Saturday, January 8, 2011

Movie Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Without harping on the movie's title, which has been lambasted elsewhere, I'll get right to it with this one and go after my real target - Christopher Columbus.

What happened to this guy? He wrote and directed some classic films.  Movies like Gremlins and The Goonies and the original Harry Potter.

Although this is a popular young adult book series, it seems like he's slumming it here. I say 'seems' because, to be honest, this film could have been much better in the hands of another director.  Was Columbus phoning this in for a paycheck?  Does he need money that badly?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians has some really fun elements in it. Logan Lerman, who plays Percy, is quite capable.  They have a decent twist in terms of who the lightning thief is and why. As I was watching it, I was angry at some of the logic and then later it all paid off and it had me kicking myself.  I love it when that happens. But it all sort of falls flat and seems like a bunch of scenes randomly strung together.

My girlfriend lasted about 15 minutes before pulling the plug.  But it's not a bad movie because the book's plot is entertaining.  If you're a pre-teen or if you like Greek mythology in a light fantasy setting, this could be up your alley.

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