Chris Columbus' 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Looks VERY Familiar
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Harry Potter, Trailers and Clips
It's definitely Harry Potter week, and every studio is taking advantage of it by offering up their own versions of gifted boy wizards. One such fellow is Percy Jackson, who is coming to the screen in all his half-godly glory thanks to Chris Columbus and Fox, who hopes Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief will be their answer to the boy who lived.
They've gone beyond hoping and just jumped into "blatantly ripping off" as evidenced by the teaser trailer. The first look at Percy Jackson has premiered over at Moviefone, and there's nary a glimpse of ancient Greece in it. Instead, Olympus has happily borrowed its exterior design from that ancient English institution known as Hogwarts. In fact, I think they may have just copied and pasted our beloved School of Witchcraft and Wizardry right into the film. Even kids will snicker at the blatant Potter name-dropping that merges straight into that shot, and then into a title card that might as well have lightning bolts in it.
The comments we've gotten on all the Percy Jackson stories prove Rick Riordan's series have quite a few fans, and I mean no disrespect to them or the series they enjoy. I know they like the books for what they are, and must have a distinct impression of its mythological Greek world. Does that world really look like the wizarding one? The fans and the film's cast (which is very good) deserved an adaptation that was original ... which it still might be. I guess we'll see when the film hits theaters in February of 2010.
Watch the trailer after the jump
They've gone beyond hoping and just jumped into "blatantly ripping off" as evidenced by the teaser trailer. The first look at Percy Jackson has premiered over at Moviefone, and there's nary a glimpse of ancient Greece in it. Instead, Olympus has happily borrowed its exterior design from that ancient English institution known as Hogwarts. In fact, I think they may have just copied and pasted our beloved School of Witchcraft and Wizardry right into the film. Even kids will snicker at the blatant Potter name-dropping that merges straight into that shot, and then into a title card that might as well have lightning bolts in it.
The comments we've gotten on all the Percy Jackson stories prove Rick Riordan's series have quite a few fans, and I mean no disrespect to them or the series they enjoy. I know they like the books for what they are, and must have a distinct impression of its mythological Greek world. Does that world really look like the wizarding one? The fans and the film's cast (which is very good) deserved an adaptation that was original ... which it still might be. I guess we'll see when the film hits theaters in February of 2010.
Watch the trailer after the jump
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-15-2009 @ 11:49AM
Icarus said...
How in any way do Greek Temples look like Hogwarts?
Are you on drugs?
Reply
7-15-2009 @ 11:17AM
Andrew said...
Yeah, I have to agree. You do know a good ol' ionic column when you see it, right? Looked Greek enough to me.
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8-01-2009 @ 12:13AM
Amanda said...
After reading this article I have to wonder, has Elisabeth Rappe read the books? I failed to notice the "ripping off" of Harry Potter. It was an original and engaging series which keeps you hooked from the first page. After seeing the preview and the AMAZING cast, I'm optimistic that the movie will be the same!
7-15-2009 @ 11:31AM
Jesse said...
Looked nothing like Hogwarts. Greek Columns and a path leading up to a partheon style building where the gods hold council, all on a mountain. If that looks like a gothic castle to you, than maybe you've spent too much time watching the Harry Potter trailers.
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7-15-2009 @ 12:18PM
Irondude said...
I've never read the books but the movie looks promising. I'm happy to read that Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is coming to DVD and Blu-ray
http://www.movienewz.com/night-at-the-museum-battle-of-the-smithsonian-dvd/
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7-16-2009 @ 1:20PM
joe said...
dude read percy jackson. i used to hate it like all of you(esept percy fans) intill my friend woundt shutup about it. i broke down and read it. i read the first page of the lighting thief and coudnt let go. i now have all the books and nobodys aloud near them inless there a fan
7-15-2009 @ 12:21PM
LiqwidZero said...
The fact that Chris Columbus is directing the movie gives me faith that it will be good, especially seeing his exceptional book-to-movie translation of the first two Harry Potter books.
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7-15-2009 @ 12:43PM
Tribeca234 said...
That looked nothing like hogwarts...just because it's set on a hill, does not make it look like hogwarts, and it certainly is not a "blatantly ripping off" of Harry Potter.
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7-15-2009 @ 1:07PM
renee0306 said...
Omg!!! im getting so tired of these ppl dogging on everything they dnt like...and to say that the story of percy jackson is similar to harry potter???? Damn the freakin story is bout demigods, gods, and goddesses...i dnt remember that bein in harry potter and i think the Olympus in the trailor was perfect and looked nothing like hogwarts
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7-15-2009 @ 2:16PM
Erin said...
