Columbus' Adaption of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Loses the Book's Electricty

I've been a fan of movie spins on Greek mythology ever since Ray Harryhausen's final epic, Clash of the Titans, was released during my youth. What's not to love? Interfering gods, gorgons, three-headed dogs, giant scorpions . . . the stuff that a little boy (and the little boy in each of us) dreams to be a part of.

Since that time there have been many takes on all that Greek fun and I've enjoyed most of the projects I've seen. So, when I saw the trailer for the new adaption of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, I was very excited to see this 'contemporary fantasy' take on the old myths. A film about a new demigod, a son of Poseidon. In short, the actual film was a severe disappointment. I heard the book was better, so I bought a copy. The book is far superior.

Where did the film makers go wrong. First of all, choosing screenwriter Craig Titley. What made the producer's think that the writer for such stinkers as Scooby Doo and both Cheaper by the Dozen remakes could produce anything more than a parody of the epic material contained in the books? Yes, there is a comedic element in Rick Riordan's writing . . . the books are intended for a middle-grade audience, but they definitely don't fall in the same category of slapstick that Titley is obviously best at writing.

Besides the overplay of slapstick elements, the script makes no attempt to remain faithful to the book. It is as if Titley looked at the book flap, took the most basic concepts and characters and decided to tell it his own way.

The key plot change that kills any sense of mystery or suspense for the audience is the introduction of a map that will lead the heroes magically, via three pit stops, to their destination. The boy who gives them the map is obviously being set up to be our villain later on. What could and should have been a mystery for Percy, and for us, is spoon fed at the earliest opportunity. This is the kind of silly stunt that says to audience, "We can't think and we don't think you can think either."

Most of the monsters that Percy meets in the book are either replaced or eliminated. Many of the locations are changed and the scenes that are retained are souped up. For instance, the Lotus Hotel in Vegas, lair of the Lotus Eaters, serves up addictive games in the book. The movie replaces the games with actual drugs.

Leaving out the god of war and Cronus, is simply unforgivable.