Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: How to Doom a Franchise

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was the first attempt to bring Rick Riordan's books to life. And it...didn't go well. In this video I go over what does not work in this film, despite the movie featuring a great cast that includes Uma Thurman, Sean Bean and Pierce Brosnan.
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Special thanks to Andrew Elliott (Stalli111: / stalli111 ) for editing this video!

[@captainmidnight]

What do you think of the Percy Jackson movie? Get Audible at audible.com/midnight or text "midnight" to 500-500 to sign up and get your 30 day free trial.

[@chasehedges6775]

The books were better.

[@joeelliott9305]

The movie is fine but the book was so much better and compared to each other the film is trash

[@superthorc6894]

Awful adaptation

[@lahlybird895]

sorry, do you mean the Perry Johnson movie? I've heard it was accidentally mislabeled as Percy Jackson it's really a cheap knockoff though

[@PredatorH2O]

I like it as a movie. Obviously completely unrelated to the books.

[@thenerdsarecoming]

it's even funnier when you realize the author told people to not watch the movies

[@Sham_Knubs]

The movies were an abomination so I don’t blame him lmao

[@rileymoore7025]

If I ever make a book, if someone tries to adapt it in any way, the first thing coming out of my mouth is "make it a video game or no deal".

[@mysterylobster]

He’s also never seen them. He read the scripts and immediately refused to associate with the films anymore. *edited to fix spelling

[@Sham_Knubs]

@@rileymoore7025Lmao, a Percy Jackson universe game would literally slap it would work amazing

[@libertyblaze3988]

The author also endorsed the musical and says it’s far more faithful to the book

[@Joenah5]

be warned, if you cover Sea of Monsters, the movie decides to up and spoil some major stuff from book 5

[@AlbertoLagunasP]

get this to top comment so he doesn't get spoiled on such a great story element from the books

[@holup454]

I forgot everything about the movie. What did it spoil?

[@miguelangelus959]

@@holup454 I thought it was suposed to be good if you forgot a spoiler

[@Venmo4Nudes]

@@miguelangelus959 got to be the stupidest reasoning I’ve ever heard

[@Shalalacls]

@@holup454(trying to avoid saying the words outright) I think the sarcophagus shows up, and of course what comes out of it. But idk cause I haven't seen the movie, I've been told they don't treat right my sweet boy Tyson

[@jerQCote]

Seeing the notes Riordan left Fox essentially slamming the script in the most polite way possible. was both sad and hilarious.

[@colin.2572]

Was not was.

[@joaquizzletwizzle]

@@colin.2572 don't do that.

[@pythonl0rd584]

@@colin.2572 dude, it’s a KZbin comment, not an essay

[@allansharp8801]

@@colin.2572 Actually, the problem isn't the lack of capitalization on 'was': the period ahead of it should have been a comma, to prevent his comment from being two sentence fragments. (That's more of a typo than a grammar error, if you think about where those symbols are on a keyboard.) If you're going to be a grammar/punctuation Nazi, you'll need to learn some grammar/punctuation rules.

[@EMW12]

@@colin.2572 nobody gives a shit

[@sugarcrystal9390]

In my opinion the worst part of the movie is that Persephone was in the underworld in *summer*

[@oreofoxgamerx6028]

Dude, everything about the movie sucks including the scene that you said

[@g.d.graham2446]

Oof

[@CartoonyPirate]

And when was she evi- well.. maybe I shouldn't go too far

[@JohnSacapano]

Let's not forget the fact that she seemed to hate Hades? She stayed in the Underworld because she fell in love with him, so she visits Demeter during summer. It was glaringly obvious they never checked the mythology whatsover.

[@TheSantifive]

@@JohnSacapano What I vaguely remember from my lessons was that Persephone was in fact snatched by Hades (which would make 'The Rape of Proserpina' have some sense behind it, even if it's based on the roman mythos rather than the greek one) and she had to come back to 'Hell' because she ate some fruit, causing her to get sick (or maybe it was a 'god's law' sort of thing) if she stayed away for too long. Thus, Zeus decreed that she'd spend a third of the year (spring+summer?) on earth with her mother and then the rest with her husband/uncle (Hades). This mostly is out of memory so I might be wrong.

[@that1nerd756]

Is no one gonna talk about how they removed like, ALL of Percy's sass and impertinence? Like, he doesn't even send Medusa's head to Olympus, which is a dam shame in my opinion.

[@purpleturtle4700]

dam snack bar

[@connord5827]

@@purpleturtle4700 a dam bathroom?

[@watyouneedtowatchgoodvibe8829]

@@connord5827 a dam t-shirt?

[@sugarm1860]

@@watyouneedtowatchgoodvibe8829 a dam hat?

[@Iggybart05]

upvote for that dam reference

[@Saphirakii]

when you ruin a franchise so badly the author feels morally compelled to write "I hate that movie and I do not affiliate with it" on his website's FAQ

[@007Fusiion]

Did he still collect the royalties?

[@ParsureArts]

Hey, I think I’d take money from a bad movie still. Who wouldn’t! It’s some compensation for seeing your story butchered-

[@Brien831]

@@ParsureArts tbh he also butchered his story later on… Aint no way a devout muslim believer would help in someones else afterlife. Its a sad and forced portrayal of muslims.

[@silverraigirideviluke]

@@Brien831 I do no like the magnus chase books very much, because they do feel a lot like pandering, but the explanation for why samira can still be a devout muslim while not denying the reality of the world she lives in is, in my opinion, very well done.

[@Brien831]

@@silverraigirideviluke Not really, she breaks a few taboos which either should have her doubting her beliefs or refusing outright. In Islam life after death is solely the domain of Allah as stated by the Quran. Helping whom she considers false gods in dealing with the underworld is either a grave sin or must break her belief in Allah. Its simply not believable from the standpoint of a devout muslim.

[@master0fthearts894]

The worst thing about this adaptation is that Annabeth never called Percy “Seaweed Brain.”

[@DinselAmores]

Yahhh

[@signodeinterrogacion8361]

Well, that sounds worse than the spanish version (Sesos de Alga)

[@m4riel]

@@signodeinterrogacion8361 The portuguese "Cabeça de Alga" was actually pretty funny

[@master0fthearts894]

“Seaweed Brain” was Ricks version of “It’s not like I like you, or anything”, and I loved it so much. Annabeth, I wouldn’t really call her a Tsundere at the start, but later on, she is definitely positively a Tsundere. And a hell of a well-written one at that.

[@master0fthearts894]

Also, they took away her Yankees cap. Another injustice.

[@onebilliontacos3405]

Honestly, the Hades part of this movies was the most aggravating part for me. To turn a previously unique yet historically accurate rendition of a usually villainized character into a stereotypical villain is irritating at best.

[@nenmaster5218]

Hi

[@asteroidalassassin6949]

@@nenmaster5218 hi

[@nenmaster5218]

@@asteroidalassassin6949 Aloha. Can i suggest you some YT-Channel? Especially scientific ones? Random, i know, but i have the (arguably silly) Hobby to spread science and/or fun.

[@isabellp.5730]

I'm hella late, but I agree wholeheartedly. I hatewatch the first movie sometimes with a glass of wine, and often i have to fastforward his scenes. It's just the one of the WORST character assassinations I have ever seen.

[@no_opinion1065]

Hades I think is more of a combination of Death and his son in adventure time

[@martinfreemon7134]

No Ares (which is easily the biggest offense in this list). No Thrill Ride O' Love. No demon cheerleaders. No demon math teachers. No magic shoes that kill. No final confrontation with Ares at the beach. No convincing Charon that he's being underpaid. No exploding toilets. No Kindness International truck and it's powerful message. No Echidna or the Chimera. No Crusty's Waterbed Palace. POSEIDON DOESN'T EVEN WEAR A HAWAIIAN SHIRT! HOW HARD IS IT TO FIND A HAWAIIAN SHIRT!? And that's only a few of the missing things I can name from memory. They just went the lazy way and turned Hades into the Villain, because _of course_ he's evil, I mean, he's the God of the dead, and the dead are scary and spooky, so that obviously makes him a villain!

[@lollythefamouscommenter3970]

Poseidon in the movies literally looks like he shopped at the gap💔

[@namanagarwal9598]

Most of all, NO CLARRISE

[@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028]

@@namanagarwal9598 she was in the second which I didnt watch but my brother did and he said her caracter was also bad

[@namanagarwal9598]

@@kirbywithaknifeisawesome6028 ooh thank you for telling me actually I didn't watch either of the films just clips

[@martinfreemon7134]

@Suravi Balaji yup

[@KingKlonoa]

As a massive fan of Percy Jackson, not enough people talk about this damn series, so I was delighted to see this pop up in my sub box. I wish these movies were better because they might have been able to translate what I loved about the books to a larger audience. Hopefully the TV show will do better, but I feel like I shouldn't get my hopes up.

[@roeimakikiderikadragontwin9898]

(KingK) But isn't the tv series is being run by the author of the book? 🤔

[@haroldiscool6410]

I always thought as a kid Percy Jackson would be better as a series because of the more episodic quests and monster fights

[@b.h.4249]

@@roeimakikiderikadragontwin9898 Just because the author is behind doesn't guarantee it to be good. Just look at what J. K. Rowling is putting out nowadays. Even if you can write a good book doesn't mean that you can write a TV show. I, however, want to have faith in Riordan and see this succeed. I am just going to approach it with low expectations as my standards have very recently again been crushed by Fate: The Winx Saga. I went in with zero expectations and still ended up disappointed somehow.

[@master0fthearts894]

@@b.h.4249 Just a correction: The original Harry Potter series and the 1st “Fantastic Beasts” was actually good. It was The Crimes of Gindlewand that really RUINED the franchise, but with 7 banger films, and one good one, I’d say for the most part, it was a success.

[@b.h.4249]

@@master0fthearts894 I agree on that front, I adore all the movies up to Fantastic Beasts 1. I just think that with Fantastic Beasts, Rowling has been given too much control over writing a screenplay which she doesn't seem to have much experience with. I haven't heard many good things about The Cursed Child and my opinion of her has generally decreased in the last years. I don't expect any of the following movies to be good. Fantastic Beasts should have stayed as a standalone, it didn't really need a continuation only to be milked dry to create a new movie series.

