Yeah, its real smart to be playing with electricity in the water...
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Melina Kanakaredes, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman
directed by Chris Columbus
Before anyone even starts to berate me about it, no, I haven’t read the book. I’d never even heard of the series until I first saw the trailer for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I have, however, always had a fascination with the myths about the Greek gods and heroes. Even if you haven’t read the original literature, who doesn’t love Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans? All I could tell from that preview was that someone is trying to continue the story of the gods of Olympus; and that could be pretty cool.
The story of the Lightning Thief is told from the perspective of the children of the gods, or, demi-gods. Percy Jackson (Lerman) thinks he’s a normal kid until one day, at school, he is attacked by a winged creature known as a fury. She demands to know what he has done with the Bolt. Percy is saved by his friend Grover (Jackson) and his teacher Mr. Brunner (Brosnan), and finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. He is then rushed off to a training ground for such demi-gods as himself. The Bolt, the great weapon of Zeus (Bean) has been stolen, and the entire Greek world believes that Percy has stolen it. A war between the gods threatens to tear the world as we know it apart unless the Bolt is returned. The where abouts of the Bolt are unknown to Percy, but he has a bigger problem to deal with; Hades (Coogan) has taken his mother hostage. Percy must cross the country in search of a way to save his mother, and the world, before it is too late.
Kudos to the creative team of the film. The classic Greek mythos is handled successfully, at least for the most part. The blend between our modern world and that of the Olympians is quite seamless and entertaining to see. It is difficult to permanently suspend belief, though; some of the details are rushed and/or unexplained. Why is Mount Olympus centered over New York? Why is the portal to Hades in Hollywood, California? Why is Medusa still alive, years after being killed at the hands of Perseus? How is Percy capable of sword fighting and water manipulation without prior knowledge and training of who he really is? Good story telling is in the details, and they are sadly skimmed over throughout much of the film. Five to ten minutes of added in dialogue could have fixed much of these issues, but it obviously isn’t important to the film makers.
The acting was what you would expect. Sean Bean is convincing as Zeus. Uma Thurman looks like she had a lot of fun as Medusa. It is also quite odd to see Steve Coogan play the Lord of the Underworld; it is unexpected, but pleasant. However, the focal point is on the kids. Logan Lerman handles the role of Percy quite well. He takes the knowledge of being a child of a god a bit too easily and matter of factly for me, but Lerman definitely has a future in movie making; he just needs a bit more maturity in films. Brandon T. Jackson is amazing and hysterical in Tropic Thunder. In The Lightning Thief, those same qualities make him almost unwatchable. What is supposed to be comic relief only comes across rather annoying. But all in the all, the cast do what they are paid to do.
Kudos to the special effects team, too. Great CGI, and one hell of a lightning riddled fight scene at the end. The visuals are actually the best and most entertaining aspects of the entire movie.
It has to be said though: the main issue with the film is the major and undeniable similarities to the Harry Potter films. Yes, there are differences, but mainly because of copyright laws. At least, that’s my opinion. Percy Jackson is Harry; a more than meets the eye boy with powers he doesn’t even know the limits of. Grover is the stupidly lovable best friend; sounds like Ron Weasley to me. Then there’s smart and clever Annabeth, daughter of Athena; she is the Hermione Granger. Add in a ton of daddy and mommy issues for the characters. Betrayal by an friend. Magical kids at a school for magical kids. Plus, it doesn’t help that director Chris Columbus directed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as well as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Did a ton of material get lost in the transition? More than likely. But it doesn’t change the fact that much of The Lightning Thief is shocking unoriginal. That combined with a par cast and missing plot details makes the film completely lack luster. However, I cannot say that I was not entertained. The Lightning Thief is definitely a good time, and the target young age group is sure to enjoy it. Just don’t dig too deep; you’ll come up with a shiny bolt of lightning and a ton of unanswered questions.
