The film is based around a teenager, Percy, who discovers he is the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.
Personally, I find Greek mythology very interesting and throughout the film I enjoyed the constant references to this, including bringing in characters to represent the ideology and the stories. The film manages to pay its respects to the Greek myths and conveys them in a fun way.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief is an enjoyable PG-rated family adventure in its own right, but Columbus’ film cannot live up to the Potter gold standard. Although it is not a perfect film, it does have a lot of passion that other franchise attempts have lacked. The film does have the right amount of action, humour, adventure and mythological allusions. Whilst the film may not have Potter’s complex world and multiple layers, it also does not have the angst and darkness. It replaces them with one thing in bulk: fun.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief is a safe, almost bland, test-marketed product made for teen mass consumption, but it works. It is a fun, effects-filled escapist adventure with several clever notions, my favourite being the fact that Medusa sells garden statues as a cover.
6.5/10
My Reviews - Film and TV 