MOVIE REVIEW: PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (English/U)

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Release Date: 11 February 2010
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Running Time: 119 mins.
Director: Chris Columbus
Producers: Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Karen Rosenfelt

Writer: Craig Titley, Joe Stilman; Rick Riordan (novel)

Casts: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T Jackson, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan
Plot: Trouble-prone teen Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of school but that's the least of his problems. The gods of Mount Olympus and other assorted monsters seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology texts and into his life and they're not happy. Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, Percy and his friends must embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true thief, save Percy's mother, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.

THE VERDICT

The Percy Jackson chronology is a movie that depicts the Greek mythology world in a consensus of a child. The world which has Medusa, Hermes, Poseidon and Zeus is apparently an adaptation from Rick Riordan and was picked up by none other than Chris Columbus (director of the first two Harry Potter). There is a different level of perception of this movie from various point of view; a child or a grown-up like me. Nevertheless, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is heavily casted but lack in fun and enjoyable ride. Otherwise, the question remains, is this better than Harry Potter?

Percy Jackson, a troubled teenager is unaware that he is the son of Poseidon. One day, Zeus lost his mystical thunder bolt is missing and accuses Poseidon's son for stealing it. Zeus gave Poseidon a 14-days period for the bolt to be returned or else war will be forged on earth. Percy has no choice but to embark a journey to retrieve the bolt as an exchange for his mortal mother from the hands of Hades and as well to stop the war between the Gods.

First of all, I have to say that the story is pretty much sounds like any of those from Harry Potter. Why? In Harry Potter, we have Harry, Hermione and Ron; where we equally have Percy, Annabeth and Grover, providing the same kind of characters and personalities. Then, we have the similar fast-paced action that is solved with a magical wand (sort of like that). Also, both of them revolves around a Half-Blood. To say this movie a resemblance and preferably the new Harry Potter is quite of an overstatement, but there is no reason to not compare between the two franchise particularly when we have Chris Columbus directing both features.

As I said earlier, the plot is fast-paced but done in a coordinated way. Luckily, the story flow was not too choppy and it still bear a significant story-telling. It has a very clear plot of journey but it lacks in consistency at times. The movie tries to be serious with its stern tone while Columbus also injected some comedy relief in the form of Grover with his non-sense talking. When it becomes serious, there are times when it becomes silly and uninteresting too. The movie appeals to children or young adolescent but there are times when I feel the action sequences are not so suitable for this age group. Oh wait, this is another Harry Potter isn't it?

The movie is powered by a strong supporting cast while I have to say, the three main characters did a decent job there. While having the names like Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman and Rosario Dawson did little to make the movie more special. The probably most interesting character there was Hades (played by Steve Coogan). A Mick Jagger-type from the outside but burning souls from the inside, the character is not what I'm expecting for.

The movie did a lot of exploration on the Greek mythology world that sets themselves way advance in the modern day. The usage of Hydra, Medusa, minotaur and the Fury although is something into a more mystical approach but it gave some form of excitement too. There is no doubt that the CG and effects are great to watch. In the end of the day, Percy Jackson and co deserves a decent critics from me where in overall, the plot wasn't that enjoyable but the exploration is in fact very in-depth. So, expect a second one in 2012, anyone?

THE RATING:
Story – 2.5 stars
Casts – 3.5 stars
Cinematography – 4.0 stars
Effects – 3.5 stars
OVERALL – 3.0 stars

GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 12.7