Movie Review: “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”
Franck Tabouring
Seen on: February 9, 2010
The players: Director: Chris Columbus, Writer: Craig Titley, Cast: Logan Lerman, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario
Facts of interest: Chris Columbus also directed the first two "Harry Potter" films.
The plot: Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, must embark on a journey to prevent the gods from starting a nasty war that will destroy Earth.
Our thoughts: Filmmaker Chris Columbus returns to the adventure genre with the big-screen adaptation of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” and the result is a pretty straightforward family flick that plays it by the book and doesn’t take any risks when it comes to following a group of special teenagers embarking on a perilous quest to save the world.
Based on the novels by Rick Riordan, the film kicks off with Zeus (Sean Bean) threatening to ignite a massive war between gods because someone stole his powerful lightning bolt. For some reason the prime suspect is Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), a bored teenager who soon discovers he’s actually the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), the god of the sea.
With time running out, Percy is forced to head out to prove his innocence and prevent a war that could bring an end to the world. Together with his new demi-god buddies Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), he starts a dangerous journey that eventually takes him all the way to the scary underworld of Hades (Steve Coogan).
“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” is neither surprising nor disappointing. It’s a clean family adventure sticking to the conventions of the genre, and while it’s definitely not as suspenseful, magical or compelling as, say, the “Harry Potter” series, it still boasts a fast enough pace and enough decent action to at least entertain younger viewers.
I have not read the books and don’t know how it compares to the source material, but what I can say is that the script left me disappointed. The story doesn’t bear a lot of meaning, and to tell you the truth, I didn’t care all too much for any of the characters and their goals either. Much of all this is superficial, lacking both depth and the element of surprise.
Then there’s this new world Columbus wants to take us, and while some of it is visually pleasing, I have to admit the movie never really succeeded in pulling me into an onscreen world I felt I wanted to explore any further. Not many people in the movie seem to care about the fact Greek gods are the masters of the world, so why should I?
Paced rather well, the film features a handful of action scenes, and while they certainly boost the plot, most of them lack thrills. Battle scenes in particular fail to pack a punch, and none of these scenes qualify as compelling or memorable. Again, I felt rather indifferent to watching Percy battle his way through a bunch of bad guys.
“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” occasionally boasts some solid special effects, but none of them really stand out. The more experienced actors handle their roles well, but younger cast occasionally struggles, although I wouldn’t consider this a major problem. There’s just nothing really special about their performances.
Freaky quote: "Use this to defend yourself. It's a powerful weapon." - Pierce Brosnan, who's wearing a horse's ass in the movie.
The final word: That’s also a good way for me to sum up my thoughts: there is absolutely nothing special about “Percy Jackson.” For what it is, it’s a decent adventure - nothing more, nothing less. It could’ve been more exciting, sure, but at least it’s not as boring as some other films in the same genre. It’s an okay movie, that’s all.
Article by Franck Tabouring
Reader Comments (3)
I should know at my age that the movie is never going to be as good as the book. My daughter got the whole family reading the Percy Jackson series, and when we found out that there was going to be a movie of the The Lightning Thief she got so exited, and frankly so did I (especially with Chris Columbus at the helm). As the trailers were released, our collective hearts sank (but not half as much as much as when we saw the Last Airbender trailer...yikes). Now the reviews are hitting the webbernets, and it looks like the writers and Columbus ripped the heart out of the story. Thanks folks, I'm going to skip this one and hope whoever they get to direct Skulduggery Pleasant doesn't screw it up as badly.
Mesa no likey da movie. Dey left out soo much!
I agree. Read my posts on Alexandria Daddario scores role in 'Percy Jackson'