On Films: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

I really wanted to read the book first before watching the movie, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the time. So, I had no choice but to go when my friends invited me.

My friends say it's a kiddie movie, but I disagree. I love it! One thing I can say is that there's not a dull moment (unlike some adult movies that I could name LOL) and I was right there in the thick of the action. The story is great, a dazzling mix of action and adventure, mystery and mythology with a little hint of romance in the modern world. It was certainly fun to see the mythical creatures that I've read about come to life and I had a fun time identifying what creatures they were too (I was able to identify the Hydra and Charon [the ferryman in Hades, though he's not technically a "creature"], so there! LOL) The Zac Efron look-alike (Logan Lerman) for a hero is not a bad idea either. I'm sure it drew in a lot of the teenage girl crowd. *grin*

I especially like the end of the movie, on Percy's scene with Poseidon. It was heart-wrenching. The father who wanted to have a place in his son's life and the son who longed for his father but as yet couldn't forgive him for abandoning them.

I should've guessed who the lightning thief was, but truth to tell, I was so caught up in the adventure that I'd forgotten about it. I do have to admit that there were some continuity problems in the movie, but hey, what movie doesn't have those? What bugs me though are these questions: Why wasn't Percy put in Camp Half-Blood from the time he was younger, like Annabeth and, I assume, the other kids there? Why was Percy so special that he has to have a bodyguard and the numero uno centaur Chiron in school with him? And why, when the lightning bolt was stolen, did Zeus immediately assume it's Percy and not some other demi-god? After all, I should think Zeus, Poseidon and Hades have other half-blood children littering the Earth. Especially Zeus.

Maybe these questions were answered in the book or maybe, in the later books. I don't know if I'll read the book now that I've seen the movie (there have been occasions when I watched the movie after reading the book but never the other way around), so if anyone knows the answer to my questions, would be much obliged if you could answer them. Thanks!

On Films: Avatar and Percy Jackson

I finally got to watch Avatar.

First things first. Sam Worthington. Human, not avatar. *drool*

Now that that's out of the way, the 3D's fantastic, but everyone's been saying that, so I won't expound on it anymore. The story is not so bad, but predictable. I have to say I love the world of the Na'vi, and as seen through Jake's (hero) eyes when he was learning and training with Neytiri (heroine), it is breathtaking. We see nature in all her glory, the fierce beauty of the living creatures, the harmony and balance in the ecosystem, the way Eywa (somewhat like Mother Earth) maintains the balance of life. I could see why the Na'vi wanted to stay and fight when the Hometree was attacked and I felt their devastation when the Hometree was destroyed. We learned eventually that Earth has been destroyed and the humans now wanted to destroy the Na'vi's home in order to get the precious mineral called Unobtanium (great name, somewhat like unobtainable?), an energy source for Earth and which can also be sold for lots of money.

I believe there's an environmental message in there. In fact, a few of movies I've seen over the years have environmental messages in them. If people still don't wake up, if they still let greed lead their actions and continue the destruction, maybe in 2154, Earth will be as described in the movie.

While waiting for the show, we saw the trailer for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Looks interesting. I've heard great comments about the book, too. Now my question is: Should I read the book first or watch the movie, then read the book? I've read all Harry Potter books, then watch the movie, and I enjoy the effects, that's it. I much prefer to read the book. What do you think?