Mythology Film Review (Percy Jackson)
Alex Beecher
ENG 215
5/31/12
Film Review
Perseus Abound For this film review, I watched the film Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. It tells the story of Percy, son of Poseidon, and his quest to discover both who he is and who stole the mighty lightning bolt of Zeus. The film is aimed at families, and generally shows an accurate representation of the Greek myths. There are a few key differences though, which are mostly used to present the Greek Gods in a better, more likable tone for the movie. The first differences between the film and classic mythology surround the premise. The film explains that the Gods would occasionally fall in love with mortals and have children. The children were sometimes bestowed special powers, similar to those of their parents. In classical myths, it was a common occurrence for the Gods (especially Zeus) to travel to Earth and have children with mortal women. This was not because they loved mortal women; it was often because they just wanted to have a good time. But not all of the Gods did this. One of the main characters in the film is the daughter of Athena, a Goddess who never had any children in classical mythology. This is not a large issue, and it provides a central female character to the plot. The film also changes the relationships between the Gods and their children. In classical mythology, the mortal children of Gods sometimes display increased bravery or strength, but it would be almost impossible to know who their parents were based solely on their abilities. In the film, the children display attributes identical to that of their parents; the daughters of Aphrodite are hypnotically beautiful, the daughter of Athena is a great warrior and strategist, and Percy, being the son of Poseidon, can use water as both a weapon and a healing agent. The change is appropriate for a family film, because it keeps the movie entertaining. The final major change to the premise is Zeus’ ‘Master Lightning Bolt’
ENG 215
5/31/12
Film Review
Perseus Abound For this film review, I watched the film Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. It tells the story of Percy, son of Poseidon, and his quest to discover both who he is and who stole the mighty lightning bolt of Zeus. The film is aimed at families, and generally shows an accurate representation of the Greek myths. There are a few key differences though, which are mostly used to present the Greek Gods in a better, more likable tone for the movie. The first differences between the film and classic mythology surround the premise. The film explains that the Gods would occasionally fall in love with mortals and have children. The children were sometimes bestowed special powers, similar to those of their parents. In classical myths, it was a common occurrence for the Gods (especially Zeus) to travel to Earth and have children with mortal women. This was not because they loved mortal women; it was often because they just wanted to have a good time. But not all of the Gods did this. One of the main characters in the film is the daughter of Athena, a Goddess who never had any children in classical mythology. This is not a large issue, and it provides a central female character to the plot. The film also changes the relationships between the Gods and their children. In classical mythology, the mortal children of Gods sometimes display increased bravery or strength, but it would be almost impossible to know who their parents were based solely on their abilities. In the film, the children display attributes identical to that of their parents; the daughters of Aphrodite are hypnotically beautiful, the daughter of Athena is a great warrior and strategist, and Percy, being the son of Poseidon, can use water as both a weapon and a healing agent. The change is appropriate for a family film, because it keeps the movie entertaining. The final major change to the premise is Zeus’ ‘Master Lightning Bolt’