[@samuelbarnett6225]

Rick was probably having a heart attack after spend his time and energy to create a great story and watching someone else fuck it up.

[@Deinobi]

I'm surprised he even continued writing books after that. Not that I'm complaining (Please Uncle Rick come back please)

[@sweetlemonadartanimations369]

He actually NEVER watched the movies

[@Dragonspirit223]

@@sweetlemonadartanimations369 He's intelligent, I hope to be that way one day...

[@ma.2089]

He had a heart attack and then wrote a wonderful letter to the producers to warn them of the monumental fuck up they were making

[@AaronW-ww4ds]

At least he's got a say in the TV series of the franchise with disney + as he's penning the script , doing the casting and some directing

[@targetdreamer257]

"It's almost as if he actively hates the source material." The Last Airbender, Dragonball, and Jem and the Holograms movies step on stage.

[@ItPreach]

Don’t forget Godzilla 1998.

[@jaidengabriel1675]

Eragon shows up late

[@targetdreamer257]

@@ItPreach I’ve blocked that movie from my memory. What was that Godzisomething’rother? Though I do love how Toho made actual Godzilla drop kick Zilla in Final Wars.

[@starpokeheart664]

@@ItPreach even Shin is better than that thing

[@zgama6511]

The maze runner movies *cough cough*

[@nataliesquire969]

The worst thing about the movie not including Aries as that they LITERALLY HAVE A SCENE IN A DINER. THEY TEASE HIS APPEARANCE AND HE NEVER SHOWS UP. THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING

[@pineapplerob4635]

that was exactly what made me mad about not including ares

[@AaronC.]

... Aries? You mean Ares, right?

[@pineapplerob4635]

@@AaronC. yeah it was a mistake

[@AaronC.]

@@pineapplerob4635 oh, ok xD.

[@nataliesquire969]

@@AaronC. oops yeah haha

[@lilyjanesmith]

the main reason i was mad that annabeth wasn't blonde was because athena intentionally made her kids blonde to combat the dumb blonde stereotype so it was fairly important to her character

[@Tgod4reals]

It was literally just one of the easiest things they could have done in the movie!!

[@gamergirl3000]

Yes

[@Dragonspirit223]

@@Tgod4reals don't forget that they never mentioned it in movie 2, not even a throw away line like 'oh yeah, I tried dying my hair a while ago, didn't fit with me' or anything like that

[@havannah_]

OMG YES THANK YOU

[@TheMightofDab]

That is not important to a character at all. It's just one of many tiny little things the movie didn't take from the book.

[@aristired6252]

The big problem that I think you missed with Annabeth’s character in the book vs. movie is how she was perceived. In the book Annabeth was smart, blunt and kind of serious but she was seen as weird by everyone around her. She wasn’t the most athletic but she made up for it in smarts. She was kind of an outcast because of her seriousness and obsession with “the chosen one”. The only reason that she wasn’t outright bullied was because she was one of the most experienced campers and people knew her story, she essentially had seniority. She was weird but respected. In the movie she just became the hot, talented popular one. It was a complete 180 from the book and made Annabeth so basic and lifeless. It was too fake and didn’t lead to any compelling or interesting dynamics between her and any other characters. She didn’t have any struggles or flaws. She was also inconsistent. She was “all-powerful” but got beaten immediately and contributed almost nothing. Her character made no sense, she was this perfect girl yet completely useless. Annabeth in the book was flawed and smart but not all powerful and that’s what made her good. Annabeth in the movie was forgettable and not realistic.

[@aristired6252]

@Someone 333 Yeah that’s true, she was athletic. But most kids at CHB were. I just meant that in comparison she wasn’t ever known for her athleticism/physical strength. She was relatively average on that front (though irl she’d def be one of the most athletic out there). I probably should’ve phrased that better.

[@trequor]

@Someone 333 Athletic compared to 99% of the population... but that top 1% are the other kids at Camp Half-blood. Percy is the jock to Annabeth's nerd.

[@virginiacastilhos3992]

It's very clear to me that movie Annabeth has Clarisse traits to her, the brown hair, antagonism and the fighting skills, and Clarisse is not in the movie

[@aduckwithayoutubechannel]

You just perfectly described Annabeth. Nice job.

[@kineretgilboa2391]

No, they for some reason just combined her character with clarisse, making her and percy fight in capture the flag, and making her a sort of warrior i guess was supposed to make up for the fact that they cut clarisse out but they completely changed her character

[@Flannel-]

"I don't need the Oracle of Delphi to see how this will go if you continue with that script." Favorite Rick Riordan quote because it is true.

[@macca9269]

Actually, Annabeth having blond hair and gray eyes is important to her character - and I don’t just mean her appearance. Because she is a blonde, and blondes are sometimes stereotyped as dumb, she feels as if she has to prove herself more as an intelligent daughter of Athena. And gray eyes are characteristic of every child of Athena.

[@virginiacastilhos3992]

She is not a blonde in the movie because she is not actually Annabeth, she is a mixture of Annabeth and Clarisse

[@tanisha7]

@@scratchsoft2347 Yeah, it was in the Mark of Athena if I'm remembering correctly

[@colten53]

The fact that she’s not blonde in this movie is the only time you’ll ever see me criticizing anything about Alexandra Daddario’s appearance. That’s how bad this movie is.

[@arogueburrito]

@@tanisha7 @scratchsoft yes it was the Mark of Athena, she threw her knife into the ocean to alert Percy and did a dumb giggle and hair twirl to fool Octavian into thinking the move had no significance

[@WutendPLayZ]

@@virginiacastilhos3992 When I recently re-read the book (I read it the first time before the movie came out) and read about Clarisse, I was like: Isn‘t that Movie Annabelle? No idea how they could screw that up so bad

[@Becky-uz8em]

I think the reason people made such a fuss about Annabeth not being blonde in the film was that in the book she shattered the 'dumb blonde' stereotype.

[@averywilson6325]

Exactly! Usually, I don’t mind changing their physical appearance but when it has relevance to the character (like with Annabeth) then it’s more upsetting

[@nathanrobertson819]

For me, the hair thing just told me that if they didn’t care about a minor detail like that, then how much do they really care about the story as a whole? Obviously it’s not a big deal in the scheme of things but it just highlights how little they cared for the source material

[@VerinaxDynamics]

Do you guys think the sequel film making her blonde in response was a good move then?

[@Becky-uz8em]

@@nathanrobertson819 That's a good point too.

[@Leo-ox1rd]

also its kinda established in the books that all athena's kids are blonde, so they fucked up their own worldbuilding

[@Lupinemancer87]

There is no Percy Jackson movie, it's just an illusion.

[@blueberries1082]

yes, it's the mist playing tricks

[@Surikoazimaet]

Western "There is no Tsukihime" anime".

[@trobooshus]

Too much mist to see but maybe this video and comment is an illusion

[@keegankuhl1444]

There is no film in ba sing se

[@or_gluzman561Peace_IL_PS]

@@blueberries1082 it's very much a trick by the mist

[@en4833]

I watched one of the interviews with the actors from the movies. One of the questions for Percy's actor was if he liked blue food. The actor said he liked the question because it was so random and had nothing to do with the movies. That broke my heart a little.

[@jacobjake7623]

I mean it is true. It had nothing to do with the movie. Movie itself having nothing to do with the book is different matter altogether.

[@mcgritty8842]

Have you ever watched an interview? Most questions are personal and not about the movie/shows…

[@Anthony-tq4di]

@@mcgritty8842r/swoosh

[@jorimills1368]

@@mcgritty8842 the reason why it broke his heart is because Percy in the books likes blue food. it was a reference to the character he was playing and should know so he can potray him well. have you read the books?

[@jupitermelody7776]

I think the most immediately recognizable issue with the movie is their complete disregard of Clarisse. Her character was important, not because she kept Percy on his toes, but because her quests were important to the central story, she even saved Percy's life. Taking her out and combining her character with Annabeth's in the first movie literally just made creating the second movie harder, having to pull her out of the movie's ass crack and make it seem like she was was relevant the whole time when they didn't even mention her in the first movie. When the second movie was made I was shocked, because I didn't know how they'd handle her character if she wasn't even written into the first movie

[@Bleilock1]

I have felt the same way about tyrells in series, they have fused together tyrell brothers wyllas, garlan and loras, into just one character that was loras, saddest thing was, actor was acting all three of them actually all the time really, thats why it felt like he had no persona at all except being known as raging homosexual... I also wondered how would they deal with lorases character later on since brothers kinda have different roles and fates later And wasnt surprised with disappointment they did... Just murdered them all in one episode when they didnt need them anymlte and they needed cerei to win and be a bad guy...

[@m.farrelnugroho5504]

Exactly, its very unfortunate that they ignored her arc,

[@y4rdkat]

Percy Jackson deserves a long running serialized animated adaption more than just about any series I can think of. Give them the budget and I promise you it would be a major hit.

[@Yolomcswaggins6969]

It probably won't be animated, but Rick Riordan is creating a series with Disney. Disney made a big deal with announcing it, and Riordan seems to be very happy with the partnership so far, so it should be getting a good budget. High budget fantasy shows is the big in right now, with GoT just ending, Netflix pushing The Witcher and Prime tossing 1 bil at a Lord of the rings show. This could be Disney's answer. More child/teen focused content, but it's old enough you have people in their late 20's that grew up reading them

[@BunnyOnASnuman]

It's said that the PJ Disney series is going to have the same budget as ye Mando and WandaVision

[@p3chv0gel22]

@@Yolomcswaggins6969 THIS might finally get me to subscribe to Disney+

[@master0fthearts894]

@@p3chv0gel22 Amen to that, pal.

[@michaelnally2841]

@@Yolomcswaggins6969 I mean I’m this day and age it’s definitely perfect timing for Disney to cash in on the trend. Plus this book series is not nearly as bloody or gory as GOT or the witcher

[@Murpler]

movie producers: making middle schoolers swing swords is too unbelievable me: this is a literal world where people have lightning powers.

[@emmahealy4863]

The entire plot is Percy going to the Place Where Kids Swing Swords and going "wow, that's so unbelievable!" Don't know why anyone wanted to change that...

