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I’m all for appropriate trailer positioning, but the debut last night of a teaser for something called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief may have gone a little overboard. Actually, I change my mind: a lot overboard. The movie, based on Rick Riordan’s fantasy novels, is about a 12-year-old boy who finds out he’s part Greek god. Sounds a bit like the story of an 11-year-old boy who finds out he’s a wizard. But in case that’s not enough to be marketable to Harry Potter fans, the first trailer for Percy Jackson notes that the movie is directed by Chris Columbus, who kicked off the Potter films by helming both Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets. What else could Fox 2000 do to exploit the other franchise? Hmm, how about a logo that looks exactly like the one from Sorcerer’s Stone?
Certainly such a teaser should be positioned in front of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince right? Well, actually, I think it could hurt the upcoming potential franchise starter, which doesn’t hit theaters til next February. Potter fans aren’t dumb and they’re sure to see that their beloved character is being completely ripped off and exploited. And with a record-breaking midnight box office for Half-Blood Prince last night, this teaser probably struck a bad chord with millions of moviegoers. As observed by Alex Billington of First Showing during one screening, the New Moon trailer obviously garnered huge cheers while Percy Jackson was met with “confused silence.” Meanwhile, the movie doesn’t seem to be getting a whole lot of attention online save for negative postings by film bloggers who agree that it’s a blatant Potter wannabe.
Check out some of those negative reactions after the jump:
…from Christopher Columbus, director of the first two Potter movies, it’s a film entitled, Waitwaitwait Don’t Go Anywhere, We Have, Like, An American Harry Potter Coming Out Soon. My bad, that was the working title. Apparently, it’s now named Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Almost as long!
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.
I can see the resemblance. The atmosphere, the lighting, and the “Hill” are all reminscent of The Sorcerer’s Stone.
It’s hard to make any calls about the film based on this teaser, which could be all footage shot specifically for the trailer and nothing from the real movie. There’s the Empire State Building, shot in a gooey golden hue for some reason, and then a magical elevator trip to the top of Mount Olympus, which looks quite Hogwartsian. I imagine that the book series upon which the movie is based was heavily influenced by Harry Potter anyway.
The incredibly long titled film is an adaptation of a series of books that bare more than passing resemblance to the Harry Potter series. The film follows a teenage boy, Percy, who discovers he is actually the son of the god Poseidon. Percy then sets out on a quest to settle a war between the Greek gods.
…they’re even marketing it as a movie from one of the directors of the Harry Potter movies. Unfortunately, that director is Chris Columbus, and his two entries into the Potter series were the weakest. The man has no bite, no edge, and no discernible talent (see I Love You, Beth Cooper, which is single-handedly destroyed).
We found ourselves half expecting a voice to go “Zuuuuuuullll” at the big reveal when he emerged from the elevator, but what the hey.
When I think about it–remembering Willy Wonka’s Great Glass Elevator, the proposed space elevator, Star Trek turbolifts, the classic arcade game Elevator Action’s elevators, Doogie Howser’s freight elevator in the later seasons when he lived in that sweet loft–I’ve seen some pretty great elevators in my time. It’s going to take a lot for an elevator to impress this elevator-jaded eye. It would have to be something really amazing. Something like, I don’t know, an elevator that shoots THROUGH the fucking Empire State Building to FUCKING OLYMPUS!
Considering the timing of this debut I am surprised to see Percy Jackson isn’t part of Fox’s presentation at next week’s Comic Con, which I will be attending and briefing you on next week in preparation as RopeofSilicon will be going uber-geek for a week.
Here’s the trailer so that you can now judge for yourself: blatant rip-off, or good marketing?
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We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
filmcouch-114
Why must everything be compared to HP? They are both awesome books. PJO is Greek and the plot-lines are different in each individual book. Sure, the plot for the series is same, but why is nothing allowed to come even close to HP? Just because it is well known…I mean, HP is probably ripping off something else, but just because it is not well known, there’s no realization or blogging over it. I think PJO is much better, (no offense to HP) and it has more fans. The sarcasm in the narration makes sure that everything is not TOO serious. You don’t have to agree with me. This is just my opinion, although it differs from all the rest.
[...] And the blogger-boy cause celebre del dia boils down to a Hogwartsian architectural design and a suspiciously Potter-esque font, and basic [...]
Well, I’m sure Harry Potter was comparable to many earlier works, Alethia. I think of it as a wizard version of Ender’s Game, though it is much, much different.
ok, listen. the books are ruddy brilliant. and so is harry potter. they werent trying to steal the logo or anything. it looks just like it did on the book. and olympus isnt going to always be dark like that, with all the clouds and stuff. zeus is really pissed off and being the god of the sky, i think the clouds and everything around olympus is going to get really dark. but normally, it will be very bright and beautiful im sure. if you read the books you will see that it is not trying to be like harry potter. it is its own thing. there is nothing about mythology in harry, and nothing about wizardry in percy. so what if they seem alike right now? DONT FREAK OUT. you will see the differences in the end.
i see what your saying cara and alethia. i do think that olympus did look a little hogwartsy, but, like cara said, i think it will look different once zeus isnt angry anymore. i see the similarities, but in the end, they are very different, and once the movie comes out i think that people will see that. i think that both series are amazing. and i am very excited for this movie.
First of all, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Nothing is 100% bad. Have you ever even read this book? Just because you watched a ninety-five second long clip doesn’t mean that you’re an expert on this series. If youdid read it, then I assure you that you would find no “Rip-offs” of Harry Potter at all. Sure the clip may have seemed vaguely close to Harry Potter, but I know the Exact reasons why.
Spoiler Alert
The Clouds~ Zeus is angry with Poseidon because he thinks that his brother tried to steal his symbol of Power, His Master Lightning bolt. Hense the name “The Lightning Thief.”
Mount Olympus~ if you pause the clip at 1:22 then you will be able to see that the Architecture is nothing like Harry Potter. Harry Potter has a Points and towers, Percy Jackson has Colomns and Domes.
