Review of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) by Halfwelshman — 25 Mar 2012

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief is, for the most part, good family entertainment. It's pretty visually spectacular, and features some clever and funny deconstructions of Greek mythology. The film features a cast of young-and-upcoming actors Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Jake Abel as the half-human children of Olympian Gods, the ever-entertaining Brandon T.

Jackson as a satyr guardian and a multi-national mix of film and TV veterans playing Gods, monsters and mortals, including Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Catherine Keener and Joe Pantoliano.

With such a wide-ranging cast, the quality of the performances is also rather inconsistent. The youngsters Lerman, Daddario, and particularly Abel and Jackson do their jobs admirably, and keep the story grounded and human in a highschool-drama sort of way (despite the fact it deals with myths, monsters and deities).

Thurman makes a effectively creepy and fun Medusa and McKidd, Keener and Pantoliano are serviceable but under-used as Percy's God-dad Poseidon, his caring mother and slimy step-dad respectively. Concerning the rest of the acting "talent" the filmmakers have brought in, things are a little less solid - Bean coasts as Zeus, Coogan appears to be reprising one of his less successful, and less funny comic TV creations as Hades and Pierce Brosnan's performance as centaur trainer Chiron is over-acted and bordering on parody.

The film's story is diverting, and has some creative and eye-popping set-pieces, but it won't stay in your memory for long. It's never boring, but never quite glues you to the screen either. In comparison with director Chris Columbus' other work, it's probably better than the first two Harry Potter films, but never reaches the heights of his two Home Alone films, at least in terms of pure entertainment.

It has moments of beauty, moments of humour, moments of genuine drama, but not quite enough of any of them. In short, it's slightly better than average. Though it won't blow you away, Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief makes for an ideal Saturday afternoon film, with a few good thrills and a cosy family-friendly moral to the whole thing.

As with Harry Potter, the series needs a more talented director like Alfonso Cuaron to take the reigns in order to break free from mediocrity.