[@Helloknight]

me: *people have literaly been in chb since they were like 4.*

[@lollythefamouscommenter3970]

Literally Grover exists.. like it’s a fantasy story people of course shit is a lil cray sometimes

[@togucvinw7]

It’s that non logical need of « realism » in fantasy adaptations since the past 10 years all over again (marvel and dc suffered from that as well)

[@authorofone]

*gestures broadly to Greek mythology*

[@lilia3944]

13:15 I don't really like the fact that Gabe is so one-dimensional in the book either, but it makes a lot of sense when you consider who this series is aimed at. Yes, you could talk about his internal struggles and have him be nice and give him a redemption arc, but he IS the abusive step father. If a child with a similar parent reads this and get told "well, but he can be nice in the end", it might discourage them to get help, and this might put them in danger. Yes, there are gods and monsters in the story, but this is the villain children are most likely to encounter in their own world.

[@tommyl.dayandtherunaways820]

There’s definitely a time and place for one dimensional TV Tropes villain type characters. Gabe was a good one in my opinion because he was a minor character and there wasn’t much to gain by giving him an expanded backstory and motive. Like you said, he’s the Deadbeat Stepdad. It’s his role and he fulfills it perfectly, Someone like Drew Tanaka on the other hand, I see as a huge missed opportunity. The books definitely didn’t get everything right in my opinion but at least they tried, unlike the film.

[@jaykay5811]

“I can’t imagine a 13 year old swinging a sword” In Ancient Greek Times this was extremely common. Hell Alexander conquered half the known world by the time he was like 22

[@ranjanabisht2068]

Had they done the casting appropriately they could have continued with Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo series, with recurring characters...It would have been great...

[@casper2694]

Not to mention these 13 year olds are practically half-gods, making them much more stronger and durable than normal humans

[@jaykay5811]

@@casper2694 I haven’t read the books but good on the author cause you’re completely right and it makes the 13 year old thing work even better cause it means he has to learn to use his strength rather than develop it which I always found more interesting

[@zachblair3794]

​@@jaykay5811 (feel free to ignore but just wanted to butt in and explain demigod's powers in universe since you said you havent read the books) The standard abilities of all demigods heighten normal human abilities meaning they have increased strength, speed, agility, durability, healing, senses, stamina and reflexes (this is shown as demigods having ADHD) Alongside these standard abilities, many demigods gain powers from their parent god, a few for example include: Children of Zeus: can control electricity and the air Children of Hades can control the earth (causing earthquakes or chasms) and can perform necromancy Children of Poseidon: also can cause earthquakes but to a lesser degree, can cause hurricanes and control water and also can talk to sea animals and horses (sea animals because of course and horses because they were made by Poseidon) Children of Ares: mastery over weapons even without practice and some being blessed with temporary invincibility if Ares is impressed Children of Hephaestus: skilled in building and crafting and can take apart and put together machinery they've just encountered, some can also control fire These were just a few i could remember but the PJ wiki has all fo them listed if you're ever interested

[@jaykay5811]

@Al Strider yeah but Philip put a sword in his hand by the time he could walk practically

[@net_spider]

Things I disliked about the movie: Characterization of both Grover and Percy were terrible (Grover is a coward in the first few books, growing slowly towards bravery, and Percy isn't confident or arrogant, he is pushed to lead and fight to both save his friends and mother), the journey was never about the pearls (all three are literally just given to him), and lastly (off the top of my head anyway) they cut my favorite scene out of the book and replaced it! That scene is where Percy fights Ares and wins! Instead he fights Luke in lue of the extremely backstabby betrayal that could have killed him at the end of the book...

[@vinniy32]

If the movie really wanted to foreshadow Kronos differently, maybe have Hades mention that he got reports of something stolen from Tartarus, but doesn't know what. Or, even better, mention how Kronos was essentially imprisoned, and mention how he twists people to do his bidding, with some comments from demigods (especially Luke) saying they've had worsening nightmares.

[@Deinobi]

Thinks I disliked about the movies: its existence

[@MahouShoujo-Studios]

They ruined everyone's character. Grover was supposed to be a nerdy, shy introvert with low self esteem who eventually grows into himself (whom many people could relate to). He needed Percy to defend him during 6th grade, which showcases Grover as someone mentally weak, but also characterizes Percy as a defender of people who can't defend themselves, aka a hero. In the movie, all he was was a black best friend, a token. He had no characterization apart from just being Percy's best friend, every action of his revolving around Percy's actions. In the books, Grover was his stand alone person. He could have a scene without Percy being there, I mean, look at the Apollo's Trials Books. He's a defender of the forest and a guide to those in need as a second hand man to Pam, and his entire existence didn't revolve around Percy. He went from a coward to a capable guide for Half bloods, and it's refreshing to see his character arc. In the movie, besides being (funnie horny goat man), I don't see him as a character. He's either a plot device or a failure at a comedic relief character, which he was in the books, only he was actually, ya know...funny? The books are timeless, the movies just feel like an embodiment of early 2000s cringe humor. Percy felt bland, like stale milk. He was just another generic white boy protagonist in the film without any sort of goal besides (do heroing because yes) while jb books, he was a complete spastic character, funny, hyper, a troublemaker and he had ADHD, which makes sense considering how active he's supposed to be as a Greek hero. We see none of this in the films. Annabeth went from a bullyish, likeable tsundere to a typical pretty girl who the main character who had crush on just because they're the opposite gender. I can't even say that the characters in the movie are a shadow of their former selves, they're just.. nothing.

[@Iridescent_Astraea]

I was also really pissed that they cut out Ares' daughter and replaced her with Annabeth

[@claire2461]

yeahhh ares was a big part of the book and they wiped him out of the movie which changed the whole plot of it :(

[@Zed_Ex_]

The thing about Annabeth being blonde. It was a big part of her character because she constantly had to convince people she was smart and not a "blonde bimbo". Because of everyone's bias that blonde = stupid. This is mentioned at least once each book whenever they first introduce Annabeth. Also whenever Percy meeta Annabeth after a time of seperation the first thing the author describes is her blonde hair. So if you read all the books, even if you forgot everything else you would remember Annabeth is blonde. Also in the books I think Percy and Annabeth kiss and become official in the last book of his series ( After they literally complete 5 books worth of life and death experiences together). In the movie they just slap a fake kiss at the end for God knows what reason. Man this movie was so disappointing.

[@thxndershock]

Fax

[@master0fthearts894]

Very well said. Hey, minor spoilers for the books below past the PJ series and in Hero’s of Olympus. But yo, the relationship between the two of them was the best in House of Hades, eh? Honestly, reading it kinda felt like: “Okay, they’re in the worst place... but they’re boyfriend and girlfriend, and they’re forced to be together. My shipping powers are at it’s peeeeaaaaaaak.”

[@Zed_Ex_]

@@master0fthearts894 yeah I agree. Also some spoilers below. Also I think house of hades is soo good because of how much their relationship is built up in the previous books. Like in the the one book where Percy takes the weight of the world from her they weren't really a thing at that time but they just gradually gree on each other. The heroes of Olympus books focused alot on the relationship between every character. Which I enjoyed alot :D

[@master0fthearts894]

@@Zed_Ex_ Same

[@sugarm1860]

Not to mention that Annabeth’s blonde hair and gray eyes where a trait that she inherited from her mom, Athena. All of Athena’s kids had these traits as well. So by getting rid of one of the most iconic part of her character, they completely wiped some of the lore of the books. Especially since, if I remember correctly, in the books these things were often used to help kids find their godly parents.

[@aduckwithayoutubechannel]

“said that he wanted to give the film a very different feel than his Potter experience” *WHY!?*

[@Rackstack234]

Right? Like, "okay we've got one of the best-selling movie series of all time. Now let's completely ignore it and do things differently."

[@VisionsOfSpy]

When you do multiple films the same way sometimes you get bored. Filmmakers are artists... Well at least theoretically, but they are also people too and people sometimes get bored of doing the exact same thing again and again, as an aspiring writer myself I completely understand why he'd want to deliver a different experience, because he wanted to do something different to what he did before, unfortunately the product really didn't turn out too good.

[@VisionsOfSpy]

@@Rackstack234 most of the times it's not just about the money for a director, unlike the studio. He probably just wanted to do something different. People get bored of redoing the same thing, artists especially.

[@noahbody9875]

@@VisionsOfSpy Then look for a different project.

[@VisionsOfSpy]

@@noahbody9875 As a filmmaker, illustrator, writer, cinematographer, etc. You can't just turn down a job when it comes your way unless you're Christopher Nolan or something. Personally I don't think Chris Terrio wanted to work on Rise of Skywalker but whether or not he'd get another job was up in the air after the cinematic disasterpiece that the theatrical Justice League was and he's an Oscar winner. It's not as simple as "just find a new project".

[@adyakumar3569]

I also really wished they mentioned Thalia because she was such a big part of Luke and annabeth’s backstories and part of why Luke turned “evil”

[@MazeReqin]

The only difference if Thalia stayed alive is that she would have kicked his ass.

[@savvy_pineapple2616]

I mean, I think they would have if the films were successful and they kept adapting the series, cause she only really comes into play in the Titan’s Curse,

[@frindo9710]

Why is “evil” in quotations. He tried to kill the gods and take over the world

[@nenmaster5218]

@@MazeReqin Christmas Gift (random, but who cares): Thx. I recommend Sci Man Dan, Hbomberguy, Tier Zoo, and Genetically Modified Sceptic. And just in general many with the word Atheist in the Name, just because.

[@jakemcbased175]

@@frindo9710 he was misguided by Chronos. Also if you know his backstory its kinda understandable. Hermes was a douche whose entire reasoning was "Fuck it I'm a god I can't interfere with my OWN SON because some 3 old weavers told me to!"

[@accioloki1151]

the best thing about the luke-percy dynamic in the books is that they are genuinely so similar, and percy really understands where luke is coming from and even sometimes reflects the same thoughts luke has. i think the one significant difference they have that separates them the most is that percy has sally, whereas luke has, well, no one.

[@disofbz4467]

Don't forget that Luke also had his mother as well and she filled a similar roll to Sally, being a supportive parent for them. However, she was taken away from him due to the gods business which taunted him once again. Luke is similar to Percy in a lot of aspects, the only thing that divides them is that Luke lost his support system while Percy didn't.

[@ericgabrielalvesdecarvalho3496]

@@disofbz4467 even Percy questions his morals with Luke

[@nva-nilla]

Do not disgrace Percy Jackson by calling these the "Percy Jackson" movies, no no. The fandom refers to them as the Peter Johnson movies. We don't claim those.

[@zerocooltakeover9382]

exactly

[@giantclaw138]

I read the books but never got into the fandom. When I read your comment, my jaw dropped. That's such a good roast.

[@lolhuh6682]

@Char Aznable the exact same goes for the newer fallouts...." Bethesda ripoff survival simulators" and "bug simulator 76"

[@lolhuh6682]

@Char Aznable soo what.

[@rueluxprince6982]

The fandom likes the first ten minutes of the movie. This Is A Pen is such a good short film I cannot tell you

[@Mordu5]

I love the inclusion of the Lightning Thief Musical reference, because that musical proves just how well the book lends itself to adaptation, and it's tragic just how much of the Percy Jackson fandom doesn't know about the musical

[@angrybook_]

Yeah it because it's an irl thing it isn't as easy to get your hands on as the books. I myself have only seen it from a bootleg copy which isn't great but it's the only way I could of watched it. I imagine the same situation has happened to a lot of people

[@Nameless_mixes]

The Lightning Thief: The best example of when your English teacher tells you that you can’t just watch the movie to know what happens.

[@cinderleaves3949]

Correction: The best example of WHY your English teacher tells you that you can't just watch the movie to know what happens.

[@cheeseboi588]

@@cinderleaves3949 Not really a correction. When the teacher does something would be an example. Not why. That doesn't make sense.

[@imfsresidentotaku9699]

@@cheeseboi588 It DOES make sense. Movies like this are reasons why you can't just watch the movie to know what happens, because in these instances, the movies change details from the book, so you don't get the exact same story.

[@cheeseboi588]

@@imfsresidentotaku9699 Yes, but in this context, he meant in a hypothetical situation in which this is happening, which would constitute the use of the word when, not why.

[@iampie6954]

Yeah.

[@rileywarner5258]

Percy Jackson was my Harry Potter. Like all PJ fans, I hate this movie and the especially sequel with a passion.

[@katiehenn2986]

same

[@benwasserman8223]

You and me both. I have been reading this franchise since The Titans Curse and I just knew something was wrong with the movie adaptation after seeing it in theaters

[@PredatorH2O]

Not all fans. I liked the movies.

[@meep9231]

@@PredatorH2O if you like the movie than that’s okay for me, just don’t try to convince anyone else to like it

[@nathan2743]

Fr. I have no idea how they managed to make the sequel even worse than the first one lmao. In some ways it might be a good thing they were so bad though, cause that probably sped up the process of making the new series on Disney+

[@JoshtheOverlander]

Dude, the way they treated Luke in the movie is so unforgivable. The way he's outed as a villain, the way he responds and tries to kill Percy in the movie, it's just so much more indicative of a child of Ares, not of Hermes!! Book Luke is sneaky, manipulative and silver-tongued, able to keep people from figuring him out until he's already poisoned Percy and booked it out of Camp Half-Blood.

[@omegaentertainment01]

So, to reference the original Modern Warfare 2... Book Luke is Vladimir Makarov, while Movie Luke is General Shepherd.

[@lordpaulphilippfernandez9904]

​@@omegaentertainment01Opposite. Book Luke is Shepard, who we all thought was the Big Good of the series until he betrays us, while movie Luke is not even Makarov, but the villain of Modern Warfare 1.

[@mcgritty8842]

Movies don’t need to be true to the source material… gtf over it

[@96ace96]

Hollywood: Hades is the worst! Myth: Hades is the only dude in the Olympic pantheon that isn't a complete asshole.

[@MoonlarkSpirits]

What about Hestia?

[@tuojiangoman3228]

Are you forgetting the time where Hades kidnapped Persephone?

[@96ace96]

@@tuojiangoman3228 His track record is still far superior to everyone else's. The only Olympian that has a better reputation than him is Hestia, and that's probably because she never really does anything. One kidnapping isn't really a lot compared to Zeus's of Poseidon's track record.

[@MoonlarkSpirits]

@@96ace96 true

[@derpfluidvariant0916]

@@tuojiangoman3228 heck, given that the petson in question is from a time and place where women had little in the way of rights, it's not like him saying "but does she love me?" Would've made any sense in either the original story, nor a story trying to be faithful to to those while adding upon it. The fact that Hades treated her as a sentient being who could feel things was the ancient equivalent of drinking your respect women juice. One could also bring up that Persephone was apparently a considerably more powerful Goddess of death in comparison to Hades, according to older myths. Idk if that matters for this Convo though.

[@s.storumus8620]

They got Chris Columbus to direct this because the producers thought “oh he started a big franchise in Harry Potter, he’ll make a big franchise out of this” without providing a decent script or story or anything

[@AaronW-ww4ds]

Only reason HP films were successful was for the pure fact J.K Rowling was directly involved with every single step of the making fox films cut the PJ author out completely so he had no control over the film or scripts

[@spooderman6312]

@@AaronW-ww4ds i hate it when that happens. all of your hard work that you spent years developing is stolen from you and turned into a small pulp barely resembling the original

[@AaronW-ww4ds]

@@spooderman6312 hopefully the disney plus series does the books justice as the author and his wife are writing the scripts aswell as directing and casting the actors

[@natalieybarra5207]

@Withro Anime Edits i thought i saw in one of the behind the scenes in HP that he wanted to do HP because his daughter was a big fan of the books. is that right or did I make that up?

[@calvin5541]

Typical studio stuff. For every movie that hits its mark there’s 10 others that totally miss it that get swept under the rug. So many failed projects, so much inefficiency and wasted material

[@DonniedrakoE]

This movie is literally one of the biggest missed opportunities. If the series can be brought back now guaranteed they would rival the Harry Potter franchise.

[@Ali23111]

Rick Riordan the author of the series is working on a Disney plus live action show about it

[@CaspianMidnight]

Also unlike she-who-must-not-be-named, Rick is very inclusive with both his story and his publicity, and his story is an absolute icon for the LGBTQ community.

[@s4098429]

No it wouldn’t. The same incompetent people work at Disney now as did back then. They would just make another terrible movie and be paid handsomely for it.

[@lookatthat2438]

@@s4098429 but riordan is working closely with this project instead of letting them do as they please and just read the script after its finished. Im pretty sure there are some clause in his contract with disney where he has some control over the material, he is not naive anymore and with the success his books have, he is not desperate either. When he talks about it on twitter etc he seems excited so maybe, hopefully, this one will be better

[@lookatthat2438]

@@CaspianMidnight i mean riordan has his share of problematic stuffs and is not the 'perfect king' (hoo couldve been so much better) but he is way better than JK. His books have more lore than harry potter, i love them more. TOA was pretty cool

[@SayaCeline]

I loved how the book had a believable reason for the gods acting the way they do, how they often view humans like someone would their pet or an animal. They're cute and adorable and oh look that one is fighting that other one! I loved Percy's relationship with his dad in the books. The writing of the series is very much geared towards younger readers, but the themes are definitely more mature than you'd think. The sequel series is really good too.

[@master0fthearts894]

All of it is honestly really good. Rick did a better job in setting up a franchise in a book series than most do in movies, but no one could be surprised at that, tbh.

[@trapfethen]

I really really hope that Disney does a good job this time, or Rick may never let any of his books become movies again, which would be a big sad.

[@lordpoob]

they had mad sex with their pets bro

[@SayaCeline]

@@lordpoobeh I never said they were good people

[@dimitrakatsaras7340]

When I first watched the movie and saw Annabeth attack Percy during capture the flag I was like "Has Annabeth taken the role of Clarisse?!". Especially since she now had brown hair, I was actually considering the possibility. Loved this part in the book, but in the movie it was just confusing.

[@nenmaster5218]

Christmas Gift (random, but who cares): Thx. I recommend Sci Man Dan, Hbomberguy, Tier Zoo, and Genetically Modified Sceptic. And just in general many with the word Atheist in the Name, just because.

[@louistaylor5917]

If that scene was taken out of context, and all you knew was that iit was Percy, someone who has read the book would assume it is Clarisse

[@Ahshsihdsjchi]

@@louistaylor5917 yep.

[@tommyl.dayandtherunaways820]

Not quite Clarisse, not quite Annabeth….Clarabeth?

[@Jmetclaf7053]

Step One: Acquire rights to popular book series. Step Two: Do not read a single book. Step Three: Flop

[@meep9231]

Step 2 1/2: acquire favoritism to another popular book series

[@lisagaughan7154]

They probably tried but thier brain was melting and they said it was good enough.

[@Iron-Bridge]

Rinse and repeat with various series franchises.

[@gaychampagnesocialist7213]

I near guarantee that they did this just to 'loose' money so taxes don't fuck them.

[@high9170]

step 4: ??? step 5: profit kinda not really

[@demedooley9235]

Fun fact: I once went to a seminar where Rick Riordan was speaking. When asked how he felt about the films, he said that he had never seen them and didn’t plan to

[@speedy1072]

Lucky guy... I wish I hadn’t seen them.

[@InquisitorThomas]

Absolute Chad

[@benwasserman8223]

Good answer.

[@master0fthearts894]

@@benwasserman8223 Indeed, I wish that I had known the movies sucked before I saw the film. 😞 Thankfully, they didn’t get my money for butchering my favorite series.

[@thesabotagedandovershadowe8423]

That was his answer for years! He did finally get around to watching them though, obviously

[@isabelahart9377]

On another note, the Percy Jackson musical is actually really good and captures the spirit of percy’s struggles so well.

[@erinmariecece]

Thank god, I was scrolling the comments to finally find someone who appreciates the musical like I do.

[@dalepirofsky3851]

@@erinmariecece same

[@jonaspietschmann7765]

Where can i watch that? Im so down to see it haha

[@snowstormgem7295]

THE WHAT

[@sugarm1860]

@@jonaspietschmann7765 the full thing is on KZbin!

[@cheyenneoliver5184]

"At least they have this great battle with Percy and Ares to fall back on." Me letting out a short, slightly deranged laugh.

[@nkad378]

Percy Jackson is my 'Harry Potter'. Unlike HP, where I read the books after I'd finished the movies and loved them, I read PJO as the books came out and was completely in for the ride. It gave birth to a love for greek myth and myth fantasy in a child always only obesessed with superheroes. I will forever cherish my time with these books and refuse to acknowledge the movies. Fingers crossed for the tv show.