Yeah so you should probably do your research a little bit more before you start bashing something….but i guess it is your blog…so whatever. Anyways the Percy Jackson series is really awesome and is in NO way a rip-off of Harry Potter. I really really hope people don’t start to think that. PJ is actually pretty cool and if you haven’t read the series you should!
first off WTF is your problem? Percy and Harry are both really good books and you are just bagging on percy jackson. The whole Percy Jackson thing with the books is that they were…….. really good. ……….you know what? you are a total dickface fuck you
Did you read the book? Like Altheia said, they’re both awesome series that have their own story lines. I don’t see anyone bashing J.K. Rowling for the similarities between Harry Potter and Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings.” I’m a big Potter fan and I didn’t think that Harry Potter was being “ripped off” in any way. When I first saw the trailer for “Percy Jackson,” at the midnight release of Harry Potter, it was one of the highlights of the night. If anyone thinks that Percy Jackson is a rip-off of Harry Potter, then, hey, imitation is the biggest form of flattery.
i agree with Ben
you have to read both set of books before you judge if they are the same. Percy Jackson is about the Greek Gods. Harry Potter is about Magic. most of the creatures in Harry Potter are based on greek mosters.
the Percy Jackson series are awsome. ive got all the books and i read them all the time.i also have all harry potter books but ive only read them once coz Percy is much better. Percy has more fun and is action packed. this movie is going to be awsome as well.
Most of the footage for the trailer was shot specifically for the trailer. The author, Rick Riordan, announced that on his blog the other day.
As a fan of both the Percy Jackson and Harry Potter series, I hope the marketing doesn’t backfire on the Percy Jackson movie. The series is fantastic and (compared to Twilight) is a worthy successor to the Harry Potter franchise, in my opinion. I’ve been recommending it to all my friends who like Harry Potter, and all of them have enjoyed the series. Yes, they have their similarities - what coming of age stories don’t? But if you read both series, I think you’ll find that Percy Jackson series is fun and interesting in a way that has nothing to do with Harry Potter.
I agree with Sam. Seeing they are both fantasy books they are going to be kind of silmilar. Did anyone else read the Lord of the Rings? It is silmilar to Potter. (Yes i read Lord of the Rings, Potter and Percy Jackson)
Hmmm - let’s see this series was on the New York TImes bestseller list for over 100 weeks. It certainly has some of the elements of Harry Potter - centered around teens, has magical elements, monsters, etc… It has been influenced by HP but in no way is it a rip off of HP. Potter was centered around the school life of the kids and about the magic world. This series has little to do with school and it deals completely with the Greek mythological world and the tone of the books is way more tongue in cheek and sarcastic. That’s like saying all sci-fi movies with spaceships, bad guys, and aliens are rip offs of Star Wars.
I think people are trying to find reasons to rip it but I think it will do very well. As for putting it as a trailer with HP - it makes perfect sense - it will be focused on the same audience. That’s the same reason you’d put the Hulk trailer with Iron Man - they are after the same audience. You’re not going to put this trailer with Saw 75. Lay off this and give Riordan his due - this is a great series and hopefully will be a great movie
Well actually us fans of the book series are a little upset by the movie because they have changed the story a lot. The actors in the movie are around the age of 20 when they’re supposed to be twelve. Chris Columbus says he is changing it around a whole bunch. And if you read interviews with the author, he says he does not want this to be “the next harry potter” and says that harry potter is a great book series and nothing can replace it. So do a little research before you go accusing something of being “the next harry potter wannabe”. Not every good book series was written by a wannabe, you harry potter fans seem to accuse them all of that. Percy Jackson was originally a bedtimes story the author told his son who was dealing with ADHD and dylsexia, and his sons told him it was really good and persuaded him to write it down. He had no ‘plan’ to make the next harry potter and if you read any interviews with him you’ll see he is acting pretty modest about it all.
And Percy Jackson was written for a younger audience which is why the harry potter/twilight crowd did not cheer for since very few of them have probably read it.
Superman was one of the very firsts in the superhero genre. But does this mean Superman was the best ever? Hell no. Then came afterwards the Spiderman, the Marvel Comics and X Men series — some of which were way better. So let’s not judge Percy Jackson as a ripoff. It’s just that PJ and HP are of the same genre. But only time will tell whether PJ will be a better series. The fans and the box office results will be the ultimate judge. Until then, we really can’t tell which is better.
The difference is that the Percy Jackson stories are written better and have characters that are more likable and honestly I think JK Rowling is a terrible writer and her stories remind me of LOTR. So not everyone is a HP fan…and as with all things American, you have to cater to whatever fad is hot at the moment and it is either vampier teen love or wizards destroying evil and having really good friends….it all stinks. There is no original work anymore.
I think that the new film looks brilliant i dont think that it is a (rip-off) of harry potter but there are simulartities ive read all the books from the series and so have my friends and we agree that if the film is anything like the book it will be the best film of the year
I agree with everything that everyone is saying in here (Alethia, Cara, Ben, Randy, really everybody). I agree that your a total dusch and you need to do some research before you start criticizing something that you have no idea about. I agree that you have NO right to compare the 2 movies and claim that Percy Jackson is a “rip-off”. I have no idea where calling Percy Jackson a rip-off came from anyways. Percy Jackson and Harry Potter are 2 DIFFERENT series of books and will be 2 DIFFERENT movies. Percy Jackson is not a rip-off cause 1.) it is based on a series of books 2.) Percy Jackson is NOTHING like Harry Potter. There is no magic or witches or worlocks in PJO. and 3.) The plot is no where near each other. (ok, well they both are about a boy who find out that they have a “power” but, still).
To call PJO a rip-off really pisses me off. There is a reason why they put that trailer there in the Harry Potter showing. I think it was a BRILLANT idea for them to put in the teaser that the same director of 2 of the Harry Potter movies was directing this movie. They did this so they can get some people from the same audience to find PJO interesting. And, it worked too.
