Review of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (PG)

Plot
Percy Jackson (Lerman) is startled to discover, after a monstrous attack by his maths teacher, that he is a demi-god, the son of Poseidon (McKidd), and his best friend is a satyr (Jackson). But a war is brewing between the gods over the theft of Zeus’ (Bean) lightning bolt, and Percy is chief suspect…

Review
A fantasy film based on a best-selling series of books. Chris Columbus directing the first instalment in a hoped-for franchise. Dewy-eyed young stars surrounded by quick turns from more famous and respected faces. Haven’t we been here before?

The differences between Percy Jackson and the mighty Harry Potter, however, are as marked as the similarities. Our ordinary boy (3.10 To Yuma’s Logan Lerman) enters a fantastical world when it’s revealed that his absentee father was the Greek god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), and that instantly creates a darker canvas. Whereas wizards may be eccentric, the Olympians are, to a deity, rapacious, violent and tyrannous. For anyone who knows their classics, therefore, there’s a grotesque undercurrent to the comic marital bickering between Hades (Steve Coogan) and his abducted bride Persephone (Rosario Dawson), and an unpleasant twinge when Uma Thurman’s seductive Medusa notes that she used to “date” Poseidon: in legend, his rape caused her metamorphosis into a snake-coiffed monster.

That said, the action is firmly on a PG level, as Percy dodges monsters on his way to “Camp Half-Blood” to meet his fellow demi-gods. All are barred from contact with their divine parents by order of Zeus (Sean Bean), instantly setting up a whole raft of father and mother complexes for the super-powered offspring. The Dumbledore figure holding these psychotherapy candidates together is the centaur Chiron (Pierce Brosnan, clearly having a ball), but soon Percy, his satyr friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and daughter-of-Athena Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) head off on their mission to save Percy’s mum (Catherine Keener) from the Underworld – and coincidentally save the world.

The plot races, especially by the standards of an origin story, Columbus mixing monsters and emotional beats with a touch that’s far lighter than he demonstrated in the first two Potters – perhaps thanks to more judicious story editing. Here, he skips nimbly between monster-fighting action (a Fury, the Minotaur, a hydra), bits of comic relief (Grover explaining that some demi-gods become celebrities; “like, White House famous”) and the development of a world that invites further exploration. When the biggest irritation is the American pronunciation of satyr as “SAY-ter”, it’s apparent that Potter may at last have a worthy successor.

Verdict
Slavishly follows every rule of the kids’ fantasy franchise genre, but it’s a well-executed and imagined world. Bet the sequel’s darker.

Reviewer: Helen O'Hara

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Average user rating for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Entertaining, I Guess.

I wasn't totally won over by Percy Jackson And The Lighting Thief. Sure, it does have some good special effects, I like Greek mythology so that's a win and some funny moments. Other than that, it falls down flat with a mixture of stars that really shouldn't be in this. I couldn't really warm to any of the characters, maybe I wasn't in the right mood of watching it but it seemed boring to me. ... Read More

joanna likes films About me
11:48, 12 July 2010 \| Report This Post




Entertaining, I Guess.

I wasn't totally won over by Percy Jackson And The Lighting Thief. Sure, it does have some good special effects, I like Greek mythology so that's a win and some funny moments. Other than that, it falls down flat with a mixture of stars that really shouldn't be in this. I couldn't really warm to any of the characters, maybe I wasn't in the right mood of watching it but it seemed boring to me. ... Read More

joanna likes films About me
11:48, 12 July 2010 \| Report This Post




RE: read the book columbus

L: Qwerty Norris It's a credit to Chris Columbus he's managed to create a piece of mild entertainment out of a script that is so brain-numbingly stupid it leaves you with a sore head. A film with countless plotholes, laughable product placement (combat forces of darkness with a bloody I-phone!!! )and a complete massacring of Ancient Greek mythology – centred around a hugely unlikable protagonist in the shape of the son of Poseidon (Logan Lermon – a poor man's Zac Efron). I don't know what ... Read More

robwillphill About me
11:40, 23 March 2010 \| Report This Post




RE: Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief
It is okay, never read read the book and I suspect the books have a lot more depth. The filmed whizzed along too quickly, leaving a hectic plot (with loads of holes) little character and some cool design and mythology. More eragon than Harry potter. Still entertaining enough, just, 5/10 ... Read More

genejoke About me
19:56, 20 March 2010 \| Report This Post




RE: Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief
yeah the mytholgy is great and like how it was done but can't ignore the things about what's good in the book being changed and left out. ... Read More

anakin solo About me
22:48, 10 March 2010 \| Report This Post




RE: Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief

You are clearly a purist of the book Anakin Solo which is fair enough. If I had read the book and loved it I would probably be upset with his changes and ommisions too. However as someone who has only seen the film I thought it was good fun trying to do with Greek mytholgy what the Harry Potter books have with wizards and witches having a training camp as opposed to Hogwarts (unless these bokks came out first?) etc. ... Read More

Cruisecontroller About me
15:03, 10 March 2010 \| Report This Post




RE: Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief
That was good but the point is that columbus ruined it and their is no way i'm adding this film to my dvd collection. ion. ... Read More

anakin solo About me
23:16, 08 March 2010 \| Report This Post




RE: Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief

Okay I haven`t read the books so I don`t know if this is a fair competent film version or not of them but having seen the film I have to say it was exciting and visually stunning fun. The cgi was amazing (honestly you could almost beleive Pierce Bronson was half horse! if the gods were going to be anywhere it wouldn`t be above the clouds of the Empire State Building it would be Athens but that aside having demi gods in the present day with a training camp was a fun idea. I`m sure Clash of The T... Read More

Cruisecontroller About me
15:17, 08 March 2010 \| Report This Post






Book fans lock and load as another classic novel is destroyed by Hollywood. Looking at this film you may think that it will be a nice family day out enjoyed by all...well your wrong. Not only has Chris Columbus decided to skip over the important part of any film and read the core text, but decided to burn it on the hearth and fill his film with a bunch of wooden and uninteresting actors. For starters Grover is a shy nerdy coward who was able to overcome his fears to support his friends. He is no... Read More

RanDom1 About me
22:32, 07 March 2010 \| Report This Post






Book fans lock and load as another classic novel is destroyed by Hollywood. Looking at this film you may think that it will be a nice family day out enjoyed by all...well your wrong. Not only has Chris Columbus decided to skip over the important part of any film and read the core text, but decided to burn it on the hearth and fill his film with a bunch of wooden and uninteresting actors. For starters Grover is a shy nerdy coward who was able to overcome his fears to support his friends. He is no... Read More

RanDom1 About me
22:32, 07 March 2010 \| Report This Post




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