User blog comment:Ryan1519/Write a review **SPOILER/@comment-1643103-20100222005200

To me it seems that they added in a few pointless sequences, when they could have used them to explain plot points that make things more understandable (such as why the gods are even in America in the first place, the pact of the Big Three, etc.). It also puzzles me that they chose to make a 375 page book a movie only two hours long. The Hades in the fire at camp was a stupid move, and taking it out would have made the movie more fun with the plot twist at the end, along with Hades's Helm. I did appreciate one bit they put in the movie: they rode an actual greyhound bus to Aunty Em's. I didn't mind how they portrayed Medusa (it might have been slightly contreversial or something if she actually wore a burka) but it seemed as if they completely took out the Mist! I might be wrong as they don't specify what exactly the lady at Aunty Em's saw or what the housekeeping lady did either, but from what it seems, Rachel's character might lose half of her importance. (That is, if they put her in.) I didn't mind the hydra sequence, and Lotus Casino was funny, probably my favorite part of the movie. I think Alexandra Daddario was a good choice for Annabeth. They did a good job of making her look like a teenager, as opposed to what I've seen of her on USA Network's White Collar. I was disappointed with the major Apple product placement, but I guess that can't be avoided in Hollywood, even though I know they were capable of doing the Iris-messaging and that would have been lovely to see. I also thought that it would have been nice to see them in St. Louis, but that would have been costly, and they do a good job in making up for it. I strongly dislike the decision to put Persephone in Hades's Palace: it can confuse children learning about mythology. Persephone grows to like Hades in the myths and the books, resenting him only at first, while Hades loved her very much. They also made Hades innately evil, even though he was just more frustrated, tired, and annoyed at Olympus. I would have liked to see DOA Recording Studios, and I feel that they sucked the humor that Charon's character had away, but it is nice that put him in there at all. I really liked the way they portrayed the River Styx, but Charon says that the Underworld is a complete hell, again a confusing and unnecessary point that takes out the fun of Cerberus and the EZ-DEATH line. The one thing I didn't like most of all was the law that Zeus put against seeing demigod children, which entirely messes up Luke's story and will make him seem more evil than he really is. Some of my favorite parts were the score, how they treated Gabe's transformation into a statue, and how they portrayed Percy's water healing. Overall, having read all the books, I give it 3-3.5 stars. If I hadn't read the books, I probably would have given it 4-4.75 stars.