Also, whenever you put quotes from people agreeing with your little dumb blog, that is just a jackass move. First off, you people are just making stupid assumptions about the PLO and the Harry Potter series. Whoever decided to compare the 2 is dumb. Ok, yeah they are both great book and they have a few points in them that are similar but, to come up with the idea that PJO was coping, or stealing, or whatever you want to call it, the same story line from Harry Potter is absurd.
Chris…you need to get a life and actually do some research into BOTH the series of books. Then, you can come back and write the blog. I’d love to see what you would put too.
This is not a rip-off!!! This is based on a fabulous series of books.
So, from a 1:35 trailer, you can tell this movie is a “rip off” of Harry Potter?! But since you’ve read the books … Oh wait, no you haven’t!
Not to mention that Harry Potter has often been criticized as a rip off of Jane Yolen’s Wizard Hall - “Another book that started with a dream, this story predates the Harry Potter books by eight years. A young inept wizard who turns out to be in some ways the most powerful of them all, my hero is named Henry (not Harry) but renamed Thornmallow when he gets to the Wizard’s Hall. The Hall is a school, with teacher’s pictures that move about, and a wicked wizard who used to teach there. (Is this all beginning to sound familiar?) There is a horrible quilted beast and a variety of spells” (http://www.janeyolen.com/blurbs/wizardsh.html).
If anything, Percy Jackson is a rip off of the original Heracles (not Hercules, thank you!) or Jason and the Golden Fleece myths.
Okay, have you even read the books? Sure it sounds like harry potter, but it sure as heck isn’t. A twelve year old boy finding out he’s the son of a Greek god, then having to stop Kronos from rising at the end of the series does sound kind of like it but it is different. If you read the books and gave them a chance you would see. I’m 13 and everybody i know that is my age is obsessed with them. They are the equivalent of Harry Potter for us. I mean, tons of books have the same plot line, kid finds out he/she is special and has to stop evil from taking over the world…. i mean really people. Don’t say that it is a rip off because it has that plot. The books are great so don’t be a freaking critic until you’ve read it!
[...] The last director before David Yates to get back-to-back films in the Harry Potter franchise was the franchise’s first — and worst — director, Chris Columbus. Columbus was responsible for the drearily unimaginative Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, both of which reduced J.K. Rowling’s world to what an adult imagined a pre-teen audience would want. The real magic of Rowling’s books is that her charms transcend age and demographics. Why a studio thought the director of Home Alone 2 and Stepmom could pull off a similar magic trick is beyond us. (We extend our apologies to those of you who are Percy Jackson fans.) [...]
well i think that you lot against this movie are strange. 1. the mountain is bigger and there is no castle there, also there is no lightning in HP and the mountain is in water not in the sky. 2. whoever thought that the logo is like harry potters logo then you must be slightly blind becuase it has no similarities.
also HP = wizards and witches PJO= greek gods and demi gods
completley different . the story lines arnt even that much the same so really you should just wait and see what happens with this film and stop dissing such a brilliant sereies and directer.
Yeah, maybe it has a lot of elements the same as Harry Potter, but that doesn’t stop it from being a good book, and probably a good movie! Plus, whoever wrote the stupid comment about the elevator, think about this. In Harry Potter, they use fireplaces to travel. I love the Harry Potter series, but really! Is an elevator really THAT much stupider than a fireplace?
Well I think your wrong about riping off harry potter because greek gods and wizards aren’t alike… Besides, percy jackson is way better. Also when HP started it probably only had a few fans before the movie’s came out.
Oh wait, we forgot. What about the 3 headed dog in the Sorcerer’s Stone Movie? That’s greek mythology. And besides, there is a 3 headed dog in the book that guards the gates of hades. Don’t say Percy Jackson is ripping off Harry Potter. And also, what happened to the movie that the 1st Harry Potter trailer came out.
AND LUKE IS MY REAL NAME _ DIDNT COPY OF THE BOOK =)
fuck hp
WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT? IT’S THE SAME DIRECTOR FROM HARRY POTTER 1-2! What the Hell?!?!? Why do you have to make fun of Percy Jackson like that? I’m a HUGE fan! Keep your damn comments to youself!
I agree with all of you! Whoever wrote this crap can go die in the deepest pit of Tarturas!
Well….A Percy Jackson movie…I have one thing to say….HOT DANG!!! I love this series, own all of them, and have read all but the last one. I was uber f-ing excited when I saw this. I was disappointed, however, by the age of the actors, but I can get over that. We’re getting a move, dayum it! I’ve read some of the HP books, and honestly wasn’t too thrilled with them. I didn’t read Twilight (I’m not gay). The reason the HP crowd didn’t cheer was either A) They were too busy re-reading HP to bother with PJO, or B) They thought they were too cool. PJO for f***ing ever!!
This is a load of bull. Would it help if he was older? Isn’t the journey of the hero supposed to be that he discovers something within himself and starts a quest? Perhaps Harry Potter should be called a ripoff of star wars. I mean, Luke finds out he is a Jedi and a wise old mentor takes him under his wing. If you don’t believe me, look here:
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/6383/qaddyupi2.jpg
Look before you leap
Anonymous
Oh, and one last thing. Re: the font, that’s the font from the book, not some “marketing scheme”
the teaser doen’t do the book any justice it is a hollow shell of it’s true potential and as for being a HP copy cat it donesn’t matter HP probably got the ida off some other writer any way, it’s only a problem now because HP is so publisized
“fantasy novels, is about a 12-year-old boy who finds out he’s part Greek god. Sounds a bit like the story of an 11-year-old boy who finds out he’s a wizard.”
Which oh my gods.. sounds a bit like the story of a young boy who learns that he is a jedi and lives with his aunt and uncle because his parents were ‘murdered’. Oh no! We’ve all been duped into watching the same story over and over again!
Stop complaining.
have you actually read the series … its really good and nothing like harry potter so you can just shove it
hp is nothing like pjo in p it is the same plot for the first for movies in pj it is different evert tme and logo look nothing like this one
Stop being a dick head. Have you even read the books? If you are so creative I suggest you write something better.
