Percy Jackson and The Olympians : The Lightning Thief

Welcome to another episode of The "D" List.

Today's review is Percy Jackson and The Olympians : The Lightning Thief. Directed by Chris Columbus. Written by Craig Titley. Based on the book of the same name written by Rick Riordan.

To those of you who know me well, it's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Greek Mythology. I can't get enough tales concerning the god's of Mount Olympus. When the trailer hit for this film I immediately became interested but also had some pause. After doing some research on this movie I learned that it's an adaptation of a popular series of young adult novels akin to Harry Potter. This is what gave me some hesitation because no film since the Harry Potter series has been able to capture the heart and soul of it's written word counterpart. Normally I would have skipped this one but the greek mythology hooked me in and unfortunately I left the theater disappointed.....slightly.

The story takes us to the top of the Empire State Building where Poseidon the God of the Sea meets his brother Zeus, king of the God's of Olympus and the God of Thunder and Lightning. Zeus has lost his power to create lightning. It's harnessed by a master bolt that he wields. The bolt has been stolen and he accuses Poseidon. Poseidon vehemently denies the accusation when Zeus tells his brother that he  he thinks his half god half human (AKA demigod) son Percy took it. Zeus gives Percy until the summer solstice to return the bolt otherwise Zeus will unleash a war on humanity. This sets events in motion that force Percy to accept a side of his life that he never knew existed.

This is where the film fails. There isn't enough plot or character development. When we 1st meet Percy played by Logan Lerman, he's a typical high school kid struggling with everyday life then in the next moment he's attacked by a fury (a 3 winged goddess that punishes people who commit unavenged crimes). He's then told that he's half human half god and that he needs to move away to be safe. After  little to no resistance, Percy accepts his new fate and just goes along with the plan set for him. This is no good people. Percy needed to reject his calling, his purpose, his new identity. There wasn't enough of that to satisfy me. Perhaps a scene where he unknowingly uses his god like ability to command water. This would have established confusion with Percy. He would have had to struggle with the undeniable fact that he's not a normal kid. Instead he just goes with the flow and trusts the "people" that were placed by his side to guide and protect him.

I would like to think that the book addresses this flaw in the script, since I didn't read it I will have to consult a friend of mine who did. I know that when you adapt a book into a film you have to take liberties with the source material but this was an area that should NOT have been sacrificed for the greater good. This is what makes the Harry Potter films so great. They may leave stuff out that the fans don't approve of but you get enough character development that you do what the filmmakers want which is to care about these people. They rush Percy to the training camp that you don't get a chance to feel one way or another about him.

This just blankets the bigger issue with the film which is the script overall. Percy Jackson has no identity. It's serious at times then it's too kiddy. The film is adapted from a book targeted for pre teens but you don't have to dumb everything down. This has been a gripe of mine and will continue to be one until it stops. Filmmakers continue to insist on the audience's stupidity. Kids are smart, sometimes smarter than the adults who supposedly know better than they do. I think they can get through a 90 minute movie without the idiot proof dialogue and bad jokes.

Now believe it or not, there was a lot I liked about this film.

1st thing was the Greek Mythology. They got the history behind the characters right. The lineage between the balance of power of the gods was on the money. Zeus is and always was the leader with Poseidon and Athena the #2 and #3 respectively. The creatures of Greek Mythology like the Satyr, Centaur, Minotaur, Fury, Hell Hounds, Hydra and of course everybody's favorite Gorgon, Medusa looked impressive and accurate from what I remember.

Next was the action. The fights between Percy and the vast creatures were very fun and entertaining to watch. It was fast paced yet not lightning fast (no pun intended) that you couldn't see the action. The thing to keep in mind here that Percy is still learning how to use his abilities so he wasn't very skilled when fighting these creatures so the ways he defeated them were on point with his skill level or lack there of.

Finally the special effects were very sharp. I particularly enjoyed Medusa's scene. She was played by Uma Thurman and the snakes that swarmed around her head were very diverse from breed to size. They slivered around her head with a seductive yet menacing motion. The animation when she froze someone into stone was cool plus the look of her eyes when she used her power was also cool. The way Percy manipulated the water was also very cool to watch.

Overall, Percy Jackson and The Olympians : The Lightning Thief is a film that like so many of it's predecessor's had immeasurable potential but falls short due to the short sided view of the studio/write/director by changing the source material so much that the only thing that feels the same is the title.

The film though made for kids does contain some violence i.e. Medusa's beheading. It's not graphic but you see the head a good distance away from her body. The head is also used later in the movie as a weapon. The creatures may also give the little ones the willies so I would proceed with caution.

On the 5 star scale. Percy Jackson and The Olympians : The Lightning Thief gets 2.5 stars with a "Netflix It" recommendation.

I wanted to love this movie but there were too many script and development issues that prevented that. The one thing Percy Jackson did do was create more anticipation for the upcoming Clash of The Titans remake due out April 2nd. I can't wait for this one. COTT is one of my all time favorite movies that began my love affair with Greek Mythology.

That's all for today.

Up Next is Wolfman.

Until Next Episode......"I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"