Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief.

[CatInASuit]

And from Hollywood comes the next attemmpt from Hollywood to take a series of books and turn them into an ongoing and highly lucrative set of film. It looks like a cross between Harry Potter and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

It also appears they went and picked up those British actors who didn't make it into Harry Potter to try and add something to it. Sean Bean as Zeus, ok, I can kind of buy it. Pierce Brosnan hamming it up as Chiron, fair enough. Ok, Ray Winstone as Ares looks fun, but it probably means he is a bad guy again. But Steve Coogan as Hades?

Not only that, but I bet the have played havoc with the Greek myths as well. Oh wait, Athena has a duaghter, yup, tick that one off.

I'm torn between avoiding it entirely or going to see it purely to give it the MST3K treatment from the back row?

Maybe I'll wait for the remake of Clash of the Titans instead.

[eleanorigby]

The books are based on the Greek myths, but set in modern day New York City. There are some changes to the myths in the books as well.

I'm not sure what to say here... Cope? It's a movie. It doesn't have to be the Greek Myths Come To Life. The books aren't bad reads and very popular with the tween/younger HS set.

All this said, apparently the casting director has changed the hair color of the girl in the movie (she's now brunette, not blonde or vice versa) and #2 son is Not Happy with that, so.... Whattareyougonnado?

[What Exit?]

My daughter really enjoyed the book and is looking forward to the movie. Honestly the previews look good to me and I am looking forward to seeing this tomorrow. I don't expect a lot out of it.

[Zuul]

Perhaps in Athena's case it was a virgin birth?

Steve Coogan as Hades is a bit odd, and makes me wonder about WTH is going on with that character that they'd cast him for it. I never read the books, so I'm picturing Hades as an evil, slapsticky buffoon.

[Cluricaun]

My fiancee and I laugh every time the commercial for this comes on. We refer to it as "British Kids and the Expensive Special Effects" since it seems that Harry Potter is now a genre and not just a bunch of really boring movies. They even use nearly the same graphic font in the lettering.

Bonus joke: How can you tell that Harry Potter takes place in a fictional universe? Only in an imaginary land would a ginger kid have two friends at school.

[What Exit?]

We saw it yesterday in an early matinee. The kids both liked it. My son liked it as much as Narnia and more than Narnia II. Neither kid compared it to HP. It was not really like HP at all. BTW: American Kids in this one, not English.

I would say it was an OK movie, I recommend it for the family but not really for adults to go see. It was worth watching once but skip on it and you won't be missing much.

[CatInASuit]

My son liked it as much as Narnia and more than Narnia II.

Narnia and Narnia II. :Shake:

Seriously What Exit? you know better than that. It's like calling LoTR, the Hobbit parts II - IV.

[What Exit?]

Narnia and Narnia II. :Shake:

Seriously What Exit? you know better than that. It's like calling LoTR, the Hobbit parts II - IV.

Sorry CatInASuit, I have never been a big fan of the Chronicles of Narnia. So I don't pay that much attention to convention. Heck I use to write Dr. Who until the true devotees went after me on the Dope. By default, I write in shortcuts.

[CatInASuit]

Sorry CatInASuit, I have never been a big fan of the Chronicles of Narnia. So I don't pay that much attention to convention. Heck I use to write Dr. Who until the true devotees went after me on the Dope. By default, I write in shortcuts.

In which case it is Narnia II and Narnia IV.

And as for Dr. Who - tsk, tsk.

Shame on you.

[Zuul]

It could be worse. He could be calling the character "Who".

[What Exit?]

It could be worse. He could be calling the character "Who".

Hey, I am a lazy writer, but even I knew he was The Doctor and the son of Mr. Who.

CIAS, which Narnia was published first? "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was the first one I read way back when in 6th or 7th grade. I honestly thought that was the first book.

[Inner Stickler]

TLTWatW is the first book he wrote and published but in the world of the series, The Magician's Nephew comes first. It explains where Narnia comes from, who the White Witch is and Why the professor's wardrobe can lead there in the first place.

[CatInASuit]

Hey, I am a lazy writer, but even I knew he was The Doctor and the son of Mr. Who.

CIAS, which Narnia was published first? "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was the first one I read way back when in 6th or 7th grade. I honestly thought that was the first book.

In Chronological Order the books are:

1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and his Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

though they were published in the following order.

2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
4. Prince Caspian (1951)
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
6. The Silver Chair (1953)
3. The Horse and his Boy (1954)
1. The Magician's Nephew (1955)
7. The Last Battle (1956)

[Inner Stickler]

The Horse and his Boy is such a weird outlier.* I wonder what made Lewis decide to write it.

*Also slightly racist.

[What Exit?]

In Chronological Order the books are:

1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and his Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

though they were published in the following order.

2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
4. Prince Caspian (1951)
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
6. The Silver Chair (1953)
3. The Horse and his Boy (1954)
1. The Magician's Nephew (1955)
7. The Last Battle (1956)

So Narnia is like Oz or the later Pern. Publishing date and chronilogical dates are not related. The movies have so far followed the publishing dates. To be honest, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is the only one that stood out in my mind. I tried rereading the series about 4-5 years ago and found no interest in doing so. I recall preferring his Space Trilogy when I read Lewis but don't even have a strong interest in reading those again. Tolkien and Heinlein and even E E "Doc" Smith I just pick and read again happily.

[Orual]

TLTWatW is the first book he wrote and published but in the world of the series, The Magician's Nephew comes first. It explains where Narnia comes from, who the White Witch is and Why the professor's wardrobe can lead there in the first place.

Except that the Magician's Nephew should never ever be read first, because it takes a good bit of fun out of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (besides being a sub-par book anyways). Reordering the books to be strictly chronological was the STUPIDEST thing the publishers could have done. :Shake:

The Lion The Witch and The Wardobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair form a cohesive story. The other three Narnia books are weird outliers and inserting them in with the original four just ruins the cohesion and flow. Besides which, The Last Battle is entirely gross and racist.

[What Exit?]

Except that the Magician's Nephew should never ever be read first, because it takes a good bit of fun out of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (besides being a sub-par book anyways). Reordering the books to be strictly chronological was the STUPIDEST thing the publishers could have done. :Shake:

The Lion The Witch and The Wardobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair form a cohesive story. The other three Narnia books are weird outliers and inserting them in with the original four just ruins the cohesion and flow. Besides which, The Last Battle is entirely gross and racist.

So in the same thread I now see my traditional view of the books and the publishing dates and Orual all seem to match up. I will stick to Narnia and Narnia II for the movies then when I feel like not typing out Prince Caspian or worse yet, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

[eleanorigby]

IMS, the change of order on the Narnia books was due to the insistence of Lewis' estate, aka some nephew or other.

I am here to say that #2 son did NOT enjoy Percy Jackson and is a young Doper in the making. I only read the book once, so cannot vouch for his points, but he is disgusted that they did not adhere to some major plot points, they killed off Chronos (MAJOR bummer, apparently), as well as other things that (frankly) I didn't listen to. Oh, and in the book Zeus is NOT fair, so why make him fair in the movie?

I dunno. But it is a bit disconcerting to see a nascent Doper/Mellowhateverwecalleourselves rant about a film. (he's 11).

[Inner Stickler]

I call myself mellowpants, fwiw. I may not be all that calm but darn it, my pants are mellow!