Everyone--especially English teachers and mothers (of which I am both)--says that the book is always better than the movie, and that you should always read the book first. So when Hannah and I went to see The Lovely Bones last weekend (yes, I made her read the book first), and one of the coming attractions was Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I did what any good English teacher (and mother) would do: I immediately read the book. It was good! Lots of action, lots of (accurate) allusion to Greek Mythology, and a solid story at its core. I can easily see why it is a tween favorite, and well it should be.
Of course, knowing that the movie is about to be released kept me thinking about the book as a movie. And I am absolutely aware, as I say this, that there are people in Hollywood who can destroy almost any story in any number of ways. Still, I must say, I had a bizarre thought as I was reading. This is one movie that has the potential to be just as good as the book. Did I really just admit that in print? Yikes. I am definitely not predicting the film will live up to expectations! But so often, when I hear a book is being made into a film, I groan before production has even begun.Too many narratives don't survive the translation from screen to page. This time, I'm actually looking forward to seeing the film--I wonder if they will do the book justice.
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