A Jump From Book To Screen: “Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief” and “Gone Baby Gone”
- Matt Palmer
- Apr 13, 2025
- 2 min read
Over the last couple weeks, I have been checking out a couple film adaptations based on books. Now, it’s time to wrap it up with a couple more film adaptations: “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” and the highly acclaimed “Gone Baby Gone.”
Let’s get things started with “The Lightning Thief.” Always trouble-prone, the life of teenager Percy Jackson gets a lot more complicated when he learns he’s the son of the Greek god Poseidon.
At a training ground for the children of the deities, Percy learns to harness his divine powers and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime: he must prevent a feud among the Olympians from erupting into a devastating war on Earth, and rescue his mother from the clutches of Hades, god of the underworld.
While looking at information about the film adaptation of “The Lightning Thief”, I saw that the movie’s initial reviews were heavily mixed and even the author didn’t quite enjoy this movie and its sequel (which I’ll check out when I do another book to screen series). After watching the movie and not being familiar with the book, I thought this adaptation was entertaining.
“The Lightning Thief” does deliver a few action sequences that are both enjoyable to watch and visually great. The quest that the characters go on to find Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt also delivers some great excitement.
From what I’ve seen online, the film adaptation does deviate from the book in several ways and that really explains the mixed reaction from critics and audiences. So, if you haven’t seen this adaptation (or its sequel), you can currently check it out on Disney Plus. There is also the Disney Plus series based on the “Percy Jackson” books that is available to stream, which is said to be more faithful to the books!
In the highly acclaimed 2007 adaptation of “Gone Baby Gone,” along with his girlfriend, a private detective takes on the difficult task of searching for a kidnapped girl in Boston. During his investigation, he must deal with the girl’s aunt, a disapproving lawman and a drug dealer.
“Gone Baby Gone,” the film adaptation of the 1998 novel of the same name by author Dennis Lehane, is a truly gripping, dramatic thriller that delivers worthy performances and multiple twists and turns that will really catch you by surprise.
This adaptation really does keep you on your toes from start to finish It can be difficult to watch due to the subject matter involving child abductions and child abuse. “Gone Baby Gone” is, without a doubt, one of the most thought-provoking films I have ever seen.
And, if you haven’t seen the film yet, I won’t spoil anything about the last few moments of the film. The film’s ending is a truly thought-provoking moment that can blur the line of morality and determines whether a good decision can also be a bad one.
You can currently rent “Gone Baby Gone” via Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube and Fandango At Home.
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