Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I must admit I went into the cinema with very low expectations for Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (as stupid and unwieldy a title as I've ever heard). And, to be fair, it wasn't as awful as all that. The film was directed by Chris Columbus (of Harry Potter and Home Alone fame) from a novel by Rick Riordan. Logan Lerman stars as the titular hero, accused of stealing Zeuss' (a tragically underused Sean Bean) lighting bolt and is given fourteen days to return it before there is a war amongst the Olympic Gods. Yes, I probably should have mentioned that Jackson is the son of Greek god of the sea Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) and a human woman, making Percy a demigod, and Zeuss' nephew. Though Percy had nothing to do with the theft, his uncle Hades (Steve Coogan) believes he did and is determined to take the bolt from Percy for himself. Thus, our hero is summoned to a special camp for those of both Godly and mortal parentage, run by the centaur Chiron (a very bearded Pierce Brosnan) so he can learn to defend himself. However, Percy and two friends, the satyr (if you're into nitpicking, which I am, it is actually the Roman version of a satyr. Not Greek) Grover portrayed by an entertaining Brandon T. Jackson and demigod Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario). They then come across various Greek mythical creatures while attempting to return the lighting to its rightful owner. (Though quite why these Greek creatures have all moved to America is uncertain.)

The film is reasonably well acted and directed. The story, while somewhat ridiculous and overflowing with plot-holes, is always entertaining. However, the film just lacks something. I think it's heart. For example (slight spoiler coming up) when Percy realizes his mother is dead, he looks mildly miffed for about 30 seconds then goes about his day as though nothing untoward has occurred! Percy Jackson is also found wanting in comparison to the Harry Potter films through their use of actors. With Harry Potter even if the rest of the film was utter dross, the appearance of such stalwarts as Sir Michael Gambon and Richard Harris before him, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith et al would make the film at least passable. Though Percy Jackson, too, has plenty of stars to name drop, not only Bean, Brosnan and McKidd but also Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman and Catherine Keener they feature for only briefly, some for just a handful of minutes.

So. What do I think? This film took more time to present the star rating than anything else I've reviewed (admittedly only 2 films, but still...) but I finally came to a decision. While it's certainly not high art, not everything has to be. The film achieves what it set out to do. It entertains. Kids will enjoy the playfulness and parents won't be checking their watches every 2 minutes. What more could such a film be expected to provide?

★★★☆☆