I think that because it was dark out and Olympus was on a hill, that's why you may have thought it looked like Hogwarts, because that's how Columbus first showed us Hogwarts in Sorcerer's Stone. But, Greek temples and columns don't look like a castle. I don't see the resemblance to Hogwarts.
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7-15-2009 @ 2:49PM
Tom said...
I'm a Potter hater and, for the most part, a Columbus hater so it feels weird to defend this but I think the trailer actually presents the makings of a classic kid's story. The fact that it's about Greek Gods only makes me more interested. My baby needs to be born and grow up so I can take him or her to go see Percy Jackson!
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7-15-2009 @ 3:26PM
Trevor said...
Fantastic series. Movie looks fantastic too. Absolutely BRILLIANT casting. Cinematical, I'm showing you love in the Coffee Cake Extravaganza. Why do you repay me by doing this? Doesn't look like Hogwarts at all. And it's Olympus, not the camp for demigods. I think you're just a little too Potter obsessed.
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7-15-2009 @ 5:00PM
Christopher said...
Perhaps Elisabeth is simply referring to the color palette (dark blues and gold) of that shot of Mt. Olympus and not the actual architecture. It does very much share the same tones as some of the depictions of Hogwarts.
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7-15-2009 @ 5:18PM
Moses Monster said...
I can see the resemblance. The atmosphere, the lighting, and the "Hill" are all reminscent of The Sorcerer's Stone.
http://img190.imageshack.us/i/pjvshp.jpg/
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8-12-2009 @ 10:37AM
sera said...
At night all cats are gray! ^^
7-15-2009 @ 6:08PM
gadlaw said...
Bad reviewers and columnists who think that by sounding snarky they sound clever seems to be an unending plague. My kid has been reading these books for years and has enjoyed them greatly. As for "blatantly ripping off" Potter I'm just amazed and saddened at the ignorance that passes for clever these days. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any Greek Gods or Mount Olympus in any of the Potter movies but perhaps the reviewer is the product of a poor high school where studying ancient civilizations were passed over in favor of the modern classics - like whatever was on tv five years ago on the television. But by all means, continue with the faux clever snipes at things you have no knowledge of - I know it impresses the crew at Cinematical because there has been no end of it from any of the folks who have written columns here.
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7-15-2009 @ 6:18PM
Elisabeth said...
Gadlaw, I didn't knock the books. In fact, I made a point of saying that I knew that the series had its fans, and that I felt they deserved a film that honored its originality *instead* of making it a HP clone.
Criticizing a teaser trailer is NOT the same as criticizing the books -- which I have been very nice about every single time I wrote up a casting item on it. Go through the Cine archives for "Percy Jackson" and you will see that all of the Cinematical crew, including myself, covered it very positively through its casting.
And for the record, I majored in history and English literature, much of it spent on Greek epics and mythology. I know my Homer. But do we really need to descend to that level though for what amounts to a differing opinion about a teaser trailer?
7-15-2009 @ 6:40PM
Moo said...
lol, I love fanboys and girls. The only thing that's worse is the PARENT of a fanboy and/or girl. So quick to take offense. So quick to coin someone as "ignorant" just because they may have an opinion that they do not share.
That shot is COMPLETELY reminiscent of Sorcerer's Stone. Of course it's not the same building, but as other comments have noted the tone, palette, lighting is the same as several of the exterior Hogwarts shots. OF COURSE it's intended to evoke that reaction. Harry Potter has done 150 kajillion dollars, had a new installment come out last night and is ending soon. They would be idiots if they didn't try to set this film up as the heir apparent to that franchise. There is nothing wrong with pointing out that they are borrowing some imagery here.
This is not a comment on the books. I had never heard of them before reading this post (they kinda sound cool, I do love HP). The story is probably completely different. Note that the writer was not actually commenting on the books either.
Gadlaw- get a little perspective please. wow.
And take heart, if the stories themselves don't completely rip off every story ever done in the history of the genre then Percy Jackson is a big improvement on the Twilight series!
7-15-2009 @ 6:41PM
Fuzzyfreaker said...
Folks, it's a teaser trailer, and it's impossible not to admit that this trailer is very reminiscent of Harry Potter, and for very good reason.
We have no idea what the movie will really look like, but from all accounts regarding this trailer, it's marketed very much as a Potter clone.
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7-16-2009 @ 1:05PM
Julie said...
Good grief. The thing has Harry Potter stamped all over it. How many other directors can you name that also have a certain look or feel to their films? Tons. And cripes, its only a teaser. Get a grip.
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