mother, it was really heart breaking when he saw her die in the book. I felt that the scenes where he interacts with Grover and Aries were so fun. I really liked the book, and it was the exact kind of book to get a young boy to read. That being said, I was irked by the misrepresentation of Nemesis, the goddess of Revenge as a god. Maybe I know my mythology a little too well, but it did drive me a little crazy. (Full Disclosure: I did a project on Nemisis and the Greek Gods in 6th grade, no one could trump my knowledge at that time save for an expert.)
If I had paid any attention to the cover, I would have noticed Percy standing in the water, but since I was reading this on my Nook, that seemed to get past me. Regardless I felt so proud when I had pegged Percy as Poseidon's son. I liked that he worked with Annabeth and Grove to save the world, and I especially loved the teasing banter between Annabeth and Percy.
Movie:
When I watched the movie, I felt a little let down. Okay, that was a lie, not a little, a lot. Despite how hot Logan Lerman was, he's not 12, and I feel that Percy being so young was important to his identity. I was also really bummed that they didn't include Aries. I was really looking forward to this giant biker guy picking on a 12 year old. I also felt like it was cheating that Percy was handed who his father was and that the whole cabin was meant for him. I felt like the the capture the flag game was also all wrong. The relationship between Annabeth and Percy was also off because although I have a feeling it will grow into flirtation in the future books, in the first one its supposed to be teasing and annoying one another.
All in all, the book is worth it so much more than the movie. For sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment