It's Just Movies

— by JOSUE SANCHEZ —

Yet another popular kid’s series book has been adapted for the big screen. In this case, it’s the five-book fantasy and adventure series authored by Rick Riordan, titled “Percy Jackson & the Olympians.” It is possible that we will be seeing more and more of these types of stories come to life with the success of “Harry Potter” and “Twilight.”

The movie, titled “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” is out in theaters today. Percy Jackson is played by Logan Lerman (of “3:10 To Yuma”), and if all works well in this movie, we may be seeing him around for years to come.

Based on the three clips below, it appears this movie is a combination of “Harry Potter” and “Clash of the Titans.” Not a bad combination, especially since the “Harry Potter” movies have been a complete success, and I have no doubt “Clash of the Titans” will be a blockbuster hit.

One big step in the right direction is hiring Chris Columbus to produce and direct the movie. He is responsible for the first two “Harry Potters,” and is a talented director. He recently stated he was drawn to directing the Percy Jackson movie because it gave him the “opportunity to do a movie that we haven’t really seen before for this generation. When I was a kid, there were movies that dealt with Greek mythology, which in terms of visual effects was really primitive. So I thought this was an opportunity to deal with Greek mythology which children and adults all over the world are fascinated by and it was not a new genre but a new avenue, dealing with mythological creatures in a contemporary setting.”

The first book is titled “The Lighting Thief” and this is what the movie is based on. The official 20th Century Fox description tells us: It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters have walked out of the pages of high school student Percy Jackson’s Greek mythology texts and into his life. And they’re not happy: Zeus’ lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Even more troubling is the sudden disappearance of Percy’s mother. As Percy finds himself caught between angry and battling gods, he and his friends embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true lightning thief, save Percy’s mom, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.

With Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Rosario Dawson and Uma Thurman staring in this movie, you could say the adult actors are well covered. Now, it is time to see if the younger star can shine.

Follow Josue Sanchez on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Josue_can.