[@master0fthearts894]

Same, but I’m not giving my hopes up since Disney ruined a beloved series of my childhood in addition to Percy Jackson... just guess which one.

[@RunaSunset]

I screwed up with harry potter. I watched the movies over and over again, they were practically my childhood. I hated reading as a child so i didnt read the books before the movie. And now when I would gladly read them, I only remember the adaptation. Read the first 3 books and loved them, but ask me to describe all the scenes left out of movies and i will fail. But now with PJO i got a second chance. I watched the two movies multiple times, but luckily the rest of the books weren't adapted. Now i can fully immerse myself in the books and the books only. Only the first two books are a bit obscure in my memory but thats because of the movies. I love PJO. I started this year and im already on the first book of Heroes of Olympus and it's only halfway through march (which is a big deal for me because of executive dysfunctioning and years of battling my hatred of reading) My only regret is not reading these like 9 years earlier when i was 12

[@Wurmze]

I’m sad i didnt get this experience. I saw the movie and liked it and then went to get the books but because i was a kiddie with a limited budget i thought, well ive seen the first one as a movie, ill skip it, and bought 2,3 and 4 and later got 5 and 1. Took me so long to find out the truth it was a really weird experience aha. Hated the second movie from the get go though that doesnt even stand alone as a movie even ignoring the adaptation part.

[@PolliitoAle]

Harry Potter was my Harry Potter lmao because I read the first book when I was 6 and the last one when I was 14. I grew up with them. But I read PJ when I was like... Maybe 16 or 17? A couple of years after it came out and I fucking loved it. I keep on reading the rest as they came out and it was actually one of the things that helped me improve my English, because I just couldn't wait until they arrive to my country in Spanish and would look for it online and translate it myself lmao

[@allensturdivant3044]

@@master0fthearts894 Artemis Fowl? That was one of my favorites as a kid, too.

[@adamsinclair1959]

Poor Riordan, it's like they went out of their way to make everything less interesting than in the book. Sadly, I see people judge the book series from this film a lot of the time, a lot of my friends seem to know it as 'that cheap Harry Potter ripoff' these days, when anyone who's read the books know that they're so much more than that.

[@august1837]

Yeah I’m done with people calling it Greek Harry Potter. It’s way more than that. And all you need to do is read the first sentence of the first book to know how different they are

[@master0fthearts894]

@@august1837 One starts out with a candlelit scene, one starts out with the main character warning you about how dangerous Demi-God life is, and telling you if you recognize any of those qualities within yourself, close the book immediately. The first millisecond it proves how different it is. Some would even say greater, though I don’t want to start a book debate, and no one else please don’t start a book v book debate.

[@Edeinawc]

@@master0fthearts894 That's some prime "I'm 14 and this is deep" material.

[@lcako1616]

@cat snake I love all those book series. They butchered the a series of unfortunate events movie however they nailed the looks of the characters, their clothes and all the settings. They just tried to squash a lot of the books into one movie, unfortunately.

[@master0fthearts894]

@@Edeinawc I literally have no idea what you’re talking about, and I don’t really care.

[@piplup10203854]

"How did they screw this up so bad." Is the exact sentiment nearly all if not all of the fans of the book felt. In my opinion the Percy Jackson movies and their sequel series could have been super super easy money, I mean it was literally handed to them on a silver platter like what happened. The books get better over time and the movie just is such a huge hole in the hot air balloon. It should have been a lay up I agree with you. They did it so poorly.

[@pinkdaruma8942]

When I finished the series for the first time what really impressed me was how the already good action scenes got better and better in the later books.

[@aenearion5503]

@@pinkdaruma8942 Yeah, Rick Riordan really developed the dynamism of his writing style over the series in this regard when you look back at it. The combat scenes in the first 2 books were pretty slow but still solid, then there was a massive step up when you look at the fight scene with Atlas in The Titan's Curse, and he did really well in The Last Olympian with the siege of Manhattan and the idea of that chaotic, frenzied situation. Where he included parts that were relevant and had actions by other characters displayed, but also hinted at other characters making decisions off screen, which was great, it brought a sense of realism to how characters were approaching the situation.

[@aenearion5503]

@Char Aznable Yeah, well at least in storytelling terms. They got rid of most of the lore pre-Skywalker Saga so they could essentially redo it and resell it -with a small change- without giving credit to most of the people who came up with the basic ideas. Which honestly sucked given that said lore actually made sense in the context of Star Wars, as well as having a fair number of interesting characters. So a part of me understands why Disney does it (money) but yes, essentially all of the content they've released isn't good on a basic storytelling framework, which is pretty depressing. But the sequel series was genuine garbage and I have no idea how they had the shamelessness to release it then insult fans for not liking it. Like, those films aren't just bad, they're genuinely incoherent. And even all the exciting stuff they attempted was just drowned out by 'omg, this is stupid'.

[@sbarner6639]

The script they based the movie on was a way early version of the final version that is the book. Basically the book was the final product and the movie was the outline

[@piplup10203854]

@@sbarner6639 Oh really? I'm not sure where you found that information but that is really good to know and I appreciate you mentioning it :D That at least explains the lackluster feeling the movies gave. I just wish they done more a service cause I still feel they could have made super easy money. Thanks again for mentioning that information :)

[@vishred2899]

This movie sort of broke my heart as a kid. The twist with both Hades and especially LUKE at the end were so good. Also similar to Harry Potter the books mature with their characters and readers. The fifth book would have been spectacular to see on film. But atleast the disney series might do well, not getting my hopes up.

[@trequor]

The fifth book is one of my favourites of all time. I love the other four, but that climax was something else...

[@vishred2899]

@@trequor Yeah it's just a straight war, so many good moments.

[@Eternaldarkness3166]

Disney's making a Harry Potter series?

[@oragamiowl5031]

@@Eternaldarkness3166 No,they’re making a Percy Jackson Tv series.

[@somestuff4954]

Rick Rordian actually has a say in the series tho so I expect it to go well

[@dr.wyverstone8418]

My fourth grade teacher read us the first Percy Jackson book, and because of her combined with the first book got me into actually reading. Literally this came out right after we finished the book in class and she even set up where on the weekend we all met at the theater to see it together. Imagine how disappointed we all were when we realized it was absolutely nothing like the story we heard in class.

[@lambfield892]

My Year 5 teacher read o us and I convinced my parents to buy it for me and it then got me into reading too!! Still my favourite series and I hate what these moves did to it.

[@obama5934]

Oh My God.

[@isabelsierra1943]

i also got into the series because of my fourth grade teacher !!

[@nathanjereb9944]

I was in a class that somewhat similar; we spent a week or 2 listening the teacher read it then watch the movie version, everyone complained about the movie

[@diegomartinez9785]

Sounds like a great teacher

[@pinkdaruma8942]

The thing about Annabeth is that they seem to have taken her and Clarice, and merged them in a single character.

[@Persephone_ch]

“At least they have this great battle with Percy and Ares to fall back on.” I lost it. I was listening to this in the middle of English class and I started laughing so hard I actually disturbed everyone.

[@Ghidorah96]

Pay attention in class. Wouldn’t want to end up on welfare like a parasite

[@joaquinjfernandez1528]

@@Ghidorah96 wtf does that mean

[@theonahopkins3144]

lmao me too, I literally had to pause the video to laugh. they literally cut out every good plot point to the point where i just now noticed ares was never in the movie. i feel so sorry for rick, his life's work wasn't taken care of at all. fingers crossed for the disney+ show

[@Ghidorah96]

@@joaquinjfernandez1528 if you fail school because you aren’t paying attention, you will likely fail to secure a high paying job in the future, thus leading to requiring welfare money to get by. Any other easy questions?

[@joaquinjfernandez1528]

@@Ghidorah96 dude he watched 1 KZbin vid in class he isn't going to become homeless god u r cynical asf

[@davidguthary8147]

The fact that Gabe is the best thing about the movie tells you everything you need to know.

[@gabrielleboggs2009]

Let’s also not forgot the fact that they decided to make Grover a black character which isn’t bad in itself but the fact that they changed his entire character into “horny friend who’s always flirting with women” while choosing a black actor to play him

[@NollicPhrumy]

To be honest even with them ruining his character I think he was the best part of the movie. Brandon Jackson inserted a little bit of life and humor to the movie which seemed sadly lacking everywhere else.

[@Pain-cw3lt]

@@NollicPhrumy I liked the movies but I also never read the books. I never even heard of the movie either until I saw it on HBO Go. Figured I'd watch it because I'm a huge fan of the Greek and Norse pantheons so anything with either one of those I'm instantly hooked lol. Guess I should read the books now tho. They sound pretty good.

[@Pain-cw3lt]

@Claire Bressi I'll definitely have to check them out for sure. That sounds amazing haha.

[@hedgehogz_rockz9325]

@@Pain-cw3lt if you like Norse mythology then magnus chace and the God's of asaurd might be somting you'll like. (Its written by the same author as Percy jackson and takes place in the same world) but you would need to read Percy Jackson and heros of Olympus first. But it's sooo worth it. Mcga is my favorite series by Rick Riordan.

[@MahouShoujo-Studios]

They ruined his character. Grover was supposed to be a nerdy, shy introvert with low self esteem who eventually grows into himself (whom many people could relate to). He needed Percy to defend him during 6th grade, which showcases Grover as someone mentally weak, but also characterizes Percy as a defender of people who can't defend themselves, aka a hero. In the movie, all he was was a black best friend, a token. He had no characterization apart from just being Percy's best friend, every action of his revolving around Percy's actions. In the books, Grover was his stand alone person. He could have a scene without Percy being there, I mean, look at the Apollo's Trials Books. He's a defender of the forest and a guide to those in need as a second hand man to Pam, and his entire existence didn't revolve around Percy. He went from a coward to a capable guide for Half bloods, and it's refreshing to see his character arc. In the movie, besides being (funnie horny goat man), I don't see him as a character. He's either a plot device or a failure at a comedic relief character, which he was in the books, only he was actually, ya know...funny? The books are timeless, the movies just feel like an embodiment of early 2000s cringe humor.

[@jaxreviews1448]

Rick Rioridian has wrote so many interconnected series I think we have enough for an epic cinematic universe.