Be Ye (greek) Gods?!
Yeah, its real smart to be playing with electricity in the water...
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Melina Kanakaredes, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman
directed by Chris Columbus
Before anyone even starts to berate me about it, no, I haven’t read the book. I’d never even heard of the series until I first saw the trailer for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I have, however, always had a fascination with the myths about the Greek gods and heroes. Even if you haven’t read the original literature, who doesn’t love Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans? All I could tell from that preview was that someone is trying to continue the story of the gods of Olympus; and that could be pretty cool.
The story of the Lightning Thief is told from the perspective of the children of the gods, or, demi-gods. Percy Jackson (Lerman) thinks he’s a normal kid until one day, at school, he is attacked by a winged creature known as a fury. She demands to know what he has done with the Bolt. Percy is saved by his friend Grover (Jackson) and his teacher Mr. Brunner (Brosnan), and finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. He is then rushed off to a training ground for such demi-gods as himself. The Bolt, the great weapon of Zeus (Bean) has been stolen, and the entire Greek world believes that Percy has stolen it. A war between the gods threatens to tear the world as we know it apart unless the Bolt is returned. The where abouts of the Bolt are unknown to Percy, but he has a bigger problem to deal with; Hades (Coogan) has taken his mother hostage. Percy must cross the country in search of a way to save his mother, and the world, before it is too late.
Kudos to the creative team of the film. The classic Greek mythos is handled successfully, at least for the most part. The blend between our modern world and that of the Olympians is quite seamless and entertaining to see. It is difficult to permanently suspend belief, though; some of the details are rushed and/or unexplained. Why is Mount Olympus centered over New York? Why is the portal to Hades in Hollywood, California? Why is Medusa still alive, years after being killed at the hands of Perseus? How is Percy capable of sword fighting and water manipulation without prior knowledge and training of who he really is? Good story telling is in the details, and they are sadly skimmed over throughout much of the film. Five to ten minutes of added in dialogue could have fixed much of these issues, but it obviously isn’t important to the film makers.
The acting was what you would expect. Sean Bean is convincing as Zeus. Uma Thurman looks like she had a lot of fun as Medusa. It is also quite odd to see Steve Coogan play the Lord of the Underworld; it is unexpected, but pleasant. However, the focal point is on the kids. Logan Lerman handles the role of Percy quite well. He takes the knowledge of being a child of a god a bit too easily and matter of factly for me, but Lerman definitely has a future in movie making; he just needs a bit more maturity in films. Brandon T. Jackson is amazing and hysterical in Tropic Thunder. In The Lightning Thief, those same qualities make him almost unwatchable. What is supposed to be comic relief only comes across rather annoying. But all in the all, the cast do what they are paid to do.
Kudos to the special effects team, too. Great CGI, and one hell of a lightning riddled fight scene at the end. The visuals are actually the best and most entertaining aspects of the entire movie.
It has to be said though: the main issue with the film is the major and undeniable similarities to the Harry Potter films. Yes, there are differences, but mainly because of copyright laws. At least, that’s my opinion. Percy Jackson is Harry; a more than meets the eye boy with powers he doesn’t even know the limits of. Grover is the stupidly lovable best friend; sounds like Ron Weasley to me. Then there’s smart and clever Annabeth, daughter of Athena; she is the Hermione Granger. Add in a ton of daddy and mommy issues for the characters. Betrayal by an friend. Magical kids at a school for magical kids. Plus, it doesn’t help that director Chris Columbus directed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as well as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Did a ton of material get lost in the transition? More than likely. But it doesn’t change the fact that much of The Lightning Thief is shocking unoriginal. That combined with a par cast and missing plot details makes the film completely lack luster. However, I cannot say that I was not entertained. The Lightning Thief is definitely a good time, and the target young age group is sure to enjoy it. Just don’t dig too deep; you’ll come up with a shiny bolt of lightning and a ton of unanswered questions.