Examining some of the major missteps in the 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Disney+ recently released a TV series based on Rick Riordan’s popular book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. However, before the TV series, 20th Century Fox brought in the film adaptation of the fantasy novel directed by Chris Columbus. The film did pretty well at the box office, grossing $223 million worldwide.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

However, it received mixed reviews, with critics praising its lead star, Logan Lerman’s performance and action sequences, but also criticizing the deviation from the source material. With the new Disney+ adaptation, fans are hopeful that the creators will learn from the past and steer clear of the significant mistakes made in the 2010 film.

Characters’ Age Alignment in Percy Jackson Movie

Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, and Alexandra Daddario in the Percy Jackson film series

The 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief featured Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, and Alexandra Daddario in the leading roles. The casting has been one of the biggest deviations from the source material as the book series follows the journey of a 12-year-old Percy Jackson. However, the story ages these characters from 12 to 16, leading to a lack of depth and connection with the characters. Not only did the movie rush into introducing the characters, it also altered their personalities.

Avoiding Significant Characters Like Ares

Adam Copeland as Ares in a still from Disney+ series

The book series features a range of characters, one of them being the God of War, Ares. The original story explores Ares’ intention to instigate a war between the three most powerful gods in Olympus and even engages in a battle with Percy. The movie, however, chose to avoid including the character in the story. While it focuses on establishing Luke as a god-hater without any depth to the character, the film adaptation left out two significant antagonists, Ares and Kronos. Clarrise is also one of the characters who also didn’t appear in the first film.

Not Utilising the Main Antagonist of the Series

Kronos

The Titan Kronos is the main antagonist of Rick Riordan’s book series. The character is considered responsible for some of the most significant events in the story, including the invasion of Camp Half-Blood. However, the film adaptation of Percy Jackson completely steered off of the antagonist. While the makers eventually introduced the character in the 2013 sequel, Kronos’ depiction in the film feels rushed, as he returns to living form by the end of the movie and is defeated by Percy Jackson by the end.

Altering the Story For the Adaptation

A still from Percy Jackson movies

From aging up the main trio of the movie to excluding some of the significant characters, the Percy Jackson film adaptation altered the story with some of the derivations. The film cut out Percy’s discoveries about his identity and his struggles to control his demi-god powers. The dynamic between him and Luke drastically differs from the book series, as the two characters are pretty immediately at odds. The book follows Luke revealing that he stole Zeus and Hades’ prized items under the instructions of the Titan Kronos and even offers him a chance to join him.

Film Adaptation Features the Use of Modern Technology

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

One of the significant details mentioned in the books is that demigods cannot use technology unless they have no option left, as monsters can easily track them with these devices. However, the film adaptation features the characters using the technology. Percy uses his iPod to slay Medusa in the movie. While it could have been to make the film more relatable, it turned out to be one of the major blunders in the movie.

Author of the book series Rick Riordan has been open about his criticism of the film adaptations and has shared that one of the major steps to a faithful adaptation was to have an age-accurate cast. He stated how it would allow the actors to grow with their characters and help their young viewers to relate to these characters.

The Percy Jackson film and TV series are available on Disney+