In "Percy Jackson" we are introduced to Poseidon(Kevin McKidd) and Zeus(Sean Bean) who are arguing with each other on top of the Empire State Building. Zeus's lightning bolt(the most powerful weapon on Earth) has been stolen and Zeus suspects Poseidon's son, Percy Jackson(Logan Lerman) who is known as a demi-god which means half god half mortal. Because of this, numerous creatures(not all of them being good) try to hunt down Percy to get back the bolt because if it is not returned to Zeus, a war will break out between gods and Earth would fall apart as the gods wreaked havoc among each other.
As Percy is hunted, a centaur named Chiron(Peirce Brosnan) takes him away to Camp Half Blood to train with other demi-gods so that he will be able to stand up against the dangerous creatures that hunt him. Unfortunately, right before they enter the camp, Percy's mother is captured by a minion of Hades(Steve Coogan) and Percy becomes less intent of clearing his name with Zues and more intent on rescuing his mother. Now Percy, his friend Grover, and the daughter of Athena, Annabeth, embark on a quest across the U.S. to save Percy's mother and to clear his name with Zeus.
Wondering what the gods look like in modern day New York? Well, when they're on Mount Olympus, the gods actually look exactly the same as they would in any other tale (with the exception of Hades in the Underworld.) It's when they come out into New York that we see them transform from their togas into trench coats and pants(this is a cool effect/idea.) Besides gods, there were many mythical creatures that appear in the film. Examples are minotaurs, centaurs, and even the classic Greek antagonist Medusa(Uma Thurman). While Uma Thurman's Medusa has been modernized with the nice coat and sunglasses, the other creatures like Pierce Brosnan's centaur character still seem stuck in ancient times. These different creatures that are seen throughout the film give it a "Chronicles of Narnia" feel.
Now in the series that "Percy Jackson" is based on, Percy is just going into sixth grade; however, in the film, it is clear that he is at least in 10th or 11th grade(though it is not specified; the actor that plays Percy is 17). While I agree that this was probably a necessary decision to make, it also allowed for a darker more mature film. Unfortunately, even though the film was marketed to kids, it was indeed dark and it even had strong sensual themes at times. Some creatures (primarily Hades and Medusa) will most likely frighten a young child whose parents probably don't expect that kind of eerie feel to be in the film. Other things like the Underworld (in which skulls, fire, and destruction fill the atmosphere) are are very intense scenes. "Percy Jackson" also has very sensual/adult themes in select scenes. Near the beginning, Percy's friend comes across a group of girls and he tells Percy that he must go show them love because everyone knows where that leads...WHAT! You're marketing this film to children and this is what they are seeing and learning about the hero's of the film? As if that's not enough, he's seen several other times throughout the film with groups of women. Now the kids already are seeing the hero being some careless ladies man but oh no, he also is being hit on by Hades's wife where it is implied that they are about to "hook up" with each other showing the kids adultery and more sensual themes that are unnecessary. Overall, the idea of marketing this as a kid's movie...not the best idea. In fact I think it would have been better to intensify the film and go with the PG-13 approach, marketing it to teens and adults.
The other slightly disappointing factor about the film is that though the film is based around modern day Greek mythology, the actual gods didn't receive that much screen time. This was unfortunate because some of the gods/and the centaur, Chrion, were played by the better and more experienced actors(Sean Bean, Steve Coogan, Pierce Brosnan). I would have enjoyed the film more if I would have gotten to see Zeus, Poseidon, etc. in action with their powers. The only "god smack down" was in the end of the film and that was fought between two demi-gods.
Upsides to the film...good acting, good action and adventure, creative visual scenery, and overall a good start to what will hopefully be a popular franchise. I enjoyed "Percy Jackson" a great deal and it was much better than I was expecting it to be. But for future reference, 20th Century Fox, if you want to make a kids film, don't film it with adulterous wives, fire demons, and a snake covered, decapitated head being carried around half the film. Despite, the not so smart marketing decisions, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" still deserves a two and a half stars out of four.
"Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief" has a running time of two hours, and is rated PG for action violence and peril, some scary images and suggestive material, and mild language.
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