Best Regards
J.S. Grimm
And you think a movie where “A twelve year old boy who finds out he is not the son of a greek god but rather a normal twelve year old boy” would get ANY people to watch it? Every movie that comes out a person realizes something about them is different. Thats what makes it interesting.
And they played the preview during the HP film because its the same audience. It would have made no sense to play it as a preview before Saw V or is it VI now. That would have been stupid.
ok the problem with most people is that they have to compare harry potter with everything else. and most likely these film bloggers say that Percy jackson is copying it and its a so called version of an american harry potter
these people probably haven’t even read lightning thief!
how is a story about greek mythology in the 21st century anything to do with magic? dont get me wrong i love both series but you dont go criticizing someones book and saying it ripped harry potter OFF.
they are saying olympus looks like hogwarts but {if you read the book} zeus is supposed to be freakin pissed of cause someone stole his bolt.
well the first book of PJO is called percy jackson and the lightning thief. but thats the only book in the series that starts with his name!
its just that when some good fantasy fiction book they get compared to harry potter which always gets the other book compared to HP{ such as percy jackson} criticized. you have to read the book BEFORE you make accusations. the only things that are noticeably similar is the director and a little portion of olympus looks like hogwarts.
I am a Potter fan AND one of the Percy Jackson series. Being familiar with both stories I can easily say the differences between the two greatly outnumber that of the similarities and both are fantastic stories that have the right to be told and enjoyed, both on screen and on page. It’s ignorant and close-minded for strictly Potter fans to right the movie and the books off without first giving them a chance, and ruining the experience for actual fans with all of their complaining.
The books were originally told by the author to his young son who has both ADHD and Dyslexia just as the main character Percy. The story was not intended to “rip off” the beloved Potter franchise, but instead to simply entertain a boy who had an interest in Greek Mythology.
Go ahead and look back at literature. Tell me about how unique each storyline is. Show me how classic elements of famous written works (Romeo and Juliet anyone? Robin Hood?) have never been repeated and prove to me that before Harry Potter there were no stories of Wizards or Magic or young boys finding out something about themselves they never knew, finding out something about their heritage that changed their lives. Tell me that you’ve never seen another piece were a band of children, friends go on an adventure and defeat an evil villain. If you can show me that–that Harry Potter was the first of it’s kind, an original in a sea of copy-cats then maybe I’ll believe you. In the mean time, I advise you all to do your research and for future reference, before making your ignorant opinions get your facts right and think it over before polluting blogs all across the blogosphere.
I have read both book series. So I am allowed to judge.
Percy finds out that he is a demi-god. Harry finds out he is a wizard. Both without prior knowledge. Must I type more?
Let me remind you Harry Potter came out first.
Harry has black hair and green eyes. So does Percy.
Let me remind you Harry Potter came out first.
Percy has two other best friends, boy and girl. So does Harry.
Let me remind you Harry Potter came out first.
A big battle finishes both series’.
Let me remind you Harry Potter came out first.
Good vs. bad, both series has that.
Let me remind you Harry Potter came out first.
Harry and Percy both have other father-figures.
Let me remind you Harry Potter came out first.
There is sooooooo much more I can say, but I think you can already get my blatant point.
It’s not a rip-off at all and some of the comments made me laugh, as they were so reaching and stretching to get a HP connection out of it. Most fantasy books, aimed at children, have the premise of them finding out they’re half-this, or all that and go on magical quests. So what if Percy Jackson goes on a quest? HP didn’t exactly go on a quest, he went to school.
There are a great many differences in the book series– which I would suggest you read before making blanket observations over a very short trailer.
Why must EVERYTHING be compared to Harry Potter when it comes to the film industry?
They are nothing alike. You can’t judge it from a 1:35 second clip.
They are nothing alike.
why must everything be compared to Harry Potter? up until i got to this site, i never even seen the similarities between the two. these are two different stories…it’s not like Harry Potter got kicked out of schools every year and had ADHD and dyslexia…sure he has green eyes and brown hair…so do many other characters…and he has one female and one male friend…so do many other stories, say, Hannah Montana as an example. did they copy Harry Potter? no. this is really the first ever Greek mythology series. isn’t that enough originality for you?
and maybe Olympus only looks similar because they have the same director (with a tremendous lack of imagination) and because Zeus is really pissed. but really, how could you say such things from a minute and a half of footage. i bet that most of you haven’t even read the books, which are brilliant by the way.
so stop all of your complaining and unnecessary whining, because that’s not going to stop all of the hard work put into this movie. not only are you making fans of this series angry, you’re making yourself look bad, judging before you’ve even given it a chance.
it’s so retarded how much people are stretching…trying to reach as many similarities between these two as possible. words of advice: you could find similarities between ANYTHING if you stretch hard enough. so stop all of this…you’re just creating problems and useless arguements…it’s pathetic.
by the way…this is like saying you can’t wear your hair in a pony tail just because someone more popular is
i’m just saying…
that is totally not true. they are both great stories. and greek gods have nothing to do with wizards. i love both series. i dont think they are ripping of HP at all. and it sounds like you have never read the PJ books, so what would you know? it is totally unfair to compare the 2. percy and harry are both awesome, unique characters- totally different from one another. seriously, give percy a chance. and the only reason PJ was met with “confused silence” is because not a lot of people have read his books compared to twilight, although i personally think PJ is better than twilight. i loved twilight, but PJ is awesome- and bears no resemblance to HP. give it up!
~megan~
age 13
i totally agree with ben, cara, and anna!!!! and anyone else who thinks this guy doesnt know what he is talking about. PJ and HP rule!
mickey-
biased much? you and the idiot who wrote this blog should become BFFs.
