It is no secret that when books are turned into movies, details are missed. They leave out characters or ignore the description of them. They leave out important plotlines or change them to fit the vision of the movie. There are many things that get missed when making a movie out of a book and it is frustrating for those who read the book and watch the movie.
One particular example that has infuriated me for years is the Percy Jackson series. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief was released in 2010 and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters was released in 2013. Since the release of the first movie, fans of the Percy Jackson book series have been vocal about their distaste for the movies. I personally agree that the movies did not live up to the reputation of the books. Even Percy Jackson author, Rick Riordan, is not a fan of the movie adaptations and wishes that they didn’t happen.
From the start, the movies got it wrong. Percy and Annabeth are supposed to be twelve years old at the start of the first movie, yet in the book, they are in their late teens. I understand that there are casting issues and that it made sense to get these particular actors. At the same time, it seemed central to the plot and progress of the movies, and those that follow, that the actors be the necessary age. The casting of the movie altogether was decent, but there were things that the casting director overlooked in both movies. The ages of the actors were just beginning. Annabeth was frequently mentioned to have blonde hair throughout the entire book series. It was a major part of her character and how she defies the “dumb blonde” stereotype and yet she was a brunette in the first movie. They could have at least put the actor in a wig to fit the important character description. Clarisse was a major character in all of the books, but they did not introduce her character until the second movie. I think that that is ridiculous. How do you completely omit a major character and not expect the fans to be outraged? When she does appear in the movie, she doesn’t look like how she was described. Again, I understand casting issues, but when a character is specifically described and it is important to their character, they should try their best when casting the character. Another character that did not get the justice he deserved was Percy’s half-brother, Tyson. He is important to Percy and his journey in finding out he is a demigod. Yet, the movies underutilized him and make him seem so unimportant when he is actually an amazing character. Overall, the character adaptions from the book to the movie are shoddy at best. They often overlook important physical descriptions instead of trying to get the best fit.
And the plot in the Percy Jackson movies is so off. The Lighting Thief follows the basic plotline, but that’s where it ends. The movie adds unnecessary details and changes the important ones. It is understandable for the movie to be a little off. But I feel as if it is unacceptable to change almost the entire movie. What is the point of going off of a book if you are just going to change every detail that you don’t like? The second movie is even worse. I did not like the first one, but I gave Sea of Monsters a chance. I regret it. The second movie seemed to combine the plot of books two through five. I do not understand 4why they did that the way that they did nor can I think of a reason for it. The combination led to the removal of dozens of important, amazing characters like Nico, Thalia, Zoe, Will, Charles, Selena, Dionysus, and so many more. They each had interesting subplots and contributed to Percy’s growth as a demigod and as a person. There were also missing plots and storylines that made the Percy Jackson series what it was. I would have loved to see Annabeth bond with Percy more and I would love to have seen the interactions between Percy and Thalia. It is a shame that we never saw the strength and heart that Camp Half-Blood had when they were fighting to save each other and their camp.
The movies are a sad excuse. They have almost nothing to do with the books except for the foundational plotline. They leave out characters and stories and plots that are central to Percy Jackson. I know that I was not the only Percy Jackson fan mourning the absolute slaughter that the movies went through. I am hopeful for the rumored upcoming series and hope that is does a better job than the movies.
` Book to movie adaptations always come with a catch. It is almost impossible to make the movies exactly like the books, but fans deserve at least a little effort. In some of the adaptations, it feels as if the movie writers and producers never read the books. They just took a broad topic and ran with it. It is disheartening to me that they treat these adaptations that way and I wish that they would try a little harder. The movies are good as standalones but when comparing them to books, they suck. If you watch the movies without reading the book, then they are pretty decent movies. However, the combination of watching the movies and reading the books is asking for heartbreak. That goes for so many other adaptations which is just absolutely disappointing.