[@amberhernandez]

I'd _adore_ a faithful Kane Chronicles adaptation for the big screen, tbh.

[@trequor]

It's too bad that his other works are vastly inferior to the original 5 Percy Jackson books. Rick had a great idea and that idea is so far beyond exhaustion it isn't even funny. I felt physically exhausted upon finishing the Heroes of Olympus.

[@anerdwithaswitch9686]

With the MCU's current stranglehold on the mass-media interpretation of Norse mythology, seeing a Magnus Chase series hit the mainstream would be absolutely refreshing.

[@trequor]

@@anerdwithaswitch9686 What? The MCU more or less ignores all Norse mythology. It's just space magic.

[@anerdwithaswitch9686]

@@trequor True, but that doesn't change the fact that its interpretation of it is currently the single most recognizable interpretation in mass-media. Whether or not it's accurate is irrelevant to whether or not it influences how people view it.

[@mathisbarbusci7273]

The Percy Jackson franchise gets a lot of hate but it’s the main reason a lot of young kids at that time (including myself) got into Greek mythology and I think that’s pretty cool

[@superthorc6894]

The OxyScape this why people have trust issue with adaptation

[@nick15684]

What? Since when does It get a lot of hate? As far as I can recall, since day one, it's always had critical acclaim. It's certainly always been really popular. Everyone I know always praises the book series. The movies are pretty generic, forgettable, and aren't very faithful to the books, but the books themselves are phenomenal.

[@benwasserman8223]

Just the two movies. All the books are fantastic

[@JuliaN-ti9zv]

I had this literature and theatre teacher in my last few years at school who also teaches history. According to her (she has been teaching quite a while) she was very surprised that a lot of kids suddenly seemed to know a lot about the topic of the greek mythology even prior to the lessons on it (around 6th grade where I'm from). They claimed this was due to Percy Jackson, apparently.

[@master0fthearts894]

@@scratchsoft2347 I was into Greek Mythology, and the book series heightened my love for it.

[@LordyT34]

Annabeth not being blonde isn't the problem. It's the fact that it showed that the movie doesn't care about the little details that upset me and other fans. If you can't get the little things right, how are you going to get the big things right?

[@FraserSouris]

Technically you can get the big things right while ignoring little ones. Look at the MCU and how they often ignore many small aspects of their characters like Tony's alcholism.

[@hw_yozoraVODS]

Annabeth being blond IS important tho. she hates the stereotype of blonde=dumb, so she tries harder to be smart and be proud of being blonde, also she has gray eyes, signifying she is a daughter of *kratos' voice* ATHENA

[@AvalonisHere]

@@hw_yozoraVODS I mean, is that important? As a fan of the books when I was a kid, I can't imagine caring about this at all.

[@harayaalirak4040]

@@AvalonisHere its visual symbolism. the coloring of a character-their hair, clothes, scene lighting, color association, etc- all of that have impact on the theater audience. its not just the acting that makes a character, visual aspects of a character will also have us subconciously make assumptions and impressions about them from the moment we see them. annabeth is blonde, when no other female characters at this point were. her eyes are grey, a distinctive color to begin with (paralleling percy, with his specific shade of green eyes) and usually an indicator in cinema of a dead/dying/weak character, but annabeth proves time and time again that she is strong. and on the same line, it subverts the dumb blonde trope, too. So yes, it is important from both a movie standpoint and as a homage to the source material.

[@AvalonisHere]

@@harayaalirak4040 I remain completely unconvinced. Nothing was lost with this change, IMO. It's just that people struggle to articulate why they feel things, and so these visual changes were picked up on, not because they're important, but because it's easier to point them out than it is to articulate what actually bothered you. If you think you care about this, you are fooling yourself.

[@Wydrobb]

The hate for Annabeth was less about her being blonde and more about her lack of grey eyes. That’s one of the characteristics that make her a daughter of Athena. It signifies her intelligence and cleverness. It was really just a simple change that would’ve made a huge difference in the long run.

[@ryanleadbitter7749]

Alexandra does have grey eyes though?

[@zanderdev57]

@@ryanleadbitter7749 no she has a very dark blue

[@diazatake6462]

Just cause someone has Grey eyes doesn't make them smart wtf 💀

[@mai-ya-hee]

@@diazatake6462 no, but in the books Athena the goddess has grey eyes so it’s sort of like a characteristic of all of athena’s kids to have grey eyes- just an identifier. Honetsly I’m more mad that they changed her entire personality

[@RollingDodge]

@@mai-ya-hee , I agree it's like making Superman black, or the character Red Sonja black from Conan the Barbarian. Her name is *Red* Sonja who's name was inspired by yeah but I have read that her name is inspired by Red Sonya of Rogatino, from The Shadow of the Vulture, a short story by American writer Robert E. Howard for The Magic Carpet Magazine in January of 1934. redsonja.fandom.com/wiki/The_Shadow_of_the_Vultureredsonja.fandom.com/wiki/The_Shadow_of_the_Vulture. Her name is a double entendre for spilling blood and having red hair. She's a tall, fit, thicc, redhead, with pale skin, who's actress they got that's not a redhead, who's black, skinny, and short. I'm black and I hate changes like these.

[@Zone05Mamba]

I'm a simple man. I see Percy Jackson content and I get an instant nostalgia high. I see a captainmidnight vid and I click and when I see both in one I just count my blessings.

[@willlyon7129]

What I really hated about this adaptation is that portrayed Hades as the secondary antagonist in the movie. In actual mythology, he’s a misunderstood god who was demonized by pop culture and the media.

[@brandonsaquariumsandterrar8985]

I know, whenever I talk about greek myths with my friends I tell them that hades was a pretty cool dude, I've read all his myths, he never cheated on his wife on like cough, zeus and poisidon cough,

[@seantran4353]

@@brandonsaquariumsandterrar8985 Yeahh the worst thing he’d done was kidnap his wife but Zeus and Poseidon have def done worse lol

[@criticalthinker3262]

"and the media" lol but yeah pretty much

[@HyoHamano]

Uncle Rick had tried so hard to clear Hades' name and the movie went and said "Oh well, he's Hades, let's give him sth evil to do."

[@femthingevelyn]

@@seantran4353 to be perfectly fair, kidnapping was relatively not as fucked up a thing at the time, like it was a bit of a more accepted thing? and even ignoring that, Zeus was the one that organized the whole thing, so really the whole thing is Zeus's fault, as usual

[@BenHawkinsvids]

The "lighting like he was shooting a sitcom" really hits it, once you said that I realized how much it looked like every CW show

[@sarak6883]

"This movie looks like the most expensive version of a Disney channel original" This perfectly encapsulates whatever the hell that trash was. The cast didn't seem to care enough to make it good, and seemed like they were actively trying to make it look bad. That is exactly what Disney does - they're in it for the money and gossip, but nothing else. Look at what they did to Mulan and countless other shows that had so much potential :/ I hate it here. Hopefully, with uncle Rick as an active team member of the new show, the fans can get a feast :)

[@joehicks929]

i dont think the cast didnt care, Logan Lerman at least seems legitimately sorry about how the films turned out, and has said hes super excited for the new tv show, i think the writing is just fucking awful in every way

[@sarak6883]

@@joehicks929 could be yeah but also being sorry like the Emily in paris cast doesnt solve anything cause they still made something awful...idk

[@joehicks929]

@@sarak6883 i mean, not as bad as emily in paris cause that show is racist AF, also idk how much blame to put on the cast, he could have given the best performance in the world, and the film would have turned out mediocre at best, the writing was a much bigger issue than any of the actors.

[@sarak6883]

@@joehicks929 true yeah but when I said cast I meant everyone involved sorry I didnt know what to call them

[@lovis1188]

@@sarak6883 im pretty sure the films were made by fox. and as far as i am concerned, i believe disney will do good with the tv series, same as they did with mando and wandavision. lets just hope the cathlen kennedy troupe doesnt involve itself with the project

[@waldo109]

You were very close to talking about it, with how "easy" the series should be to adapt to the screen, but one important thing is that compared to a lot of other YA series Percy Jackson is written in a very cinematic way. Riordan nails the action-adventure journey because it's all he knows how to write, and he's gotten really good at it. Compared to other literature it wouldn't be considered "good" writing, but he writes it in a really clear, literal way that as a reader (particularly a young reader) it becomes easy to imagine them as cinematic pieces and sets. I'm finding it hard to express in words, but if you go back and read a few fight scenes from Percy Jackson and even Heroes of Olympus, you will see it's purposely nothing fancy or particularly "well written", but it is cinematic.

[@Leo-ox1rd]

yeah, i think thats especially because the books are inspired by greek tales and they were very theater-esque, so the narrative is pretty easy to adapt to a screenplay

[@pattycustodio4995]

totally agree

[@1patrickryan]

He nailed the YA genre like almost no other, it’s a lot more of a precise art form than most will give it credit for, similar to PG-13 comedies. When everything is simplified for a young audience, it places that much more emphasis on nailing the basics of story beats and dialogue. I’m an adult now but going back through my old Riordan books, they’re much more entertaining than I’d ever expect because he understood the simple stuff.

[@pattycustodio4995]

@@1patrickryan soooo true

[@user-xb5bz4fu9o]

@@1patrickryan sometimes just getting the big story beats and character arcs right is more important than super complicated plots and eloquent prose y'know. Throw in a dash of good humor and you've got solid ya books

[@themagicpotato2943]

The Lightning Thief musical was a fantastic adaptation that was a million times better than what Fox gave us. The characterization and motifs woven throughout the musical show just how much the musical's creators care about Percy Jackson. Small easter eggs like Bianca being at the Lotus Hotel or the gang talking about "dam snacks" in passing are fun details for fans of the series while also being small enough that viewers who are unfamiliar with the books can still enjoy them. One of the most brilliant things they did was have Luke sing a reprise of Percy's big number, showing how Percy is basically just Luke when he was younger and that if he was ignored and used too he could've ended up exactly like Luke. I thought the cast was brilliant and the show managed to capture the books' balance of fun and seriousness. I would highly recommend checking it out if you're a fan of Percy Jackson.

[@marjani6610]

Yes!!! That musical is great!!

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Where do I find this?