Why compare. I aggre with Aletha. Just because it seems like a rip off dos’nt mean it is. Gods! I don’t care if you hate PJO there both awsome. Just because It has simalretes do’nt mean there it’s a rip off. All of the things that Rick uses in the books are classic story telling methoids like smelly gabe being like the Durslys or Kronos returning like Voldemort. (and in the fourth book like Voldemort). Evil lords returning is a clasic story telling methid . And so is leaving children in the hands of wicked pepole. Evrything else you can think of that is “a rip off” are classic story telling methids. So do’nt compare.
i av read both books nd frankly i fnk i prefer percy jackon more!..i mean its mre hilarious…i serzli dnt fnk dht dis is a rip off ov harry potter…if u really get to read d books ov pj u will find awt dt dere r different storiez behind the teaser…percy jackson is all bout greek mythology while thr latter is bout witchcraft, besydez harryz parentz r dead while percyz r alive..pls if u fnk u wnt to criticise dis movie..y dnt u try writin yhur own movie withawt usin refrence to anoda movie..give rick riordan dht respect 4 writin such a lovely book!!!
Are you KIDDING me?
The Percy Jackson series were great, and most definitely NOT “wannabe”. When I read the books, I didn’t even think of comparing them to Harry Potter - the similarities end at the concept of an eleven/twelve year old guy finding out the truth about their identity. Look, I’m no obsessive “oh-my-god-I-love-Percy-Jackson” freak or anything, but I can assure you, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is every bit as unique as the concept of Harry Potter. I think that Harry Potter fans are far too critical of other big scale movie productions, especially if they have to do with magic. So cool off. No one’s forcing you to go to the movie - but god knows that I, along with thousands of other fans, will be.
However, the movie does look like it will be changed around quite a bit - but who knows? It could be for the better. I have complete confidence in Chris Columbus, unlike some people:
“Unfortunately, that director is Chris Columbus, and his two entries into the Potter series were the weakest.”
Yeah, right. They were among the best. The most MAGICAL. The Harry Potter series as a movie would have been very different if not for Chris Columbus’s push in the right direction. Okay, so yeah, Beth Cooper wasn’t that good, (alright, it was horrible) but Percy Jackson and Harry Potter are as far as you can get from that genre.
So before you say anything next time, it might be wise to read the books or do a little research, as other commenters have pointed out. Harry Potter fans aren’t the only fans out there.
Um..we cant judge on the trailer. I think we should just wait and see how the movie turns out. Im a fan of both…and when the moive comes out, we can judge.
THIS GUY HAS KNOW IDEA WHAT HES TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!! i think percy jackson is way way way way better then harry!!!!
Christopher Campbell is a gay bich with know live that wants to make fun of percy just because all the harry potter books were fuckish!!!
Wrong. Totally. I didn’t even think of Harry Potter watching this (again). This takes place in New York. You take an elevator and not a train. Percy Jackson has Greek Myths and (for once I don’t care that) it’s makes you learn. Unlike Harry Potter.
HEY I READ BOTH SERIES AND BOTH ARE AWESOME! PJ IS NOT A WANNABE IT HAS IT OWN THINGS AND ITS GREAT! AND HP IS AWESOME AS ALWAYS!
I PERSONALLY PREFER PJ TO BE CONSIDERED THE “NEXT HP” THAN THAT STUPID TWICRAP (YES, I READ IT)
LOVE HP (L)
LOVE PJ (L)
TWILIGHT SUCKS
For starters, every single book in the world is similar to another book in the world, and this is just one example. Harry Potter is awesome, and so is Percy Jackson. I write. I know that the basic ideas of many books are all the same, it’s just that they’re twisted, put it different settings, made with different endings and characters and reasons. I’m not demanding that you take it back, and I admit they have a lot of similarities, but so do loads of other books out there. If you’ve actually read the books, you’d know they are written very differently. So what if both of them are about a kid learning he’s some great, magical or mythical being? Open your eyes. See that there are lots of other books out there like that, and this. is. just. one. So don’t pick on it.
I have read the boooks and I think it will be a pretty good movie! Infact it will be better than those harry potter movies that didnt really follow the books, plus wizard are gay
well u may say tht this is a rip off of harry pottter but wat u dont khnow is tht harry potter has similarties to another book by the author Nancy Stouffer. who also wrote about a boy becoming a wizard and even has the two name charcters are larry and lily potter. also a while back when the first harry potter movie was going to be realeased stouffer was even going to sue rowling and ya i dont khnow wat happened from there and also harry potter and percy jackson do have similarities but its not entirly a rip off. also the directer of the first two harry potters was the one who got the series going they may have been the worst out of the movie but its must have been hard for the guy sense he was working with 11 yr old kids.
No I don’t think its a rip off, and I LOVE Rick Riordan. There is NO WAY he ripped off Harry Potter - I’ve personally read sets of books. Its not the same and the author has no control over how the director makes a set look and I don’t think it looks anything like Hogwarts.
I love Harry Potter & I love Percy Jackson. They are two different entities and I wouldn’t say there was a rip off.
I read The Lightning Thief to my son and I loved it as much as he did. And he did. We’re now starting the third book in the series. The Lightning Thief is funny and exciting and I love Riordan’s style. I hope the movie is as good as the book, but there’s no way of knowing until we see it.
I don’t like the trailer, which is too dark and dramatic. I’d rather see something that better captures the essence of the book, which was lighter and fast moving. I hope they put out a better trailer soon and I hope the movie is worthy of the book.
Honestly if you read the novel, Percy jackson and the olympians: the lightning thief, you would have different thought yeah it looks like there ripping off harry potter. but the story is not that much the same. there rather different but in a sense the same. id pick percy over harry any day.
Harry Potter and Percy Jackson do have some similarities, but Harry never knew his parents, and Percy didn’t know his dad. Both parents are alive. Yes, they both have black hair,greens eyes, but Harry and Percy are different. Percy sneaks off on quests. Harry only goes on a “quest” in The Deathly Hallows. Stop freaking out. The trailer looks AWESOME!!!!
How is this ripping off Harry Potter? And that was really rude”waitwaitwait,dont go,we have like an AMERICAN version of Harry Potter”. That is in every way, NOT TRUE!!!
