The Lightning Thief : Lacking Electricity

I really was not sure what to expect when I went to see Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I first saw the trailer back in December during previews for Avatar. Interested in what I had seen, I went home and learned it was based off of author Rick Riordan’s children series. Over my winter break from college, I spent my nights reading the series. After finishing the books, I became aware that Riordan didn’t waste time telling his tale. Everything happened for a reason, all locations had a role to play, and the characters made the series what it truly was. For the film, Director Chris Columbus shares the same idea as Riordan. Columbus, like Riordan, doesn’t waste time moving the story, but what works for the books causes the fast-paced movie to stumble.

The Lightning Thief essentially is another tale of a hero’s journey. Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), a dyslexic ADHD teenager, lives with his mother and lazy abusive stepfather in New York City. Never knowing whom his real father was, Percy’s life takes a turn for the worse when Zeus’ Lightning Bolt is stolen. After being attacked by a Fury, Percy finds himself at Camp Half-Blood where he learns he is the son of Poseidon and the suspected culprit of the stolen weapon. Tasked with the retrieval of the bolt before the summer solstice, Percy along with Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and Annabeth(Alexandra Daddario), a beautiful, but deadly daughter of Athena, have fourteen days to find and return Zeus’ weapon before the gods go to war. Unfortunately, Hades holds Percy’s mother prisoner in the Underworld with Zeus’ bolt as ransom. With a war brewing in Olympus and the life of his mother in his hands, Percy must find a way to save his mother and end the feud between Poseidon and Zeus before the planet becomes their battlefield.

The film’s intriguing story fuses Greek mythology with American landscapes and culture. Encounters with monsters from the Greek mythos are a visual blast to watch, but some fall short due to the lack of intensity. One encounter worth mentioning is the stone garden scene in which Uma Thurman, channels Medusa herself, in a vicious, yet seductive performance. While searching for an item for their quest, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth become separated in Medusa’s lair. Thurman’s performance excels as she uses her voice and words to seduce her victims into their eternal stone tombs. With the added lifelike CGI snakes for her hair, the encounter with Medusa will leave you squirming in your seat.

CGI plays a major component in creating a good portion of what is seen on screen. Creatures such as the hellhounds, the hydra, and the set of Olympus are visually stimulating. However, the CGI scenes in the Underworld steal the show. The burning landscapes, destroyed buildings, streams of lost dreams, and the screaming damned souls are more than enough to chill you to the core.

Acting in the film for the most part was decent. The young cast of Lerman, Jackson, and Daddario make up a very likable cast to watch on the big screen. Lerman plays a great Percy but the character’s depth is nowhere to be seen due to the rushed pace of the plot. Jackson brought the comedy relief, which brought laughs throughout the audience. It was a bit odd seeing him in The Lightning Thief after his performance in Tropic Thunder. I half expected him to whip out a can of Booty Sweat. Daddario’s performance as Annabeth truly took me by surprise. She brings out the deadly and elegant side of Riordan’s character. Also, is it me or do Daddario’s eyes pierce your soul? Just the look in her eyes at times defines her character perfectly.

My major complaints for this film and the reason I can’t recommend this for everyone is two-part. First, as I touched upon before, the rushed pace really ruins the movie. Hades takes Percy’s mother and next thing we know Percy’s having great time playing capture the flag, where he learns to master a sword in a matter of minutes with no prior practice. All this happens within a fifteen-minute window. This ties into the second complaint. Your mother was just taken from you and instead of showing remorse or any sign of emotion, you are running around having a blast. Then a few minutes later Percy is all, “OH NO. MOMMY =(.” There is no character depth at all in this film. When Percy plans to sneak out of Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth just decides to tag along with a lame excuse. In any hero’s origin story, the character development is the most vital key. Seeing a hero struggle from going zero to hero makes the movie that much better. Sadly Percy just happens to become a better fighter with no practice at all.

Fans of the series can expect to find the book’s storyline thrown out the window. There is no Great Prophecy, no plot with Ares, no encounter with Kronos, and the story layout to be changed. The gods know about Percy. There is no rule permitting the Big Three, Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades, from having children. I don’t understand why the biggest factors from the book series, that could have increased the character development and plot dramatically, were taken out. It would have lead to a lot better movie.

In the end Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief feels like a static shock. While the overall experience wasn’t great, I can’t deny that there are fun moments scattered about, some good jokes to be had, and spectacular CGI moments.  I can’t say it was flat out terrible in my experience, but I can’t say it was great either. The kids will love it, but it’ll be mostly hit or miss with anyone else. If I were to give it a grade it would be a C. If you do happen to find yourself going to watch this movie, make sure to stay a bit into the credits to catch the additional scene. You’ll get a laugh out of it.

-For Additional reviews read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Dud by Keshaunta Moton