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"PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF"
(2010) (Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson) (PG)

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QUICK TAKE:
Action/Adventure: A teen must not only contend with discovering that he's the son of a mythological god, but also that he must find Zeus' stolen thunderbolt before a devastating battle takes place among the gods that could destroy Earth.
PLOT:
Percy Jackson (LOGAN LERMAN) is a teenager who's been enrolled in a special academy to deal with his dyslexia and ADHD. He lives with his mom, Sally (CATHERINE KEENER), but can't stand his crude and demanding stepfather, Gabe Ugliano (JOE PANTOLIANO). He finds solace in his friendship with Grover (BRANDON T. JACKSON) at school, but doesn't know his friend, as well as Mr. Brunner (PIERCE BROSNAN), are around to watch over and protect him.

That's because Percy is actually a demigod, the son of Poseidon (KEVIN McKIDD) who came down years ago from Mt. Olympus to father a child with Sally. Due to restrictions imposed by Zeus (SEAN BEAN), one of the three other main gods that includes Hades (STEVE COOGAN), Poseidon hasn't seen his son in years, but has tried to help him from afar. Now that's more important than ever as a war is about to break out between Zeus, Poseidon and Hades over Zeus' missing thunder bolt, a theft he attributes to Percy.

When that teen's life is endangered by mythological creatures sent by Hades, Grover -- who's really a satyr -- takes him to Camp Half Blood, a secure encampment run by Brunner -- who's actually a centaur by the name of Chiron -- for training. There, he meets the likes of Luke (JAKE ABEL), son of Hermes who volunteers to protect the newcomer, and warrior Annabeth (ALEXANDRA DADDARIO), daughter of Athena, who eventually realizes she must work with rather than against Percy.

After Hades kidnaps and takes Sally down to the underworld, Percy, Grover and Annabeth sneak off to rescue her, but must first collect three magical pearls that will allow them to escape from Hell where Hades lives with his kidnapped but alluring wife, Persephone (ROSARIO DAWSON). Along the way, they must contend with various mythological creatures, including Medusa (UMA THURMAN) whose gaze will turn anything to stone, and a fierce Hydra, all while racing against time to find the stolen lighting bolt and stop the pending war between the gods.

OUR TAKE: 5 out of 10
While kids nearly always have issues with both their moms and dads at one or more points in their lives, the majority seem to involve the papas more than the mamas. Of course, some of that stems -- as a generalization and certainly not a rule -- from the mothers usually being more of the nurturing type than the fathers, and are more often the ones who will stay at home with the kids as they grow up. Then there's the fact that many dads simply aren't around all of the time physically, and sometimes emotionally even when they are present.

Some even hit the road for any number of reasons ranging from being unable to cope with the parental responsibilities to not wanting to be burdened down by one or more rug rats. Many of the latter are egotistical and/or narcissistic types who think they're too busy and too important for such matters. It's highly unlikely, however, that most of them are actual gods. You know, as in the Greek mythology type including Zeus and others who reside high atop Mt. Olympus and occasionally come down to earth to father or bear children with mere mortals.

That resulted in half-breed characters known as demigods including the likes of Hercules, Achilles and...Percy Jackson. While you probably recognize the first two from school or Hollywood movies, the latter might be a mystery to you if you're not a kid or the parent of one who's read some or all of a popular novel series from author Rick Riordan that debuted back in 2005 and has sold millions of copies since then.

Considering the success of other pre-adult novel franchises that have exploded onto the movie scene of recent including the "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" works, it's little surprise that the "Percy Jackson & The Olympians" ones are now following suit. I'll admit I've never read any of them, but do like the premise of mixing ancient Greek mythology into a contemporary story featuring an unlikely kid thrown into the role of hero in a fantastical world that exists among us all.

Granted, that might sound conveniently similar to what occurred in J.K. Rowling's stories about a boy having similar experiences, albeit with fantastical characters that were unfamiliar to readers when they first debuted in print. And it's certainly not going to help that the director of the first two "Potter" films, Chris Columbus, is behind the camera for this one as well.

The reported back-story of the genesis of these works indicates it wasn't a blatant rip-off, but the similarities do steal a bit of the thunder of at least this filmed version of the first entry in the series, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief." That, and the fact that it isn't as good as any of the "Potter" flicks (which would explain why it's being released in February rather than the prime summer or end of the year holiday slots) likely means it won't be as big of a hit.

Yet, the overall experience is far from a disaster, and there are various pleasures to be had, at least for yours truly who grew up on and was mesmerized by those mythological stories of old. The fun is being reintroduced to some of those fantastical characters, and the modern day updates applied to them. Most notable is Uma Thurman as Medusa, the serpent-haired temptress with a gaze that can literally turn anyone to stone. There's also the multi-headed Hydra and a fury, both of which could be fairly unsettling (in a good way) for younger kids, with them, other material and some suggestive content pushing the boundaries of the surprising PG rating.

As the hero, Logan Lerman is fine, but doesn't quite stand out as much as Daniel Radcliffe playing Potter. Like that character, the hero here has a male and female sidekick (Brandon T. Jackson as a satyr and Alexandra Daddario as the capable warrior daughter of Athena), both of which also don't quite match up to their counterparts. Jake Abel ends up as the villain, but also comes off as mediocre, while the likes of Sean Bean as Zeus and Kevin McKidd as Poseidon (and the protag's absent father) aren't afforded much material with which to work.

Pierce Brosnan appears as the lone instructor for these special teens (yet another similarity), but the fact that he's playing a centaur (human head and torso, horse body from there down) elicits some unintentional laughs. Other laughs come from a scene where the Lady Gaga song "Poker Face" plays in another modern day riff on old myths (in this case, that of the lotus flower, now taking place in a casino), resulting in an unlikely combo ("Gods and Gaga").

What's present is passable enough, but the overriding problem -- beyond the familiarity of the general storyline and thus lack of coming off as special -- is that it isn't as magical as one would like. And it certainly lacks the intricate and fun attention to detail that's made the "Potter" flicks generally entertaining (especially concerning one's first exposure to that new, fantastical world).

It's hard to predict if that will arrive in later installments or if we'll just get more of the same (with other newly resurrected mythological beings and elements), but that general lack prevents "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" from being as entertaining as it could and should have been. The film rates as a 5 out of 10.




Reviewed February 9, 2010 / Posted February 12, 2010


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