Um, are you all serious? I’ll stretch my neck out here and be on the other side of the fence for this: I watched the trailer and loved it. I have often wondered why they make movies about lots of different subjects, but never touched the “Greek God” theme. Everyone in the comments I read all say it resembles Hogwarts this and Dumbledorf that. Does Harry Potter now have a copyright for everything that is magic oriented, decor and backround? Wth? Star Wars fans vs. Star Trek fans. I love Star Wars, but hate Star Trek. Yes they are both in space, they both have hyperdrive, aliens, distant planets to explore, etc. Does that make one a copycat of the other, no. Just enjoy your movies people!
Not at all the same besides a person with supernatural powers going to a supernatural training place and I can name one thing like that which came before HP. X-Men. Kids with paranormal abilities going to a school to learn how to use them. Old concept used dozens of times through the years HP was NOT the first, just the most recognized. Also story-lines are way different. HP= Boy trying to stop dark lord from gaining immortality from a stone. PJ= Boy charged with hunting down and finding a lightning powerful enough to destroy all of New York! Sound similar? I don’t think so. Don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t judge a movie by its TEASER trailer.
Oh… my… LORD!! Harry Potter fans are highly rude. Percy Jackson IS NOT ripping off Harry Potter!!! Why must everything be compared to it??? If they just read the darn series, they wouldn’t have felt this way! It is NUTH-THING like Harry Potter!!
Its not a rip-off. You’re an idiot if you think so. The two are so different. Read the damn book.
Read the books.
Percy vs Harry: Harry comes because forced to and gets so beat up he almost dies. Percy Wins in 0.0000000000000000000000000000000001 seconds after the match starts ^^.
What The Frick!! THe Percy Jackson and the Olympian Saga is not a rip of its actually better u guys r u just saying its a rip off cuz its a bout magical stuff yea it has its relations but atleast ite better than all hte harry potter junk!!! actually read it until u judge it i read both and uhhhh yea pjo takes the cake
percy jackson is NOT ripping off Harry Potter
Ive read every single book and i also read harry potter harry potter sucked crap
percy jackson was awesome
also, there is barally any simularities in the books.
and also its from a harry potter director so you have to expect some simularities.
Both books are good in different ways so you should not compare them. How can you say Percy Jackson ripped off Harry Potter? That trailer is just the start of it. Once you see the movie, you’ll know that there is a big difference between them. Also, why don’t you try to read the books? Surely, this would prove to you that Percy Jackson isn’t just some piece of ‘garbage’ but a really, really good book, with an amazing plot and characters. Also, when you said that the trailer was met with “dead silence”, it’s just the fact that people are not that familiar with Percy Jackson. So, there really is no point in calling it a Harry Potter “wannabe”. Try reading. You’ll know what we mean.
Just so you know, Rick Riordan wrote this book for his son because he has ADHD and dyslexia. He actually told this story to him and his 8 year old son had the idea of writing it & publishing it. Riordan’s intentions for the story were for his son feel like he’s no different than anybody else-just special. And just so you know, I have never read the Harry Potter series and never will thanks to you! Now tell me, WTF did Rick Riordan, His Son, or any of Percy Jackson & The Olympians fans, do to you? If you have an opinion, don’t put it on the internet. Because there is other people in the world, who will object.
ps, I’m a fan of the series, and always will be. And I’m only 11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv7ked6phf4
Dude. The 1st Percy Jackson book was done BEFORE Harry Potter. I’m so sick of people saying it’s a rip off. Geez.
hey i was wondering when are you going to start the production of the next percy jackson and the olypians movie
This blogger has no idea what he’s talking about. It’s okay to attack the movie’s marketers for trying to exploit the Harry Potter connection, which it does seem like they’re doing, but to attack the source material is completely ridiculous. This blogger says the book itself was probably ripped off from Harry Potter, when the author wrote the book IN 1994! How can you rip off a book that hasn’t even been released. Additionally, if you see the new trailers for the movie it looks nothing like Harry Potter- the plot and storyline are totally separate.
you jackass it doesn’t matter I could care less who made it, their going to be great now quit complain duce
Nobody cares, both books are great, end of story.
Crazy people! They’re not the same!
Fuck all the hate press Percy Jackson and the Olympians is getting.
We’ve read several articles on the subject of the upcoming movie and EVERY single one of them compares it to Harry Potter and they all mention that Percy Jackson is ripping off HP.
In reality, THEY’RE NOT THE SAME! These people are making accusations based off the movie trailer and the book covers.
Really if you were going to say stuff about it at least read the books first.
you damn dick faces percy jackson is nothing like harry potter does harry make out with hermoine like percy made out with annebeth? is harry’s dad still alive. does kronos in any way uses a wand to cut percy and not a scythe. peolpe like this make me want to hate harry but i won’t because to me harry potter is good but Percy jackson is better
I find it a pretty poor judgement to claim PJO is a rip-off of Harry Potter before the film has even released. The books, certainly, a hugely different from Harry Potter in plot, characters and especially in writing style. The reason the trailer was positioned at such a point was purely for marketing - where better to put a trailer aimed at the same target audience has Harry Potter than in the hugely popular Harry Potter screening? I find this article naive and uninformed - especially in this particular quote:
“Potter fans aren’t dumb and they’re sure to see that their beloved character is being completely ripped off and exploited.”
So one scene in the trailer - a scene of a CASTLE, not anything to do with the actual characters - looks similar to that of Harry Potter! Harry Potter is NOT, in ANY way being ripped of by PJO, and as an ardent fan of both, I take offence to your uninformed assumptions.
OMG! Harry Potter was Harry Potter, This is percy jackson. This so stupid comparing the two. They were both amazing books and so what if they seem familiar. Doesnt EVERY romance novel pretty much sound the same? Doesn’t every Mystery novel pretty much sound the same? Look, shes not continuing harry potter so quit crying and find sumthin else to read cuz u sound like those obsessed star wars fans (thats not coming back either.) BTW, HP kinda ripped off that too so its not super original…think about it…
PS: the first two HP movies were the absolute best. None have yet to top number two..Y? because they were made with the author in mind and stayed the truest to the books…it went complete downhill from #3 on…
HOW can ANY of YOU think that harry potter and Percy Jackson are the same?! First of all…for those of you with bad eyes, if you look closely at the picture of Mt. Olympus, you will see their are Greek columns and a pathway going to the top, and it is in the SKY. i don’t know about you, but i would say their ARE differences between Mt. Olympus and Hogwarts.
