Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
“Take this. It is a deadly weapon.”
“This is a pen. THIS IS A PEN!”
Summary:
Based on the novel Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, this movie begins with an argument between two of the most powerful gods, Zeus and Poseidon. Zeus’ Master Bolt had been stolen, and Poseidon was suspected to be to blame. With the newfound discovery of Poseidon’s demigod son, Olympus was a pot boiling towards a war for the ages.
Percy Jackson was just an ordinary kid, who lived with his mom and her smelly husband Gabe. That was, until he took a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is at this point that Percy is attacked by a Fury. Bewildered by what he had just seen, Percy is rushed home by Grover, his crippled best friend. Upon arriving at home, Percy, Grover, and Sally Jackson, Percy’s mom, leave immediately in hopes of getting to a summer camp.
The true danger of their situation finally sets in when they are faced with the Minotaur. Percy watches his mother evaporate into the air, and something inside snaps. He fights the Minotaur, finally killing it, and then passes out. When he wakes, Grover takes him around camp, where Chiron finally explains why Percy is being hunted by Zeus and his minions. With the goal of saving his mother, and finding the Master Bolt, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth sneak out on a quest to save the world and Olympus, unknowing of the dangers ahead.
Characters:
Percy Jackson (played by Logan Lerman) is a somewhat confident teenager who seems to be pretty good with a sword and he shows that he is a leader who is very determined to save his mom. Annabeth Chase as (played by Alexandra Daddario) is definitely a competent and intelligent warrior whose experience in the world of the gods helps Percy along his journey so that his mission is successful. Grover Underwood (played by Brandon T. Jackson) gives a slightly different perspective into the world and helps explain things to Percy but is usually the comic relief who is a lady’s man.
Austin: 7.4/10
While this movie does a very good job developing the main three protagonists, many of the other characters are rushed in and out of scenes. Characters like Chiron and Luke, are introduced, but the viewer is left with a lot of questions surrounding both characters.
The plot of the movie is one of the biggest strengths of this movie. It flows from one scene to the next quite smooth, and it is relatively easy to follow. The moments of high tension are relieved by the comedic scenes, and this allows the movie to be an enjoyable watch without overwhelming the viewer with emotions.
This movie kept me engaged for the majority of the two hours, although there are a few moments that became boring. The action scenes are very well written and produced, but certain moments in-between lost my attention before brining it back with a splash of comedy or action.
All in all, I would say this movie is entertaining for fans of action movies with children that are not quite old enough as it limits the amount of blood and gore in comparison to other movies in the genre. The characters work well together, and I found myself feeling like I knew Percy, Annabeth, and Grover personally by the end of the movie.
Nathanyal: 6.0/10
As a standalone movie, this movie would have been pleasurable to watch. There was tense action, suspense, and passable dialogue. However, as many viewers watch the movie after reading the books, its flaws are shown. As the characters are older in the movie, many sections of the novel are cut out, and some other fights are added in. Also, the characters behave differently from their novel counterparts.
Sebastian: 6.0/10
The film’s strengths are definitely in its action with well made and thought out fights as well as decent characters who the audience can root for. If this film had not been based on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians novels perhaps it would be looked on as a better film. Other than major changes from the book, the only major weakness I had with the film was that the dialogue was sometimes weird and or on the nose.
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Sources:
Columbus, Chris, et al. Percy Jackson & the Olympians, the Lightning Thief. 20th Century Fox, 2010.
