Including me.
Today, many of us from both Room 503 and 506 met at the theaters at Tempe Market Place to see Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. For some of us, this was our first viewing. For some loyal die-hards, today was their second, third, and - I believe - fourth time around (since it opened last Friday, February 12).
From my take: as a movie, all by itself, it was a very fun romp. As a devotee of Rick Riordan's (the original author) and after reading the series (almost) twice through, I have to say, the movie did not measure up. It left out so much - in terms of relationships, especially - and, in terms of the settings. Camp Half-Blood is beautiful in the movie, but completely glosses over the different cabins (which, I believe, is a huge part understanding the essence of the Camp). Lack of depth in the relationships took away much of the tension that makes the stories so powerful (and humorous).
However, I will say that I thought Pierce Brosnan made a terrifc centaur and Uma Thurman, an excellent Medusa. Contrary to how Indiana Jones feels about snakes, I thought Thurman's were way cool!
What was also "way cool" was spending a Saturday morning with students and some parents (and even some grandparents), having fun and partaking in an event that has a special meaning for all of us.
Cheers,
Ms. Nicky (Siskel & Ebert) Pitman
