Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Also In The News
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By Denise Trench
Atlantic, out Monday February 7th 2010. |  |
Tuesday, 09, Feb 2010 04:22
By Peter Walker
Directed by Chris Columbus, out February 12th, starring Logan Lerman, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman and Steve Coogan, running time 110 minutes .
What's it all about?
The eponymous Percy finds out that far from being a dyslexic, ADHD suffering 'loser', he is in fact Perseus, son of Poseidon; and is accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt. Struggling with his new identity, he embarks on a voyage of discovery and adventure in an attempt to prove his innocence, rescue his mother and save the world.
As an example.
Dr Brunner (Pierce Brosnan): "There are 12 Olympian gods, these three are the brothers Zeus, Posiedon and Hades, on several occasions they would come down to earth and."
Grover (Brandon T Jackson): "Hook up?"
Dr Brunner: "They would 'hook up' with mortals, the children of these unions were half god, half human."
What the others say
"Yes, it's got scripting issues, and no, it's not the most complex, multi-layered piece of family filmmaking out there. But it's fantastic fun, it knows its Greek mythology, and it's a very promising start to a franchise." - News of the World
"Young fans of the books will be the main targets for the film, but in truth it is darn good family entertainment for everyone." - The Daily Mirror
So is it any good?
After making two Harry Potter films, director Chris Columbus was the obvious choice to begin a new book adaptation franchise with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. And with Rick Riordan's source material, Columbus has some similar source material to work with: unwitting boy dealing with immense power and responsibility - check, secret training camp for similarly gifted children - check, stern love interest and accident-prone friend - check.
The plot is equally fantastical, only instead of a wizard conspiracy it is the mythical Greek god's that are actually real, their demi-god offspring littering the world, with most ending up at the 'half-blood camp' to hone their skills. An all-star cast is also present, with Pierce Brosnan transformed into the mentor Centaur, Sean Bean as the lightening-less Zeus, Uma Thurman playing Medusa, and best of all, a Saxondale-esque Steve Coogan as god of the underworld; Hades.
But before becoming too cynical, there are some crucial differences: the film is set in America, so his friend (and goat-legged watcher) Grover is instead a stereotypical wise-cracking black guy, our hero is a dashing Zac Effron-a-like, and their quest takes them to Nashville (the Parthenon), Vegas (the Layer of the Lotus eaters) and the Empire State building (the gateway to Olympus).
These transatlantic differences also extend to the general tone of the film, so where successive Harry Potter films have become darker and more depressing, this is a much more Hollywood, fast-paced, action adventure.
It may have a daft title, ludicrous plot, and some pretty hammy acting, but it is still a genuinely entertaining and exciting family film.
7/10