Easygoing Percy Jackson an Agreeable Mythological Adventure
Average everyday New York teenager Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) thinks he has a relatively normal life. His handicapped best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) is as quick with a wisecrack or a sarcastic remark as he is, while his teachers tend to showcase a constant frustration with the bright youngster for not living up to the potential they feel he possesses. His mother Sally (Catherine Keener) always seems to have his best interests at heart, while his beer-guzzling stepfather Gabe (Joe Pantoliano) is as big fat jerk the kid can barely stand.
Logan Lerman in 20th Century Fox's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief
But Percy is anything but normal. He is, in fact, the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), and when Zeus’ (Sean Bean) lightning bolt goes missing everyone and their sinister mythological sister seems to think he’s the one who’s stolen it. With little time to prepare, and still a bit shocked to discover his history professor Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan) is a militaristically minded centaur, the teenage demigod must descend into Hades’ (Steve Coogan) underworld lair and discover the identity of the real lightening thief. With Grover and new friend Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) by his side Percy must become the hero he never thought he could be, the fate of both Gods and mortals dependent on his being able to do just that.
Based on the first in a series of young adult novels by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a lot more entertaining than it probably has a right to be. Another big budget attempt by a major studio to find a Harry Potter-like cash cow, this relatively quickly paced fantastical enterprise is filled with more then its share of satisfying thrills that make sitting though it fairly easy. The movie knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything more than that, Craig Titley’s (Cheaper by the Dozen) economical screenplay doing a good enough job I’m hard pressed to say anything hugely negative about it.
Not that I don’t have plenty of minor problems. For one thing, there is a huge been there-done that quality to all of this that’s more than a wee bit distracting, and as handsome as the production is a part of me couldn’t help but feel like I’d seen an awful lot of this far too many times before. For another, Percy’s initial development is sketchy at best and unintentionally humorous at worst, his decision making skills dictated more by the needs of the plot then they are anything innately character-driven.
Still, I have to give director Chris Columbus a little bit of credit here. Not only does he pace this adventure far more solidly then he did either Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he nicely rebounds from the teenage train wreck that was last year’s I Love You, Beth Cooper. His feel for these characters and for this story feel oddly comfortable, and while he’s neither pushing himself or the boundaries of the genre to a place new or original by and large the film ends up fitting together like a comfy old sweater one usually likes to wear on a cold winter’s day.
It helps immensely that Lerman is a remarkably likeable actor. After stealing scenes from Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma and from Renée Zellweger in My One and Only he’s finally front and center, and as young stars go this might just be a kid I could see myself warming to. Even when Percy acts like a petulant jerk there is still something about Lerman that keeps him from becoming a bore, and as the movie progressed I admit to finding myself curious as to what the he was going to do next.
By and large the rest of the cast keeps from embarrassing themselves here. Granted, Brosnan trotting around on all fours is a tad disconcerting as the effects allowing him to do so aren’t quite as strong as the arguably need to be. It also must be said that Uma Thurman’s appearance as Medusa isn’t anything to shout about, the whole sequence involving her about as lifeless as one of her stony victims. I also would have liked to have seen a bit more of the Gods themselves, their contemptuous interactions a missing ingredient that would have given the film more in the way of weight and gusto.
When all is said and done I do still find myself willing to give Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief a pass. While I doubt we’ll ever see a sequel, the central players have piqued my interest just enough I’m curious to see what further adventures might be in store. Columbus and company have crafted an agreeable mythological jaunt the whole family will enjoy, and while I wouldn’t pay more than matinee prices that still means making the quest to the multiplex is a journey worthy of the undertaking.
Film Rating: êê1/2 (out of 4)
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