Many people who are just starting to enter the Percy Jackson fandom are wondering: Should I read the book first, or watch the movie? Here’s your answer. READ THE BOOK. The book has more structure in it and paints a great picture in your head, which the movie lacks.

THE AGE DIFFERENCE !!!!!!!!

First and foremost, in the book, the author depicted Percy as a broken, insecure 12 year old who had just lost his mother. The movie took things a little differently. In the movie, Percy spent a lot less time grieving and more time feeling resentful, and a desire for revenge. We should also address the elephant in the room. The age difference makes it very confusing. You know, how in a movie, the main character goes through many changes, and becomes a calmer, more levelheaded person? That’s what Walker looked like in the movie. Like he’d already reached adulthood, and ready for the great prophecy.

The original plot was completely changed

Next, in the beginning of the book, Percy was genuinely trying to help his father, and hoping to win his favor. In the movie, though, Percy resented his father and set out to go to the Underworld, strictly to save his mother. After that, the movie completely invents the concept of Phersephone’s pearls, when in the book, they were simply just pearls that Poseidon sent through the sea nymph to help Percy and his friends escape safely after they confront Hades.

The claiming

When Percy gets claimed by Poseidon in the movie, everybody knows from the start that he was the son of the Stormbringer.  This came as a big shock to me, because I thought that Percy being claimed came as a big shock to people, and was one of the most emotional parts of the book. When they removed this scene, I thought that the movie lost a lot of depth. Also, when Percy set off on the quest in the book, he went because Chiron had a prophecy from the oracle that told him that there would come a hero whose quest he would not be able to prevent. He also had an audience with Poseidon, where Poseidon gave the centaur a sword, and told him to give it to the right hero, which turned out to be Percy. In the movie, Percy went out to find his mom on his own, and Chiron’s prophecy doesn’t seem to exist.