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Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 31 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 96 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Adventure | Fantasy
Written by:
Craig Titley
Rick Riordan (novel)
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Release Date:
Theatrical: February 12, 2010
DVD: June 29, 2010
Running Time: 119 minutes, Color
Origin: Canada | USA
Summary
RATING: PG for action violence and peril, some scary images and suggestive material, and mild language
Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman, and Ray Winstone
Trouble-prone Percy Jackson is having problems in high school - but that's the least of his challenges. It's the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology texts and into his life. Percy has learned that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea, which means Percy is a demigod - half human, half god. At the same time, the powerful gods on Olympus are feuding, which could launch a war enveloping our entire planet. (20th Century Fox)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Director Chris Columbus has fun with this goofy premise, but as always I am distracted by the practical aspects of the story. Does it bother the Greek gods that no one any longer knows or cares that they rule the world? What are the genetic implications of human/god interbreeding?
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli
A whole lot of plot ensues - an entertaining mix of buddy movie, road trip, "Clash of the Titans," archetypal quest and a coming-of-age tale about misfits making their way despite, or because of, absent parents.
Read Full Review >Time Mary Pols
This is a big, often quite scary action movie, with tons of creepy computer-generated imagery that's right up there with Voldemort in terms of physical nastiness, although less powerful emotionally.
Read Full Review >Arizona Republic Bill Goodykoontz
Percy Jackson isn't a great movie, but it's a good one, trotting out kernels of Greek mythology like so many Disney Channel references. For the most part, it works.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Ethan Alter
So has "Percy Jackson" successfully cracked the "Potter" code? In terms of overall quality, not even close. Still, the film's carefully calibrated mixture of CGI-enhanced spectacle, diverting (and blood-free) action sequences and adolescent angst could make it a modest hit with the eight to 12-year-old set.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
The whole thing is piffle, but it moves fast enough to stay entertaining.
Read Full Review >St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe Williams
The CGI effects are a familiar sort and so is the heroic-quest motif. The principal virtue in this modest entertainment is that the young characters act like real teenagers.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
May not be so deep or richly imagined as J.K. Rowling's universe of magic and Muggles, but the film is populated by likable characters, great special effects and a neat premise.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
A diverting action fantasy that modernizes the stories of demigods and monsters.
Read Full Review >Variety Peter Debruge
Action movies of this scale often start off strong and wind down to forgettable finales, but "Percy Jackson" is the opposite, overcoming a clunky setup to deliver nearly all its thrills in the last half-hour.
Read Full Review >Empire Helen O'Hara
Slavishly follows every rule of the kids’ fantasy franchise genre, but it’s a well-executed and imagined world. Bet the sequel’s darker.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
You don't even have to be familiar with the first book in Rick Riordan's popular fantasy series to enjoy Chris Columbus' energetic adaptation.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Adam Markovitz
Has all the CGI sorcery of a Harry Potter pic, but none of the magic.
Read Full Review >Boxoffice Magazine Pete Hammond
Columbus knows his way around this kind of material even if some of the special effects look like they came from Deep Discount. The gods are well-rendered, but nothing special. Still for the Potter crowd, Percy provides a nice diversion until the real thing comes along.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
The gods, led by Sean Bean, are mostly stiffs; thank heaven for Uma Thurman, raising hell as a stylishly leather-clad Medusa.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Played by Logan Lerman -- the Zac Efron look-alike who was young George Hamilton in "My One and Only" -- Percy is a Manhattan high-schooler who learns he is a demigod.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
All dull thunder without a spark of illumination.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
The movie suffers by taking itself a little too seriously. It's not just that it's a lot less funny than the book. It's also a lot less fun.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Mary Elizabeth Williams
The overblown and overlong version of Percy's adventures largely fails to capture the quirky allure of Riordan's books.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Aaron Hillis
Like Percy himself, the film doesn’t have any traits that qualify as having an actual personality. Even so, as long as the kiddies aren’t too upset by the major liberties reportedly taken with the source material, it might be enough to distract them until Harry returns.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
Suggests that this could be the start of something adequate. Something big would've been nicer, though the movie's limitations are less a matter of scale than of imagination.
Read Full Review >Orlando Sentinel Roger Moore
For what it is and for whom it is intended, it’s not a bad movie, just an indifferent one.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Very little of it is as persuasive or enveloping as its beloved English counterpart. But it works very hard to distract 11-year-olds from thinking about the November arrival of “The Deathly Hallows.’’
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
For all the earth shaking that goes on, “Percy Jackson” is agreeably tame and unthreatening.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson
In Columbus’ hands, it once again all breaks down into a series of rushed, breathless special-effects setpieces, in a thrill ride that isn’t headed anywhere new.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
This is generic filmmaking at its most banal, a simple-minded simplification of a not overwhelmingly complex book.
Read Full Review >Slate David Plotz
The Lightning Thief is loud, scary, oversexed, and really unfun. All that would have been fine if my daughter liked it, but instead it left her and her friend stunned.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
As scripted by Craig Titley, this first in a presumptive franchise is a dull, scattershot affair that owes much to both "X-Men" and Greek mythology, but which never seems to slow down enough to make any sense whatsoever.