[@themagicpotato2943]

@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_ There's a playlist of all the songs on KZbin that shows up if you just search "the lightning thief musical." There's some gaps in the story if you just listen to the soundtrack, but if you're already familiar with the story it's fairly easy to tell where in the story each song takes place in. There also may or may not be a recording of the musical floating around on KZbin right now... 👀

[@MetaphoricallyRose]

I love that musical so much

[@Keira.T]

And George Salazar did a great job as Dionysus, and Grover! Just over all George Salazar is a great person and actor

[@MyBenjamin73]

Man, ancient greek swords were made to be, and named as "Short swords" because soldiers were realistically starting as young as thirteen. Having the cast be younger totally would have worked

[@Speederzzz]

The Xiphos, the type of sword they seem to have, was actually that short because it was a last resort backup weapon. If your spear broke qnd you could not get another one, you had the Xiphos. It had to take up little space, because you were not expected to use it, so most likely it was unused all battle long.

[@arjunsatheesh7609]

@@Speederzzz Couldn't be 'unused' many soldiers would have had to rely on it as a last resort and it would have been good. Otherwise there would be no point in carrying a sword that is not going to be used at all. I am saying that it would have worked because without it working, they wouldn't have even spent the resources making it.

[@Speederzzz]

@@arjunsatheesh7609 that's why I said largely unused. It was a last resort like you said. If you had to use it you had thoroughly fucked up.

[@arjunsatheesh7609]

@@Speederzzz So it works and this movie wasn't about massive ground battles. Contextually, it feels like it fits for kids to swing around.

[@alastor8091]

Percy was like 12 when he kicked Ares' ass. Honestly never realized it until recently. A god lost to a literal child.

[@BryanSeeker]

What a coincidence, I am just finishing my recasting series for Percy Jackson. Glad to see the series getting some love elsewhere too!

[@noelrockz1]

Love your series, Bryan!

[@master0fthearts894]

The series deserves a lotta love, I’m so glad more and more KZbinrs are getting into the series. ❤️

[@snakearekat2634]

Can't wait to see the vid

[@user-rj1cj9mk3s]

Has anyone hear read the Apollo series I would like to know if it is good

[@Jandypoptvstars]

@@user-rj1cj9mk3s Meh! The trials of Apollo still has a lot of quirky jokes and ties in well with the previous Percy Jackson/ Hero's of Olympus series, as well as running alongside the Magnus Chase series. But the plot line does not seem that resolvable, the fates of some previous hero's is annoying and the ending does not seem realistic.

[@eemao]

thank god Riordan is helping write and produce the percy jackson disney+ series

[@geraldstephens6612]

Let's hope he has more control on the series.

[@MazeReqin]

@@geraldstephens6612 he wrote the scenario so..

[@ctcomics8293]

Thank the gods* lord Poseidon is mad about this.

[@FloreMar-yp3iz]

And thank gods both Rick Riordan and Joe Tracz are helping writing this (the latter is the writer of the musical, pretty good btw)

[@seantaggart7382]

@@FloreMar-yp3iz nice! I might just get Disney+ JUST FOR THAT ONLY

[@Panimal98]

I still feel Percy Jackson works better in an animated visual medium, but with a budget similar to WandaVision and The Mandalorian, with Uncle Rick himself involved, I'm still excited.

[@Ali23111]

Is it animated or live-action I can't remember

[@4569packers]

My main concern is that since it seems to be live action will be the ages of the kids, especially if you want to do the other stories as well.

[@Panimal98]

@@Ali23111 Live action

[@FanGirl9463]

An animated Percy Jackson show would be the best way to adapt it IMO

[@Ali23111]

@@FanGirl9463 honestly same.

[@jessical4866]

Imagine being a director known for starting a franchise with child actors, being hired to start another franchise with child actors, …and then just flat out refusing to do that.

[@jp3813]

Directors getting tired of their own schtick is quite common. Hence, James Cameron took a long break from making non-documentary films.

[@paulpereira7735]

My biggest problem with Annabeth is how in the movie they more or less make her a mix of Annabeth and Clarice, the daughter of Aries, for no apparent reason except to thin out the cast. A choice that would make the plot literally impossible to proceed from the 3rd book onwards.

[@pizzamafioso9191]

The first movie was such a disapointment. They turned one of the most interesting vilians ever into a generic kid with daddy issues. They destroyed the entire symbolic of the different housholds of the gods. Changed the character from the mcs best friends, just to fullfill the "we need a cool black guy" cliche.

[@forthefrogs]

so on the nose

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

I believe you mean *cliche, not "clique"

[@pizzamafioso9191]

@@Eidolon1andOnly Yes. Thank you.

[@isabelajann]

reading percy jackson and the olympians, and the heroes of olympus was one of the best times of my life. Shortly after that my mom got sick and died of cancer. I remember the feeling of reading it and rooting for the characters along side my friends (we were all reading them at the same time). Knowing that I will never feel the same is very painful and I hope that kids this days keep reading them, is just an amazing series and my childhood wouldn't be the same.

[@Rackstack234]

Wow. So sorry about your mom. Glad you have such amazing memories with the stories, I love them too

[@bendover-sz1sv]

same like cancer and everything

[@Ahshsihdsjchi]

I'm so sorry about your mother. May she rest in peace

[@MrMikk532]

I remember being obsessed with this series and being soooo excited for the movie in middle school. I was never a big movie person, but for this one, i BEGGED my mother to take me. We went together, just me and her, and I remember leaving the theater absolutely deflated, telling her that the book was good.

[@EPlCBLUE]

I love the Percy Jackson/Heros of Olympus series. The characters, humor, and coherent action makes me come back to the series once every year or 2.

[@iamron993]

Just goes to show how great the books are, I re- read it like every 3 years or so. That and Alex Rider. Hopefully like the Alex Rider tv series, the PJ series will be great. I say this because they made an Alex Rider movie it it turned out just like PJ movie 😩

[@cybersketcher1130]

Heroes of Olympus was kinda overrated, that ending was so anticlimactic.

[@clouded4614]

@@cybersketcher1130 very true, the fight with Gaia and the giants was so rushed, and far too easy. They battled fucking mother earth and all her children and defeated them in like 20 mins. I have to say that the first two books, The lost hero and the Son of Neptune are my top two books out of all the series (besides the kane chronicles)

[@matthew1882]

@@cybersketcher1130 yeah the ending was very rushed and really collapsed under the weight of the ensemble but Book 2-4 of HoO is really good stuff. Mark of Athena is probably the best of the bunch and aside from the cliffhanger ending it does some really neat character stuff especially with Leo, Annabeth and Percy too bad Riordan undid Leo's character development in Book 4 but what can you do. Nothing's perfect but Riordan is an excellent YA author.

[@L3ON360Z]

@@cybersketcher1130 HoO was really amazing imo in the first 4 books but messed up with the finale.

[@anuragsrivatsa3410]

Captain Midnight and Percy Jackson is the crossover I never knew I needed.

[@master0fthearts894]

It’s the crossover I knew I ALWAYS needed.

[@christopherfu2169]

Jep, lets just age up the characters in a story where the age of the main protagonist is of such importance that there is an entire prophecy surrounding his 16th birthday, what could possibly go wrong?

[@AvalonisHere]

Nothing? They could have just pushed back the prophecy age.

[@harayaalirak4040]

​@@AvalonisHere PJO is primarily a coming-of-age story for middle school-age students, by aging up percy they disregard the main audience. its also an established rule in the universe that demigods arent exactly expected to live into adulthood. they either go out in a blazing glory at sweet sixteen or they succeed, succumb to hubris, and then tragically fall from grace and die unknown (just like the original myths). serves to highlight the disparity of the ancient gods and how their fates are dependent on their adolescent children.

[@AvalonisHere]

@@harayaalirak4040 You haven't made it clear why that can't be held back a few years. Why does the blaze of glory have to happen specifically at 16? That's what Rick wrote, but there's no weight behind the choice. If you read the books and identified with Percy, then by the time the movie comes out, you're older. An older Percy could speak to you now, rather than the person you were when you read the books.

[@Dragonfire-gq4qd]

@@AvalonisHere The movie came about a year after the book. You are not that much older by then

[@AvalonisHere]

@@Dragonfire-gq4qd It came out five years later. Google before you make a fool of yourself xD

[@MichaelMcDowell-jk1cj]

A remember being absolutely bamboozled multiple times watching the movie because I couldn't believe the choices they made: 1- Making Percy's bully (who also works to foreshadow his conflict with Aries) and his best friend/love interest THE SAME CHARACTER 2- Changing their escape from the underworld to undermine the basic plot of getting Percy's mom back and discard several aspects of character development. (Also what the heck were they thinking with the whole Persephone-Glover thing????????) 3- Ignoring half the monsters from the lightning thief and instead choosing the Hydra for a "boss battle" 4- REMOVING THE PRIMARY PROTAGONIST OF THE NOVEL! HOW DO YOU MESS THAT UP SO BADLY? IT LITERALLY FITS SO WELL WITH THE CHARACTER ARC, IT SETS UP THE FINAL REVEAL PERFECTLY AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PERFECT SELLING POINT FOR THE MOVIE? HOW IN THE WORLD COULD YOU MAKE THAT MISTAKE? 5- The final battle with Luke was so impersonal and anticlimactic, it could not have been done more poorly. Luke's final scene is potent to the reader because it's a knife (or scorpion) in the back, he's not the big bad yet. He's unassuming, close with the main characters, and likable. The sense of danger comes because he was able to deceive and manipulate, not because he was scary and more powerful than a practically immortal waterbender.

[@danielmckeown3290]

"it was weird how there was no mention of Kronos in this film" If you ever do sea of monsters you're going to be very shocked with what they decided to do with that

[@markzilla6895]

Kronos is mentioned in this movie... for one second as part of a mythology lesson

[@GenerationWest]

I knew of the books about a year prior to the movie, like with The Hunger Games, Barnes & Noble promoted the hell out of that series before the films release. I ended up seeing the movie on HBO a few times, and thought it was low budget Potter, which is shocking since they got Columbus to do this! I said in a prior video I love mythology, but this bored me enough to not even bother with the sequel (Which I found out was WORSE!). Disney+ is actually working with Riordan on this, and from reading his positive responses and fan comments, I wish nothing but the best! (Oh yeah, this movie introduced me to Daddario, and then didn't watch anything she was in till True Detective S1, and BOOOOY was that a whiplash, also finding out she was nearing her 30's then was another one!)

