Differences Between Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief

“He was angry at you. All of you! He wanted you to destroy yourselves”(film). This quote is said by the character Percy Jackson from the film Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. After reading the book Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths and viewing the film, one can see there are many similarities and differences between the two.

On one hand, the movie and book are very similar. For example, Percy (from the movie) used his opponents’ strengths against them, just like Theseus did in the text with Corynetes, Sciron, and Pityocamptes. Another example is how in the book, Orpheus goes to the Underworld to get his wife, Eurydice, back from the dead. In the movie, Percy goes to the Underworld to retrieve his mother. Another

similarity is how Percy killed Medusa by using her reflection to find where she was (since she was so hideous, if a person looked into her eyes, one would turn to stone), just like Perseus did in the book. One last example of how they are alike is how Percy killed the Minotaur (half man and half bull) by taking his horn and stabbing him, which is how Theseus did in the book. These examples help prove that the movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and the book, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, are very much alike.
On the other hand, the book and film have many differences.

One example is how in the movie, there’s a special camp called Camp Half Blood for demigods, where one lived in houses, depending on which god is their parent. Another example is how in the movie, there are “pearls” that get one out of the Underworld. However, in the book, it says that only one person who wasn’t a god has gotten in and out of there, and that there was no special thing to use to get out, like the pearls used in the film. One more difference is that in the Mythology text, a guy named Chiron rowed a boat for the dead to get to the Underworld across the river Styx. But in the film, he was rowing it in the air. Also, while most of the book takes place in Greece, the movie takes place across the USA, with Percy, Grover, and Annabeth driving around the country to get the pearls. One last example that shows the differences is that in the movie, monsters and gods can smell demigods. But in the text, there is no such thing and they cannot detect the presence of a demigod. All of these examples show that the book, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, and the film, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, have many

differences.
Finally, I personally feel that the film, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, is better than the book, and I’m not just saying that because it’s less work (although it may be one of the reasons).

I feel like the film teaches one many things, and shows one the importance of friendship and family. It also teaches one that even though one may have weaknesses, one will always have their strengths. Another reason I prefer the film over the book is because the film shows Greek mythology in a fun way. Even though the latter is more accurate, the movie shows stories and characters from Greek myths, making one laugh while discreetly teaching one about mythology (which isn’t very different from Mr. Healey’s method of teaching). It engages you more with all of the action and suspense. I also feel the film is more organized than the book in some ways. It connects all the characters and makes them three-dimensional, so one can keep track of who’s who and keep interest. The book makes only some of the characters have more than one side, making it harder to read and grasp. These reasons show why I prefer the film Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief over the book Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek

Myths.