PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF
RYAN: So this new movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a new fantasy film based on a book series very similar to Harry Potter – and I mean that literally.
CAROLINE: It also has a very long title. How did it match up? I wasn’t able to make the screening.
RYAN: Well in terms of matching up, of course it doesn’t. And of course I’m a completely biased HP fanatic/loyalist. I didn’t read these books so I’m not smitten with the story but this was a pretty great movie. Some moments were indeed much more fantastic than others, but it’s a swanky adventure nonetheless.
CAROLINE: Who famous is in it?
RYAN: OMG. Uma Thurman plays Medusa, in what is my favorite part of the film. Rosario Dawson is Persephone… Steve Coogan plays Hades, Catherine Keener and oh, Pierce Brosnan play Dumbledore.
CAROLINE: [laughs’ That’s some casting. What has Rosario done since Rent?
RYAN: Right? And this is the same director, Chris Columbus.
CAROLINE: It sounds like it’s a lot of Greek Gods and whatnot.
RYAN: That’s precisely what it is and I must be more into magic, witches and wizardry than Greek mythology, but thankfully the sparring was limited. It reminded me a bit of Narnia in those moments.
CAROLINE: It sounds very derivative though.
RYAN: Oh. The very definition of derivative. Especially since speaking with my pal Jennifer, who interviewed the director, who, not coincidentally also directed the first two Harry Potter films… Anyway, she read the book and realized he put things in the movie that were not in the book but were direct rips from HP!
CAROLINE: Does Percy have two best friends like Harry?
RYAN: Absolutely. There’s the trio and it’s very parallel.
CAROLINE: It’s amazing to me that the author and director would be so shameless.
RYAN: I know. They even go to Camp Half-Blood. Please!
CAROLINE: Bizarre.
RYAN: Oh, and that ginger doctor from Grey’s plays Poseidon.
CAROLINE: Oh… Owen. Kevin McKidd. I saw him in the trailer. I just kept thinking this was a biopic of Peter Jackson until I looked closer at the title.
RYAN: [chortles’ Speaking of which, and I got it after viewing the film, it’s Percy from Perseus. But I wondered going in, “Who names their kid Percy in this century?”
CAROLINE: It’s very British. Are they American?
RYAN: Yes.
CAROLINE: Did anything annoy you about it?
RYAN: Not especially, since I hadn’t read the book to compare what changed, you know? But I was mildly irked that the girl bf is a lil taller than Percy.
CAROLINE: Well, they’re kids. He’ll grow.
RYAN: Unless he’s Dan Radcliffe.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: The casting is terrific and the performances are fab. Same with the costumes, effects… With two HP’s under his belt, Chris obviously knows how to turn ’em out. The parts of the story original unto itself were engaging. But my HP loyalty makes me stop. Like, I’m not gonna buy the DVD.
CAROLINE: Fair enough.
RYAN: It’s definitely worth seeing in the theater. I was rooting for Percy. It’s an adventure you will be swept up into. I can’t say whether those who read the book will love it as much, but if you like fantasy, you’re in.
— RATING —
