Some Harry Potter fans may disagree but I regard the two films in the franchise directed by Chris Columbus to be the worst bar none. Columbus watered down the opening books to create tepid versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It wasn’t until Alfonso Cuaron stepped in to helm Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular series came into its own. However, while those first two HP films might be incredibly disappointing you have to admit that Columbus did a tremendous job choosing three unknown actors who proved up to the task of carrying the films that would follow. He might not have created the best films in the series, but he certainly knows how to lay the groundwork. Thus, you can’t help but wonder if Columbus’s first entry in the film adaptation of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series will have similarly promising results. Right up front you should know that Columbus’s ability to direct the first film in a series seems to have improved drastically—though it could just be that this film was adapted better than the first two Harry Potters.
In between Columbus’s adaptations of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, he went on to direct the film version of Rent, which went over well enough despite taking very few risks, and the 2009 flop I Love You, Beth Cooper which goes down in history as just another teen movie. There’s little to suggest that he’s grown very much in the 8 years between the two series, and yet the difference is remarkable. Percy Jackson won’t knock you off your feet, but it’s an above par adventure film for the 10 to tweenage crowd which makes admirable use of Greek mythology. Will it supplant Harry Potter in the social consciousness? Not anytime soon, but for now it’s one of the better entries out there.
Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is a typical teenager with normal problems: he has dyslexia, can’t concentrate in class, and hates his slovenly stepfather (Joe Pantoliano) who treats his mother (Catherine Keener) like a housemaid. These problems turn out to be inconsequential as a war seems to be brewing unbeknownst to him: someone has stolen Zeus’s lightning bolt and the blame has fallen on Percy’s shoulders. Why? Because he’s the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), and Zeus (Sean Bean) suspects a familial scheme to be at the root of the theft. As the allegations are leveled against Percy, his normal life falls to pieces as mythical creatures start coming out of the woodwork and he discovers his best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and his teacher (Pierce Brosnan) are mythical beasts themselves charged with keeping an eye on the young demigod (Percy). With so many monsters harassing him for Zeus’s lightning bolt, Percy and Grover flee to a camp used to train the children of Gods (of which there are many throughout the world) – only to set off a few days later with Grover and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), the daughter of Athena, intent on rescuing Percy’s mother who is being held as collateral until the lightning bolt is returned. The voyage would be a simple endeavor if it didn’t involve traveling to visit Hades, a dire task as it requires a magical pearl to escape the hellish underworld. The pearls are stashed around the U.S. and involve run-ins with Medusa (Uma Thurman), a hydra, and the Lotus Eaters.
The film gets high marks for roping in the impressive cast above along with others like Rosario Dawson and others. Logan Lerman isn’t always as convincing as the story requires, sometimes seeming a bit more boyish than he should be, but otherwise he has the potential to carry the series should the studio decide to develop the sequels later on. Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario both do well enough, but like Lerman there’s sometimes a lack of severity that makes you wonder how important it really is that they recover the lightning bolt and avoid a war of the gods. They don’t always convey that immediacy. However the talent is there and it would be interesting to see how they grow in the roles in any future sequels.
The Blu-ray transfer of the film is a double-edged sword. At times the special effects are quite good for a first entry in a series (wherein every sequel typically gets a bigger budget as the series proves its profitability), but at other times the high definition makes the shortcomings of certain sequences painfully glaring. Some of the water manipulation scenes (a result of Percy being the son of Poseidon) show a shortfall in the budget, and sometimes, as was the case in Hades’s appearance in the campfire, the explosions look exactly like planned, safe detonations erupting from a planted charge. It’s an easily avoidable issue but one that remains in the film and is all too obvious when watched in hi-def. Otherwise the experience is quite enjoyable.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The set comes as a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy bundle. Also included are 10 deleted scenes (which aren’t necessary for viewing as the final product gives you all you need) and six featurettes: a look at the construction of the demigod training camp, Camp Half-Blood; a little educational featurette about the gods, their abilities, etc.; and a quiz that lets you choose which god’s powers you’d prefer; profile pieces on the main demigods introduced at Camp Half-Blood; a tour of the set courtesy of Brandon T. Jackson; and the ever-popular featurette wherein cast and crew discuss the adaptation of the book and the pressures involved in simultaneously appeasing the current fan-base while courting a new one on the silver screen.
"Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" is on sale June 29, 2010 and is rated PG. Adventure. Directed by Chris Columbus. Written by Craig Titley (screenplay), Rick Riordan (novel). Starring Brandon T Jackson, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano, Logan Lerman, Pierce Brosnan, Rosario Dawson, Sean Bean, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman, Alexandra Daddario, Kevin McKidd.
