This week we’re pleased to have guest reviewer Jane Almirall join us at The Flickcast. Here’s her review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief — Editor

Until very recently, I hadn’t even heard of Percy Jackson.  I have not read any of the books and managed to not read or see anything about the movie until I saw the film trailer a few weeks ago. Now, having seen the film, an adaptation based on The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, I couldn’t help but notice similarities between Percy Jackson and another literary figure who has successfully segued onto the big screen.

I am speaking, of course, of Harry Potter.  Both young men resemble one another physically, grew up with absent (or dead) fathers and struggle to find acceptance within the context of the real world. Each discovers at a young age that they are powerful and special and are introduced to a magical world in which they are especially gifted and (for the most part) are made to feel welcome.  Both Harry and Percy are accompanied on their adventures by their two best friends – a boy and a girl.

That Percy Jackson & the Olympians:  The Lightning Thief is directed by Chris Columbus, who also helmed the first two – and my least favorite - Harry Potter films (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), is bound to invite comparisons between the two series – in which Percy Jackson will certainly fall short.

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I’ve been pretty excited about this film since I first heard about it a few months ago. The original Clash of the Titans was epic cinematic camp and featured Harry Hamlin, Ursula Andress and Laurence Olivier as Zeus. Now, they’re remaking it under the direction of Louis Leterrier, the man who brought Hulk back from the cinematic brink last year — and we’ve got some pictures to prove it.

Warner Brothers, the kind and generous people that they are, have released some nice images for Clash of the Titans which are better than the ones which originally appeared in Empire and Entertainment Weekly. The new pics (Taken by Jay Maidment) show Sam Worthington as Perseus, who goes on a quest to save Andromeda and defeat Hades, the god of the underworld.

Liam Neeson follows in the footsteps of Olivier and plays Zeus, the wise yet often angry and spiteful king of the gods who’s also Perseus’ father. Ralph Fiennes plays Hades, ruler of the underworld, who plans to destroy Zeus and rule over everything and everyone. Yes, these pictures are pretty cool and it looks like Worthington has got the sword-wielding thing down pretty well. But no shots of Medusa? Come on, that’s got to be in the movie or it just isn’t Clash of the Titans.

I’m sure they’re probably saving that for later. At least I hope so. The new Clash of the Titans opens on March 26, 2010. Check out the pics in bigger sizes after the jump.

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