By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on February 12, 2010 10:30 AM
The Percy Jackson Series Hits The Big Screen Offering A Modern Twist On Greek Mythology, Featuring New York City's Iconic Landmarks Like Central Park And The Empire State Building
Greek Mythology Meets Modern NYC
If you have, know, or have spoken to a preteen over the last year, you have probably seen them clutching one of the “Percy Jackson” books. Now, the first movie based on the series (five books in all) by Rick Riordan finally opens today in New York (and across the country). The series highlights a group of kids who are demigods: Each one has a parent who is an Olympic God: Greek mythology made modern. Plot?
Young Percy, who’s the son of Poseidon, is wrongly accused of stealing a powerful lightning bolt from the gods and must set about to clear his name, all while dealing with adolescent issues. Oh yes, his mom gets kidnapped and taken to Hades, his two best friends (a satyr; the daughter of Athena) have issues of their own, and so on. What makes the movie especially intriguing for New Yorkers, however, is that much of it is set here, and much of it was filmed here.
Discovering Percy Jackson's New York Adventure
Pivotal scenes take place in and around The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the museum will actually be running family workshops inspired by the book in March and April. (Semi-spoiler alerts approaching: the Greek galleries play an important role, and much filming took place in front of the building last summer.) Another important landmark in the book: The Empire State Building, or, to be more specific, the top of the Empire state Building and beyond...) Central Park also plays a role, as does the Upper East Side. So when you’ve seen the movie, check out the actual landmarks that inspired the scenes--and get ready for Percy Jackson fever to take over.