[@master0fthearts894]

Read the books, mate. Grover is precious instead of a flirtatious breakdancing ladies man, they’re really good. (Or not... idk, it’s up to you if ya wanna read them. But I recommend them 100%)

[@simonuhrick7674]

adapting the books into movies was just doomed from the start imo. a tv series is the perfect way to adapt these novels

[@AlexssandroMeneses]

I had a similar experience watching the movie. Alexandra D'addario was also out of my radar until I saw True detective season 1 and hated the way they portrayed Mythological creatures in that movie, specifically Caronte and the Stix River.

[@BankMoviegoer]

Alexandra Daddario became one of my early teen's celeb crushes because of this movie. So at least thanks for that I guess lol

[@Didi_Online]

I think I read somewhere past week that the budget for the show on Disney+ will be the same as The Mandalorian and Wandavision. Which is amazing given the visual effects of both the show + the production that is phenomenal.

[@otakubullfrog1665]

Considering how much Hollywood is obsessed with sequels, you'd think that they'd stick close to the source material whenever possible when adapting a book in a series so that they could make sequels without being trapped by changes they made in the first movie.

[@purplehaze2358]

Imagine being the author of a legit good book series, and having a film adaptation of it that was so bad you had to actively discourage people from watching it.

[@jp3813]

No need to imagine. Plenty of authors have disowned adaptations of their works no matter if audiences loved them or not: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Shining, The NeverEnding Story, etc...

[@jessenunez7205]

The movies had so much potential. I don’t mind they made Percy a high schooler I could have glanced over that. The setting was amazing and almost exactly how I pictured the books. They missed so many parts from the book. Especially having Ares be the main villain. If it had been a Netflix or television series it would have been better as it would have put almost everything or everything from the book with maybe a few changes

[@spikem5950]

The sad thing is this isn't one of those books that needs a SERIES to be done right, this book was perfect for just a normal movie, a lay-up like the uploader said.

[@Yolomcswaggins6969]

In case you didn't know Rick Riordan is writing a series for Disney which will appear on Disney+. He's actually just getting ready to submit his version of the script to the Disney execs, and it should hopefully be getting into production within a year or two. My favourite childhood series were Percy Jackson and the Inheritance cycle (eragon books), and they both had God awful movie adaptations. I'm hoping Paolini gets a Disney adaptation as well considering that it was Fox who fucked up Eragon too, and Disney has the rights to it now as well

[@NSBWS]

I honestly normally don't care about characters changing in appearence from book to movie. But the reason I got annoyed about Annabeth in these movies because it felt important to her character for me. She is the daughter of Athena is intelligent little 12 year old but she's blond. The whole point in my opinion was that she was the opposite of expect especially since Percy describes her in the book at first sight as a surfer girl all tan and what not. Once again she is smart in opposition of the normal trope. I know it isn't a big reason but its my personal outlook and I wanted to share. Loved the vid!

[@wrenwry]

the second movie condenses ALL the remaining books into one bloated mess of a film. if you're gonna review sea of monsters, you have some reading to do..

[@RunaSunset]

they fused the prophecy from the second book with the great prophecy

[@brandonlyon730]

@@RunaSunset They also shoehorned in a Kronos final boss battle in the second book where he gets defeated, despite still teasing stuff for the third book movie that never got made.

[@that1nerd756]

Technically they only use elements from the 2nd and 5th books to make the Sea of Monsters films, but that actually kinda makes it worse, lol...

[@DrDolan2000]

Well, that's the best part: reading the books

[@Fff99901]

I actually really like the first half of the second film. They go along way to fix the mistakes of the first, it mostly sticks to the book and everything looks the way it should, especially Camp Half Blood. It plummets at the speed of light in the second half though...

[@zach1135]

I like this review a lot! Quick thing, Percy’s step dad being turned into stone is shown at the end in a quick post credits scene where he opens a fridge and finds it there. You hear the effect of him turning to stone, so I’m quite sure it happens. Sucks it was just thrown in at the end though.

[@benmontero36]

Riordan is executive producing the Disney+ series & writing a pilot, so his involvement will make the series infinitely better! I think the episodic series will do his awesome works justice, & the hype on Twitter every episode will be high.

[@SupremeLeaderOfTheBluepremacy]

Luckily, Percy Jackson is getting his own Disney Plus series. There is still hope. Also, Captain Midnight, if you read this, please read the Sea of Monsters and do a vid on the movie next. I really enjoy your takes on things, and this video mirrored exactly what I was feeling. Once again, great video!

[@Andmau2552]

WHAT???

[@thxndershock]

@@Andmau2552 yep good news has finally come

[@disguy7345]

@@thxndershock This is actually bad news, Disney might massacre the ip of percy Jackson like how they did to my boi Artemis fowl.

[@thxndershock]

@@disguy7345 nope I have faith because uncle rick (the author) is involved heavily

[@L3ON360Z]

No he won't review the 2nd movie because it has spoilers for The Last Olympian

[@rileywarner5258]

The second movie is even worse then this one. It literally takes the last 3 books and crams them into the final act and it’s terrible.

[@skylergulley3949]

Then tries to have the cliffhanger ending of the book

[@anonymousanonymity2815]

@@skylergulley3949 it’s such an embarrassment.

[@RunaSunset]

correction. it's an adaptation of the second book, so it actually took the last 4 books. but technically it didnt even try that. they just wanted a fight with kronos

[@markwalter4881]

Agree. I read the books, so I could follow along.

[@that1nerd756]

I mean, not really?? It kinda just takes 2 and 5, which is... actually worse if you think about it...

[@FrameRage]

Your point about Annabeth not being strategic and just being good at fighting around 6:00 really resonated with me. When she first jumped in like that in that battle I honestly thought she was Clarisse, who's supposed to be a daughter of Ares, and honestly she acts way more like a daughter of Ares in this movie anyway so no wonder

[@jayanths1221]

I guess Chris Columbus wasn't as passionate about Percy Jackson as he was for Harry Potter, and it definitely shows.

[@spooderman6312]

he didnt even write the scrpt, just wow

[@joeyjerry1586]

Apparently. I guess they brought him because of the success of Harry Potter and there’s a lot of similarities between the two but the passion wasn’t there unlike Harry Potter

[@pilum3705]

I think one of the most important aspects of the books were how the characters and stories aged with the readers. Yes, the first books still have a childish sense in them, but it clearly shows later on that a couple having to walk through the physical and spiritual torment of basically hell is no longer targeted at the same age group as the Lightning thief. And it feels like that with each book more and more people start actually dying. It all simply becomes more mature with time (still not losing out on the same comedy though).

[@rizie7355]

The tone of the Last Olympian compared to the Lightning Thief is just night and day. Even the cover art does a good job of conveying that

[@master0fthearts894]

The Percy Jackson movie franchise never died; It was never alive to begin with.

[@jerp5809]

It was an abortion

[@ziploc819]

@@jerp5809 it wasn't aborted, abortion is a choice, this died after an hour in the womb.

[@MafuyuHellebores]

@@ziploc819 so basically a miscarriage

[@ziploc819]

@@MafuyuHellebores Yep!

[@Deinobi]

It was a nightmare. It never physically existed

[@Stevejake12]

They should have gotten a director that ACTUALLY read the novels

[@gluten1221]

Off topic but I love how “I listened to the book” is a common and accepted phrase now

[@Alex-ji7fr]

I'd rather read the book than listen to it, because it's not the same experience.

[@ravenhart4387]

@@Alex-ji7fr Same the feel you get while you read is more immersive, listening to it just feels like a slow narration. While reading you give characters voices and everything and I think that just makes it so much better

[@Alex-ji7fr]

@@ravenhart4387 Agreed

[@Cityweaver]

As an anime fan, I can definitely say I've read a lot of TV.

[@Eternaldarkness3166]

it's hard though when they put the white subtitles against a white background like seriously bruh lol.

[@InquisitorThomas]

I think the best way to summarize the Percy Jackson Movies: The Lightning Thief was a car flying off a cliff and rolling down a hill until it resembled an accordion. The engine still worked but and the wheels still turned but an utter mess and was in desperate need of repair. Sea of Monsters was that same car randomly exploding into a shower of shrapnel.

[@benwasserman8223]

And not even the Golden Fleece could heal its wounds afterward.

[@vicecityrocks1]

I just remember being in 8th grade and cleaning my whole house so my dad would take me to see this movie in theaters because I had read all the books. Biggest disappointment of my childhood

[@upbeat3535]

Mans was robbed

[@CartoonyPirate]

Potterheads: "Hermione stole Ron's line." Percy Jackson enjoyers: "..."

[@JohnJP1016]

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters: How to fail a second attempt

[@madinsomniac5765]

They realised that there where 5 books and not 2 so they mashed togheter

[@benjamintillema3572]

I like how they essentially combined the characters of Clarice (brash, swordfighting rival for Percy) and Annabelle (intelligent love interest/companion) in the first movie but then when they got around to the second they realized they made a huge mistake since Clarice plays a major role there and introduced there anyway. Like, they didn't even need to read the sequels, just gone on some wiki pages, to notice that combining the only two prominent female roles would have been a mistake. They wanted to make a franchise, as in they wanted to adapt the sequels, and yet they actively sabotaged themselves.

[@eebertdeebert]

I'm sorry but her name is Annabeth, not Annabelle.

[@bryanp5843]

This comment in ironic

[@annabelledionisio7018]

so the Percy Jackson musical, (The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical) seems like a bad idea from the outside, but it is wonderful. I had been following it since it first toured all the way until its Broadway run in 2019. They keep the characters at a young age (but still have twenty somethings play them) and they nail the motivations for the main 3. The songs are fun, the staging and props make you feel like a middle schooler is telling their story on their own, AND there is a fight with Ares. One thing that I found some people don't like is that the musical focuses more on the journeys of Percy, Grover, and Annabeth internally than the quest itself. However, I think it is worth it. A majority of the cast made their Broadway debuts thanks to this show. Just by listening to the song "Good Kid," you can tell that the team that worked on the musical knows the characters far better than the movie people ever did. There is so much heart and I believe it is much closer to the heart of Riordan's story.

[@luuuuux_]

It was really good. They nailed all of their characterizations. The songs are so good and they did an amazing job.