On Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

I am not the type of person to write a decent review on something I have watched or read. I am not articulate enough to do so, but I have my own judgments and comments on a lot of things which I keep only for myself. However, I will deviate tonight because I will "try" to give some decent comments on the book-turned-movie Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief.

I must admit that I put Percy Jackson series on hold for quite a long period of time. I stalled some months before finally reading the first book. Actually, I watched the film first before deciding whether to touch the pages of its original form or not. So you see, I have joined the bandwagon of people who watch the movie first before being able to read the book (which is very unusual for me). Do I regret it? No. In all honestly, I am thankful that I did. Why? Because the movie is upsetting. Even for me who has no idea about the content of the book, it is an epic fail. I don't know why they make film out of books when they can't even give justice to the original piece. It is like they bastardized the book. No offense, but the film was a major failure for me.

Movies should take the audience to a new kind of world. They should have an effect on the audience's reality. Movies should make the audience feel. And that what lacked in Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief (movie). I felt nothing while I was watching the film. I felt NOTHING! That rarely happens to me. I was detached from the movie that I was more aware of the reaction of the kid on my right side to every scene. I felt nothing. This might be due to the cinematography.

First, the color and texture (my knowledge on film jargon is limited, so bear with the layman's term) are somewhat more apt for a romantic comedy film. I wished that the film was darker than it was because the "mythology mood", as I would coin it, was not felt in the duration of the movie. I did not feel the angst of what mythology should be. Second, the camera movement did not involve the perspective of the audience (which I value so much, btw). Third, lighting was not used to the advantage of the film. There were not much mood setters in the film. And lastly, the effects were crude (though the water effect was okay). I did not feel like Medusa head was real. It was more like a painting, IDK.

There are a lot of things I could say about the actors, but I will just have to say 'so-so' and leave it like that. There is a room for improvement, as they say. I just really hope that the next Percy Jackson will be directed by Steven Spielberg. No offense to Chris Columbus.