Percy Jackson Needs A Reboot. Now!

Why did Hollywood have to kill Percy Jackson? They took this book series that was fresh and turned it into mediocrity. The films are trying to be Harry Potter with Greek mythology. I admit the series does have similarities to Harry Potter. The main trio in both series is filled with one boy who has to fulfill a prophecy, a smart girl, and a doofus. However, Rick Riordan told the story in a unique and funny way that made it different from Harry Potter.

The movies do not try to utilize the creativity of the series at all. Looking at the trailers the movies do not feel special. They look generic. I cannot believe how badly Hollywood messed up the basics. I understand that movies will be different from the books they are based on. Directors need to make cuts and changes. What makes a good book, does not necessarily make a good movie. They are too different forms of entertainment. Changes are expected, but I also expect that the basic concepts will be there.

Why did they not put Ares in the first movie? Why did they not hire a younger actor to play Percy so the prophecy could stay at sixteen? Why do the campers use technology? Hollywood messed up the plot to both movies so bad. I just do not get why they made these awful changes. Imagine if I made my own version of The Lord of the Rings that did not have Saruman, Legolas, Gollum, none of the major battles, and the ring gave Frodo the ability to breath fire.

I cannot express how important it is for a movie based on a book to be good. Americans are reading less and less, so they are not going to take the time to read something like Percy Jackson. They will most likely be introduced to the series through the movie. If the movie is bad and not true to the book, then the viewer will have a false conception of the original source material and judge that the books must be bad since the movie is bad. It is no wonder why the second movie did so poorly. Not only did the fans of the series did not want to see it, but people who saw and heard about the first movie lost interest as well.

I do not think there is anyone out there that wants the current movie series to continue. The Percy Jackson series needs a complete reboot like what Sony did to Spider-Man.

Is "The Catcher in the Rye" Terrible?

Holden Caulfield is one of the most hated characters in literature. His book is banned in several schools, parents do not want their kids to be influenced by him, and kids do not like him. Yes, I know there are kids in this world that do like Holden, but I have not met one that does yet. The only person I know that does is myself. I am writing this to analyze The Catcher in the Rye and examine why people love or hate this book.

The Cather in the Rye is not a book for everyone. The tone is depressing and dark, which already does not appeal to people. The book is more of a character study rather than an actual story. The author puts Holden in different scenarios and writes his reactions to them. It is completely understandable why people do not like Holden or the material covered in it. Ironically the main problem is Holden alienates himself from the reader because an average person cannot relate to him. I would never do most of the things he does in the book and the same goes for other people I know. Parents do not want kids to read about someone their age smoking, swearing, drinking, running away, thinking about sex constantly, and paying for a hooker. Also Holden's language is foul. In a book like To Kill A Mockingbird, the harsh language fits with the harsh themes and times the author wants to represent. However, Holden can come off as an asshole at certain points in the book. Many readers have pointed out that Holden is a hypocrite because he calls people phonies for being deceptive, but he acts like a phony because he deceives himself by thinking he is not like the people he labels as phonies.

Obviously I have admitted that the book is not perfect, but the philosophy is. I am not referring to the philosophy Holden is trying to get across, but the philosophy Salinger is. Holden is supposed to be phony. A lot of people think Salinger created Holden to be this perfect deity for young adults, but he did not. Readers are supposed to learn how not to be like Holden, but at the same time they should realize they are like Holden. It is complicated to explain, but basically everyone is a phony. We all at one point or another deceive people or ourselves. Holden points this out, but fails to recognize that he is a phony himself. The point Salinger is trying to get across is that you should not judge other people because you are no better than them. Pointing out someone's flaws does not make you flawless. However, in society people judge each other constantly and convince themselves that they are superior. This creates a society where we hold people up to a standard that not everyone meets. This creates alienation.

As a teenager reading this book Holden taught me how to face my fears. Holden runs away from his future trying to prevent it. He even tries to prevent other kids from growing up. Holden represents the loss of innocence. Not only does he realize the world is a mean spirited place, but also requires him to grow up. Holden wants to be treated as an adult, but at the same time he refuses to accept responsibility the world requires an adult to have. He does not want to follow the system. His sister, Phoebe is the person who ends up making Holden realize he needs to grow up. She sees through his flaws and calls him out, similar to how the reader does. Watching Phoebe on the carousel, Holden finally understands kids need to fall through the rye field in order to evolve. Being at the age where I am applying to college I can relate to Holden's resistance to change. The adult world does put a lot of pressure on kids to follow a path. It almost makes me wish I could stay the same age forever. However, I realize that I do not have to become what society wants me to. I can follow my own path. Also I am encouraged not to be the loser Holden ends up becoming.

Overall The Catcher in the Rye, is a book you can love or hate for equally good reasons. I believe every teenager should read this book because it does encourage thought. You do not have to like Holden, but just listen to what Salinger is trying to teach. It is ironic because schools are behaving like Holden by trying to prevent kids from reading the book. They are trying to preserve kids' innocence. However, like Holden, they need to learn that in order to become a better person, one needs to lose their innocence. As long as teachers properly educate kids on the book, there should be no problem.    

The Hunger Games (1st Movie) Review

Since Catching Fire has gotten great reviews declaring the movie "outstanding" from critics, web surfers, and my piers, I figured that I would check out the first movie. When The Hunger Games came out last year it did not make a huge impact. While it was definitely popular, it was not like a Harry Potter movie where you had to see it when it came out in order to fit in. The Hunger Games was ignorable. That is why I did not see it.

However, now that the second movie has been super successful and is said to be hundreds of times better than the first movie, I decided to watch the first movie. It was good, but not great.

The set up is nice. I know a lot of people claim it rips off Battle Royal, but I have never heard off it before, so it does not effect my opinion. The movie does a good job of introducing this cruel world. I like how the rich people dress up in these ridiculous costumes. It is serial. The lady reminds me of Depp's Mad Hatter. The games themselves were done nice to. I felt the impact of the kids dying. When the Hunger Games start and it shows the older kids killing the younger children, the movie did not hold back. Granted more blood could have been shown, but the movie still gave us the sense of savageness the games represent. Rue's death was powerful in my opinion. The riot scene after it made it even better. The Hunger Games showed how humans can destroy each other and even come together in tough times. Rue helps Katniss and develops a strong bond even though they will have to kill each other and the alliance only supports one another for their own selfish gain.

I was rooting for Katniss the whole way. She is a good heroine, however she can be a little bland at times. Her boyfriend was not interesting. Also I wish they showed more of society's cruelty, but it looks like that is covered in the second movie.

If you have not seen The Hunger Games, I recommend you see it. I cannot say everybody will love it, but it is worth a watch. Especially since the fan base for it is growing exponentially.