ALSO, harry potter DOES NOT have ADHD or dyslexia. Percy Jackson goes to Camp Halfblood to train to become a strong demi-god, while in Harry Potter, Harry goes to Hogwarts to learn potions and spells…VERY DIFFERENT Percy isn’t really learning anything because it is a SUMMER camp while harry is at hogwarts the whole year.
Have any of you actually READ the Percy Jackson books? If not, you should before making all these things up about Percy Jackson being the same as Harry Potter. I AM a Percy Jackson fan and Harry Potter fan…so i KNOW the books and i KNOW the differences their are between them.
TO ALL HARRY POTTER FANS WHO THINK THAT PERCY JACKSON IS RIPPING HARRY POTTER OFF:
1st: Have any of you READ the Percy Jackson series? If not, than you have no right to go off, making blogs and such saying that the two are the same.
2nd: WHY do you think PJ is ripping off HP? please give me a reason…because as far as I can see you all all JEALOUS that their might be a book/movie that is just as good or better than harry potter.
3rd: you said: “What else could Fox 2000 do to exploit the other franchise? Hmm, how about a logo that looks exactly like the one from Sorcerer’s Stone?” Okay…if you have even SEEN the logo’s for both, you would be able to tell that they are DIFFERENT. Harry Potter has his nice P that looks like his scar. Percy Jackson has his nice Y that looks like a trident and is all glowing. Harry Potters font in general is more ridged, while Percy Jackson’s is more… smooth and all in caps. Plus, In the I in ING in Lightning, it is glowing at the top and spreads out like Empire State Building when the light spreads out, when they get to the 600th floor.
SO DON’T GO COMPARING AND SAYING PERCY JACKSON IS RIPPING HARRY POTTER OFF….CAUSE IT IS NOT. I KNOW THE HARRY POTTER STORY LINE AND THE PERCY JACKSON ONE. AND I KNOW THERE ARE DIFFERENCES.
YOUR JOKIG RIGHT CHRIS!
i can’t believe the thick headedness of some people what the hell they are nothing alike
Have you even read the books, do you even no what there about?! …oh wait let me answer that you havn’t cause if you had you would have relised how nieve and arrogant you are being any of thos people who commented otherwise are just as idiotic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ou wouldn’t know a good story line if i hit you in the face
oh and to answer your question about the 11year old boy wizard and the 12 year old half greek god, no! it doesnt sound familiar at all what are you on!!!!
oh wow! hey everyone! the person that directed harry Potter is directing Percy Jackson which means there the same *sarcasm totally implied just becuase its the same director it doesn’t mean shit!!!!!! Steven Spielberg has done hundreds of movies des that mean there all the same? huh!
And who ever compared the hogwarts castle from harry potter and mount olympus is retarded so now anything that looks like a castle is a rip off from harry potter and oh by the way! i i pretty sure harry potter would be similar too other movies as well
And just cause a book or movie is from the fantasy genere and involves magic doesn’t automatically make it a copy from harry potter
for future don’t just sate ur freaking lame arse opinions without knowing any facts harry potter is awsum nd so is percy jackson but they are completely different u dead brained fools!!!!! stick that in your articcle!
Did you get that from Harry Potter?
When I wrote The Lightning Thief, I knew comparisons to Harry Potter would be inevitable. After all, Harry Potter is the most successful and high-profile young adult fantasy series of all time. I love Rowling’s books, and I am grateful for the impact they’ve had on young readers and on the revitalization of children’s publishing.
And so to the question: Did the Harry Potter series influence Percy Jackson? In many ways, of course it did. I was amazed at the effect Harry Potter had in my own classroom. Something about these books struck a chord with kids. The books were humorous, adventurous, fantastical, and mysterious all at the same time. My students would read The Sorcerer’s Stone fourteen times before they’d pick up another book, because they said, “Nothing else is this good.” When I set out to write down the Percy Jackson story, which had started as a bedtime story for my son, I was mindful of what my students had been telling me. I wanted to write a book that would appeal to them for the same reasons that Harry Potter appealed to them.
But are some elements of Percy Jackson taken from Harry Potter? I’m always amused by comments like that, because it’s not that simple. My favorite comment: One adult looked at the American cover of the book, which features a picture of Cerberus, and said, “Look, a three-headed dog. Riordan obviously stole that from Fluffy in Harry Potter.” Umm . . . no. Actually, that dog is several thousand years older than Fluffy.
Many other elements of Percy Jackson are similar to Harry Potter because the novels draw from the same well of folklore and mythology. Some examples:
“Harry Potter has Platform 9 3/4; Percy Jackson has the 600th floor of the Empire State Building which leads to Mount Olympus, so this idea must’ve been taken from Potter.” The idea of a magical gateway to another land wasn’t invented in the Harry Potter series. It’s as old as children’s literature. Anyone remember the wardrobe into Narnia? Or the phantom tollbooth? All of these stem from mythology, and the idea of a secret entrance that led into the Underworld.
“Harry Potter has two friends, a boy and a girl. Percy Jackson has Grover and Annabeth. They must be identical.” Setting aside for a moment that the characters in question have very different personalities, and Grover isn’t even human . . . it’s a fairly common technique in folklore and children’s literature for a male protagonist to have a strong female counterpart so the story appeals to both girls and boys. Ged and Tenar from the Earthsea Trilogy. Hansel and Gretel. Theseus and Ariadne. Jason and Medea. Often there is a third companion to act as a foil for the hero. Again, this is a very old paradigm. The Harry Potter series uses it to great effect, but it by no means invented the formula.
“Percy Jackson is a regular kid who discovers he is special, and the world is really full of magic. This is just like Harry Potter.” Well, sure. It’s also just like the young heroes in the Greek myths.