Read Full Review >Premiere Nick Starkey
Chris Columbus, true to his namesake, has chartered new waters of lazy hackdom with this "Clash of the Titans" remade as a CW tween soap.
Read Full Review >NPR Scott Tobias
The film becomes particularly risible when family matters come into play. Since the young demigods, by nature, are raised in single-parent homes, their encounters with the gods are characterized less by wonder than by the therapy-speak of wounded kids with daddy issues.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 96 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Karen gave it a0:
It's almost one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I was extremely tempted to walk out of the theater after only 15 minutes, might be even less. Not only did it not follow the book at all, it was topped off with bad script and bad acting. There was not emotion in any of the places where there should have been--when Percy's mom died, it seems like he was unaffected and could care less. I can't believe that Chris Columus can even imagine making a sequel with such bad actors and bad script--the movie didn't even introduce the oracle, the prophecy, nothing. Basically, it did not lay down any of the necessary foundation needed for a sequel. Actually, I didn't even know there may be a sequel planned just by watching the movie, I saw his comment online. Books turned movies usually are not very good, but I have not seen one this bad. If I have to sit through another one...I can't even compare any torture worse than that. It completely ruined what could have been a potentially good movie.
Doug M gave it a1:
I think what's so annoying to me is all the elements were available to make this an enjoyable experience at the minimum; and the director deliberately spurned it all to spend more time adding CGI... I have a headache now after that.
Micah S. gave it an8:
If you like the books you might get mad because they barely stuck to the story but other than that great movie.
Tong N. gave it a7:
Just...... good, not bad.
R. Lopez gave it a7:
For teenagers they all think that life is going to be simple and easy, some of them find out the hard way that is not so while others lazily go by doing what they do everyday. For High Schooler Percy Jackson this is so, Percy thinks his only purpose in life is to just survive High School, barely, while dealing with his slob of a step-father. Battling his troubles with dyslexia, ADHD and all the while trying to make his mother proud of him. For a teenager this is no easy feat especially when you’re trying your hardest but while on a school trip to The Museum of Metropolitan art he discovers that he is destined for something more than a normal hum drum human existence, he is destined to become something more than he could have ever imagined. Chris Columbus' "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” is not a teeny bopper exploitation flick like Catherine Hardwicke's "Twilight” or Chris Weitz's "New Moon". "The Lightning Thief" is a fairly well scripted, well acted and well thought out fantasy adventure film, it's kind of like "Lord of the Rings" for teenagers it doesn't go over your head and it doesn't leave you cringing while watching, making you wish you had gone to see something else instead. It's an interesting film as it takes liberties with Greek Mythology turning on it's heel everything we know about and creating a whole new and enthralling world for fantasy lovers, film lovers and history lovers alike to enjoy. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" may not be exactly like the novel it is based upon, it's not fantastic or phenomenal but it is very, very, very enjoyable and is one of the best fantasy films of the new year. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” will deliver the action, humor and mysticism you are looking for. Logan Lerman I have always had faith he would become a great actor and I still do, while this film is not one of his better performances it is one of his good ones. It shows that Lerman is skilled in both being a regular teen and still maintaining the appearance and skill of a seasoned actor. Lerman doesn't try to be the next Al Pacino or the next Robert DeNiro he tries his best and succeeds at just being a true rising star amongst other unworthy competitors. Brandon T. Jackson is fantastic as the satyr Grover Underwood; he's funny, witty and just gives an all around great performance as Logan Lerman's number 2 man, Jackson is natural and doesn't try to be serious as he doesn't need to be, he playing a mythical creature mind you being serious is not needed for the part. And he's playing a satyr no less they have a reputation for being a little more impetuous than serious and Jackson plays the part well. Alexandra Daddario is neither great nor good she is in between, sometimes she is very serious and also very convincing as the tough girl amongst the guys and for that I commend her for being believable. But There were also times I just didn't think she was the right choice for this picture, but then again she is better than most of the other 20 something actresses out there. Daddario is not the best of the best but she has potential to be great and for this I tip my hat to her. The rest of the cast including Catherine Keener, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Steve Coogan, Melina Kanakaredes, Joe Pantoliano, Rosario Dawson, Kevin McKidd and Uma Thurman all turn in stellar supporting performances in one of the best fantasy films of the new decade. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" is not the greatest of it's genre but it certainly is better than most of its kind that have come out in the last few years. "The Lightning Thief" won't let you down it gives you what you want an outrageously cool and hip thrill ride with a little bit of a history lesson tossed up in there for good measure, it doesn't patronize you like most fantasy/adventure films, it doesn't make you feel like a three year old while your watching it. It meets you at it's own level weather you be an adult, a tween, a teenager whichever it looks you in the eye and tells you not to expect anything great but to expect something enjoyable and worthy of calling good old fashioned entertainment "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" is just that and maybe a little more.
Shannon P gave it an8:
A wonderful movie filled with fun and HISTORY!
Bella C gave it a9:
I loved this movie!!!!!!!!! But I do admit the acting could use improvment, I thought it was a great story over all. They also did add humor in it wich made it an even better movie. Even if they changed it from the book still very well done. =)
