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February 12, 2010

Too Bad, Percy Jackson Deserved Better

The reviews for The Lightening Thief are in and it doesn't look good. You know it's a bad sign when even the most positive reviews prevaricate. "For the most part, it works" (Bill Goodykoontz). "Has 'Percy Jackson' cracked the 'Potter code? In terms of overall quality, not even close" (Ethan Alter). And those guys liked it. Of course, it's the bad reviews that are more fun to read. "Chris Columbus, true to his namesake, has charted new waters of lazy hackdom with this 'Clash of the Titans' remade as a CW tween soap" (Nick Starkey).

It will make money because of the book and the marketing. But only in a couple of weeks will we know if the target audience liked it. The Slate reviewer said his daughter didn't, but Alter thinks at least the spectacle in the film "could make it a modest hit with the 8 to 12-year-old set."

Maybe 20th C Fox will get different directors, like Warner's did with the Potter franchise. It wasn't until Columbus left that series that the movies started getting interesting.

For now, I'll stick with the books.