In the second Percy Jackson book, there’s a scene where Annabeth summons the Grey Sisters (who in modern times drive a New York taxi) to take Percy and her to Camp Half-Blood. This will inevitably be compared to the Knight Bus in Harry Potter. It could just as easily be linked to the pumpkin coach in Cinderella, Aladin’s magic carpet, or Apollo’s sun chariot. The idea of a magical form of transportation has fascinated children for centuries, and appears over and over and in different guises.
So did I get some ideas from Harry Potter? In the sense that I am working with the same patterns, toying with the same mythology, doing variations on the same centuries-old themes — yes. But Percy Jackson is not Harry Potter, nor is Harry Potter where the ideas originated. If the Percy Jackson series accomplishes nothing else, I hope it will encourage readers to go back to the Greek myths — one of the taproots of children’s fantasy — and discover for themselves where many of our best modern novels (including the Potter books) drew inspiration.
This was by the author of percy jackson and the lightning theif
(http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html)
also in percy jackson they use the three headed dog which as all harry potter lovers know is used in harry potter 1 named fluffy
okay pjo fans listen up it’s time you all get some advice first harry potter wa published first second percy’s a halfblood right but so is harry potter swearing online not good and thirdly the 1 and 2 harry potter movies were not the best the 3 and 6 one were but that’s my thoughts and fourthlyharry potter didn’t rip off lord of the rings cause uh do you see harry carrying a ring following some creature and climbing up a mountain and fighting orcs i think not so lay off harry potter and the harry potter fans will lay of to oh and for the record in case anyone questions me i have read percy jackson and i don’t know what your talking bout harry potter was so much better now lay off
sorry jackson fans bout what i said i guess after reading the authors thoughts they both copy another book in some way he really touched my heart and sure i don’t like percy jackson i’m a harry potter girl but that’s just me so i’m really sorry and i’ll lay of percy i guess it’ll be a pretty good movie i mean he does look HOT i’m just in love with harry potter so that’s the last you’ll hear from me and again i’m really really truelly sorry guys we’ll lol bout it later ttfn
As someone above me said, Fluffy is from greek mitholagy not from Harry Potter. Fluffy guard a trap door. Cerebrus guards the entrance to Hades realm. It wasn’t copied from HP. PJ is about Greek gods and myths therefore it is from greek myths. Plus how many other books can you think of were a kid realizes he or she has powers and must save the world? THERE ARE ALOT!!!!!!!!!
you guys are talking absolute NONSENSE!!!! first of all its the title!!!
WAT, u guys want them to change the title because its “almost” as long as Harry Potter the Sorcere’s stone? y not say the same about Narnia, they have long titles too. Oh and if you have read the book then you would know that olympus actually is like that ( well not too dark ) you guys are just jealous and afraid and bagging on Percy Jackson cus u know that PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF is going to take harry potters thunder!
OH, and btw, Percy and Annabeth have hints of romance in every single book, and by hints i mean: holding each others, hand having mixed feelings, jeoulosy, etc. And i see practically non of that in harry potter until the last book. and a lil bit in the 6th
Hpooooooola a todos bueno no entiendo lo que ponen por que yo hablo en español pero yo cre que harry potter por ahora es mejor por que es como que le copiaroon un poco jajajajaja pero me encnagta percy kackson ya la quieor ir a ver i harry osi fanatica de el me encnata sus pelis son las mejores son genialeesss!!!!! besososososo1
Perhaps the trailer may be a “rip off” but the manuscript for the first book was finished in 1994 when JKR published Harry Potter & the (So/Phil.) Stone in ‘97. The story of the Olympians was a combination of Greek Mythology, and a bedtime story for Rick’s son, so the plot of the books itself was not a “rip off” of Harry Potter.
I think both authors did fabulously weaving fiction, history, and reality together, and that though there may be some similarities in plot and names it’s for good reason. There’s always love & war in eipc series, and JKR took a lot of names from mythology, which obviously Riordan had to do to make his whole story work.
Fox, however, does tend to make trailers seem incredibly generic. Columbus directing it i believe is just a conincidence, though.
You know what whatever u guys r just afraid because maybe a book is WAAAAAY better than harry potter, and for all of those who are saying that PJ ripped off harry potter Screw That!!!!!! O and BTW you should really READ the books BEFORE you say somethinf ukl regret. And if u do have something to say well bite ur tongue!!!! Here r some reasons y they are not similar
1. Its GREEK mythology, no posions, no wands!!!!!!!
2. Every book has a diff quest that leads to trying to defeat the titan lord kronos who is rising from the pits of tartaraus. Hhmmm, HP doesnt have ANY quests that leads to the destruction of voldemort
3. DONT MESS WITH PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS!!!!!!! OR HIS FANS!!!!!!!!!!!! BECAUSE WERE DIE HARD!!!!!!!
I’m like the BIGGEST Potter fan In The world,but I don’t think that there is anything wrong with the logo 4 Percy Jackson. I don’t think Percy jackson is taking a role of Harry Potter. Harry Potter is like THE BEST & now Percy is totally neck&neck with Harry, which is hard to believe. one last thing…… Why does everyone think twilight is soooo great. Both Harry & Percy are alot better.
Okay I’ve read both series and there are many similarities. No offense to Percy Jackson fans but I think the whole series is a big ripoff of Harry Potter. And yes I think Mount Olympus is almost identical to Hogwarts.
Okay I’ve read both series and there are many similarities. No offense to Percy Jackson fans but I think the whole series is a big ripoff of Harry Potter. And yes I think Mount Olympus is almost identical to Hogwarts and Harry Potter has sold millions of books so I think it has more fans than Percy Jackson.
Percy Jackson does not rip off Harry Potter. They both rip off the epic tradition on which all western literature is based.
Maybe you should dig into things before you go and bash them. I throughly enjoyed both Harry Potter, AND Percy Jackson. So what if they’re a little similar? I bet HP is similar to alot of books. I think PJ offers alot to a different audience, and some of the same audience. Alot of people read the book, and I think its brilliant.
OH BY THE WAY…. about Olympus and Hogwarts looking the same? Really? Olympus was designed to look the way it was probably described as in old texts. SO.!