It’s inevitable that the fantastical adventures of teenager Percy Jackson will be compared to a certain other magical youngster, compounded by the fact that Chris Columbus is behind the camera. With the first two Harry Potters, Home Alone and scripts for The Goonies and Gremlins under his belt, the eternally youthful Columbus brings his joy for children’s works to the fore again.
Rick Riordan’s successful series of novels actually begin with Percy and his chums being 12 years old. The Lightning Thief has been adapted with the lead children now at the age of 17 – a bold move considering the huge fanbase, and a wise one. It’s hard to imagine which aspects of the story could possibly have been realistic for pre-teens to play – battle training with real swords, travelling the breadth of the US and drug-induced partying with nymphs in Vegas.
We open with Kevin McKidd’s Poseidon and Sean Bean’s Zeus having a chinwag at the top of the Empire State Building, letting us know that the Greek gods are alive and still on the verge of war. Zeus’ lightning bolt has been pinched, and he wants it back (you do wonder how the top dog of the gods can be parted from his raison d’être so easily).
Cut to an all American high school, with 3:10 to Yuma’s Logan Lerman all grown-up as Percy, a student struggling with dyslexia and an abusive slob of a stepfather. A trip to a museum reveals that Percy can surprisingly read ancient Greek text under the watchful eye of Pierce Brosnan’s kindly wheelchair-bound professor. Never leaving Percy’s side is Grover (Brandon T. Jackson, stealing the show), who is, coincidentally, also disabled. When Percy is cornered and accused of theft by a monstrous gargoyle-like creature, a shell-shocked Percy, Grover and his doting mother (Catherine Keener) are instructed by the professor to go to Camp Half Blood (yes, really). Percy’s mother is snatched at the gates, and mission begins to retrieve the bolt and save mummy. With the professor revealing himself to be the magnificent centaur Chiron, Percy quickly learns that his long-lost father is Poseidon, and rapidly has to deal with his new status as a demi-god, along with a best friend who is actually a faun-like satyr sent to protect him at all costs.
It’s at this early stage where the biggest flaw in the film appears. With Percy under the initial belief that his beloved mother is in fact dead, the boy doesn’t actually grieve. We are instead treated to his utter delight at galloping centaurs, gladiator battle training and the foxy Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), immediately cancelling any empathy for the character and removing you from the story. It has to be done, but compare the life-long burden and sorrow that Harry Potter felt following his parents’ demise, making the young wizard an always sympathetic character.
Percy, Annabeth and Grover discover Mrs Jackson is still alive, thanks to a fiery Hades (Steve Coogan, camping it up, rockstar mode) teasing them with a vision of her in the underworld. Once in hell, they cannot leave, therefore have to collect three marbles hidden throughout the US by Hades’ resentful wife Persephone (Rosario Dawson) that will enable them to leave once their mission is complete. A cross-country road trip begins that will see the teenagers encounter Uma Thurman’s stunning Medusa in a wonderfully clever modern setting and the previously mentioned surreal entrapment in a Las Vegas casino.
All the joy to be had in The Lightning Thief comes from the smart updating of Greek mythology in modern-day America, with knowing nods to the less pleasant aspects of the stories. The effects are impressive, making the most of Riordan’s imaginative twist on the tales. However, with Percy and Annabeth exuding smugness and arrogance throughout, it’s left to Jackson’s Grover for any warmth, humour and humility. A fun movie, with non-fans of the source still finding plenty to enjoy, but nothing to trigger a life-long journey. Certainly no botched Golden Compass, but no Narnia either.
Rating: 3/5
Becky Reed
(12)
