Movie Review

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday - we had family movie night at home, after a full day of gymnastics and swimming!

Friday night, Connor and I went to see Percy Jackson and the Olympics: The Lightning Thief.

While they changed the movie a lot from the book (which I don't always like), they did a bang up job with this movie.  It was funny and entertaining, dramatic and action-packed at appropriate moments and well written.  Logan Lerman was surprisingly perfect for this role, although he looked much older than 12, as per the first book in the series.  Makes me wonder if they have plans to combine several of the books, since the culmination of the series is dependent on Percy's 16th birthday.  Percy seemed 16 to me in the movie, even though Lerman has recently turned 18.

He's a cutie, too!

In that barely-legal-make-me-feel-like-a-dirty-old-lady-for-looking sort of way...

I did like their choice for Grover, the satyr (pronounced sa-tear', not sa-tire like I originally thought) - Brandon T. Jackson was quite funny, even if he wasn't as fearful or clumsy as I had pictured Grover from the books.   You may remember him from Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr.

Actually, I liked most of the casting decisions, with the exception of Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth.  Partly because Annabeth is blonde with grey eyes in the books (whereas Daddario has brown hair and blue eyes) and partly because she seemed so much older and bigger than I had pictured Annabeth.  This is my problem when I read the books first - I always get these preconceived ideas and images and then am disappointed when the movie comes out!

The theatre was packed with teeny boppers (do I sound like an old lady, yet??) whose hormones were racing in anticipation at seeing Lerman on the big screen.  Sadly, there were three such creatures in front of us, who screamed and nearly made my ears bleed every time they flickered the lights (which I think the ushers did on purpose to build the hype!)  Once the movie started and the opening credits were rolling, they were nattering to each other - reminded me of a hen house - until the poor older gentleman next to me had finally had enough and said, "Will you STOP talking already!?!"

I thanked him for that moment and offered to share my popcorn.

All in all, I would definitely recommend it.  Being an avid reader though, I would recommend the book first - you can then go into the movie with the back story and more insight into the characters.  Just check out the characters' bios on IMDb first so you won't get the wrong mental image! :)  Let me know what you think of the movie - and the series, if you read it!