Lightning Thief Review

I'm doing two reviews of LT. This first one is almost completely disregarding what I know from the book. The second one covers everything that I can think of that they changed. Both have spoilers, the second one more than the first. The first one was written while I was still on my post-movie high just so you know.

Disregarding the book:

It was great! Special effects were amazing, I still hated some parts of it because they didn't make a lot of sense (or that might just be the book talking). I'm definitely getting this one on DVD. I haven't decided yet how I feel about Luke. He's cute and all, but I still can't decide if I want to push him off the Empire State Building or love him. I love Annabeth though, she's awesome. Though I wish they'd emphasized her more of a daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom than the goddess of war. Oh, and Percy and Luke's fight on the Empire State Building: epic!

7/10

Regarding the book:

Things that were Added:
  • The romance between Percy and Annabeth. I'll let this one slide.
  • Annabeth and Percy swordfighting. They never do that. And there's only one person that can match Percy: Luke.
  • The random, freaked out stranger in Medusas's lair.
  • Hades magically showing up and demanding that Percy bring him the master bolt in exchange for his mother.
  • Percy hearing his father's voice.
  • Traveling to the Parthenon in Nashville and fighting the Hydra.
Things that were Removed:
  • Ares. Which really disappointed me because I was looking forward to seeing Percy and Ares's battle on the beach on the big screen. It would've been EPIC. (Epic's my new favorite word, by the way.)
  • Kronos.
  • Grover almost getting dragged into the pits of Tartarus
  • Clarisse.
  • Hades losing his Helm of Darkness.
  • Percy jumping off the top of the Arch while being attacked by Echidna.
  • Mr. D
  • The Mist
  • The Fates snipping the thread
  • The Prophecy and the Great Prophecy
  • The part with Percy and his mom at the cabin in Montauk
  • The tree guarding camp
  • WHY the gods are on the Empire State Building
  • Luke's scar
  • The bead necklaces for each summer they survive.
  • The Oracle
  • Luke HAS met his father. Once. And that's a whole other story.
  • The hellhound attacking after the capture the flag game.
  • Annabeth's magic Yankees cap
  • Argus
  • The fact that Riptide shows up in his pocket when he loses it
  • Them getting attacked by the Furies and blowing up the bus
  • Grover's search for Pan
  • Annabeth's past
  • Contacting Luke through the iris message
  • Going to the Tunnel of Love to get Ares's shield back
  • The story of what happened with Grover, Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke.
  • Percy getting summoned by his father, going to Santa Monica, meeting Nereid, and getting the pearls from her.
  • Crusty's Water Bed Palace where they almost get killed (again) and find out where the entrance to the Underworld is.
  • Cerberus
Things that were Changed:
  • Movie: There was a law forbidding the gods from seeing their children. Book: There was a law against the Big Three having children and also one that forbid the gods from helping their children directly, but NOT seeing them at all.
  • Movie: They go running around the country looking for the pearls. Book: They get them from Nereid.
  • Camp Half-Blood looks more like a war camp than a summer camp growing strawberries. Also, Percy's cabin is too small. Where's Tyson going to sleep??
  • Movie: Chiron threatens to rip the Fury to pieces if she doesn't leave Percy alone, she drops him, and flies out the window. Book: Percy slashes her with the sword.
  • Movie: they talked about Percy like he wasn't even there before he knew what he was. Book: they talked about him behind his back.
  • Percy is supposed to be TWELVE. Though I suppose it makes it easier for them to drive all over the country if they're older.
  • Book: Sally hated sending Percy to camp. She barely did it willingly. Movie: Grover says it's time to go, so she just starts driving him there.
  • Book: Percy goes to the Hermes cabin because no one knows who his father is. Movie: it's straight to the Poseidon cabin. I'll let this one slide too because I understand why they did that.
  • Chiron is supposed to be a WHITE stallion.
  • Book: Percy was on Annabeth's AND Luke's team for Capture the Flag. Movie: He's just on Luke's team and Annabeth almost kills him.
  • Book: It was Luke that captured the flag. Percy was too busy trying not to get killed by Clarisse while running border patrol. Movie: Percy just stumbles on the flag and then captures it after almost being killed by Annabeth, getting healed by the stream, and then fighting off the other team.
  • Book: Percy gives Grover the flying shoes because it's not a good idea for him to be flying with Zeus wanting to kill him and all. Movie: Percy keeps the flying shoes.
  • Book: Percy sent the head of Medusa to Olympus. Movie: They kept it with them the entire time.
  • Movie: The bolt was in the shield Luke gave Percy the entire time. Book: The bolt appeared in Percy's backpack that Ares gave him as soon as he reached Hades.
  • The Styx isn't supposed to be floating in midair! How is someone supposed to jump in it??
  • Movie: Percy grabs his mother and just leaves Grover behind. Book: Percy takes Grover and Annabeth with him and then promises to return the Helm of Darkness to Hades and find a way to free his mother.
  • Book: Luke stole the Helm and Bolt, gave them to Ares, and both of them are being controlled by Kronos. Movie: Luke stole the bolt in the hope of creating a war and starting a new era of the world where the heroes are in charge.
  • Movie: The magic pearls carried them all the way back to Olympus. Book: They FLEW back even though Zeus would be ticked because it was the fastest way to get there.
  • Movie: Persephone saves them from Hades. Book: She really didn't give a darn whether they lived or died.
  • The Underworld is not just hiding behind the Hollywood sign for Hades's sake!
5/10

Okay, I think that's it. Honestly I think there should be a law saying that anyone involved with the production of a movie from a book is required to read the ENTIRE series before they even start. Seriously, things that seem small in the first book could become HUGE in the later ones. J.K. Rowling is awesome at that.

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