OK for kids 11+
Too scary for younger fans of the popular book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie is an aged-up version of the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief book that Common Sense Media recommends for readers 9 and up. Young hero Percy is now in high school rather than middle school; his satyr friend Grover loves the ladies; and a trip that Percy, Grover, and Annabeth take to a casino has a nightclub, a full bar, and trippy lotus flowers that all the patrons ingest (in the book, they play video and arcade games endlessly). Plus, the violence level is high for a PG-rated movie: Monsters are very frightning, especially the demonic ones -- like Hades aflame with skeletal wings and a fury sent to destroy Percy -- characters (monster and human) are impaled and slashed at with swords, and Percy's mom is crushed by a minotaur and taken to the underworld. After Medusa's head is severed, it's dragged along on the road trip to Hades.
- Families can talk about the book vs. the movie. So much was changed here -- the characters' ages, the plot, the places they visit, etc. Was it still the movie you were hoping for?
- Talk about the scare factor. Did anything make you hide under your chair? What mythological monsters would you least like to see in the real world? Does fantasy violence have the same impact as more realistic violence?
- Who are your favorite hero characters? Do they usually have humble beginnings, thinking they're nobody special, or do they always know what they're destined for? How many of your favorite heroes are girls? Boys?
The good stuff
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Messages: Along with all the positive messages of family loyalty and perseverance, comes the negatives: absentee parents, disobedient teens, teens who express dislike of their parents, and some rewards for negative behavior. The underworld depicted seems like a place of torment for everyone. There's also some very reckless teen driving -- Grover falls asleep at the wheel and almost gets hit by a semi, and later teens speed down the freeway in a sports car.
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Role models: Percy is a poor student coping with dyslexia and ADHD who discovers his heroic qualities. He also adores his mom and does everything to save her. While Grover is a good friend, he's also played as a womanizer. Annabeth is a strong female character who's great with a sword. But the fierce friendship that these three forge makes a much stronger impression in the book.
What to watch for
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Violence: Battles with some mythological monsters are quite frightening. Some creatures are also demonic-looking -- like a gruesome fury, a giant Hades with skeletal wings coming out of a campfire, and scores of tormented fiery souls. Others are just large and violent, like a minotaur and a hydra with many snapping, fire-breathing heads. Medusa's head of snakes is severed and carted around. A car is thrown, limbs are hacked by swords, and two characters -- one monster, one human -- are impaled violently. There's lots of fighting amongst campers, with some blood (though Percy magically heals in water).
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Sex: Gabe slaps Percy's mom's behind in front of Percy. Grover is all about the ladies -- he has a horde around him at a casino and asks jokingly, "Which one did I propose to?" after he tells Percy he's getting married. Persephone kisses Hades passionately, then turns her attentions to Grover saying, "I haven't had a satyr [pause] visit before."
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Language: "Ass" a few times. "Highway to Hell" plays on the radio as the characters head for the underworld. A few uses of "God" as an exclamation. Plus insults like "bald-headed freak" and "little brat" exchanged between Percy and his stepfather.
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Consumerism: Converse All-Stars should have their own credit (even though the kind with wings that the movie's characters fight in aren't for sale). An iPod is also an important part of the story. Also shown: a Mac laptop and a sports car. Plus shout-outs to The French Connection (original) and Mick Jagger.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lotus flowers at the Lotus Casino are offered constantly to guests; they have a mind-altering effect that make patrons loopy and unaware of the outside world. Gabe drinks beer or asks for a beer in every one of his scenes. There are fruity-looking drinks at a bar in the Lotus Casino around teens.
Fan Reviews provided by
3
PERCY JACKSON... Greek mythology murdered! Grade: C-minus (Based on advance press preview on Thursday Feb. 11) by MOVIES REVIEWER
At roughly 2 hours, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief(PJOTLT) is an overwrought inconsistently-paced ridiculous exercise of an attempt at box-office magic that sputtered, fizzled, and barely crackled.
I read the novel 5 years ago and was underwhelmed by its ludicrously unimaginative insipid story and I refrained from reading the entire series. I share the same exact sentiment with this movie adaptation of the novel authored by Rick Riordan. The characters in the movie(and novel) lacked depth and development.
A rehashing rip-off of Harry Potter's coming-of-age predicaments(the Harry Potter series shone with creativity and imagination), PJOTLT floundered like a naiad out of water and utterly devoid of true story-telling magic. Even this movie's CGI is a dismal second to the CGI in the Harry Potter movies.
The cast's bland and campy acting was painful to watch as they attempt to convey a plot that made no sense.
VERDICT:
At best - a rental.
5
The Lighting Thief by conradwsba1
This movie was awesome.I read the book the book was awesome and so was the movie.I would see this movie again any day.SEE THIS MOVIE.Tell the Ticket Holder I told you.
1
not what I expected! by nottingham
The graphics were stunning and the actors were great, but the script was so far of from the book that my head almost liquified, my kidneys shriveled up, and my spleen literally caught on fire. The only thing that was the same was the character's names, and the setting. I know that you corporate movie makers have to make the movie "feature length' and "viewer appropriate" but seriously, if your going to make a movie from a good book, you should at least make the movie relatively similar to the book!
5
UMMMMM HUH? by wannabefilm
I read the books, and am a HUGE fan; but I have to say, the movie stunk! Now, I understand the concept of cutting pieces of the book for entertainment value, but to cut out key points and characters AND blend books together? ABSURD! Riordan, you should be VERY upset because they slaughtered your good work and made a cheesy, inaccurate and imcomprehensible film....
The choice in casting was good- Bravo...however the character descriptions in the book are precise... Why changed them? There were some awesome effects, and I expected nothing less. My only hangup is the accuracy.
If you want entertainment by all means see it, it is worth the dollars. Parents? You would not be bored so get the kids ready... but those who read the books, BEWARE!
1
Not for lovers of the Percy Jackson books! by sb98
The special effects were cool, the casting was good - but apparently the movie's makers only liked the title of the book, because other than that and the character names, they didn't use much else! The underlying premise of the book was kept in tact - the Greek gods are still with us, and their half-human, half-god children are running around in the world. BUT - the 5 book series tells the story of a series of battles using these demigods to resolve a conflict between the gods and their titan predecessors. In this movie - well, the Titans are only mentioned as part of a history lesson on a school field trip in the opening scene of the movie. The bad guy? Well, I won't ruin it for non-readers who want to see this movie, so I'll describe it this way - imagine you're a huge Harry Potter fan. You go to see a movie based upon the book, only in the movie Lord Voldemort never rises from the dead, and Wormtail killed Harry's parents all by himself...
3
Wish it had been more like the book. by DoctorDoctorW
My 12 year old sons and I had read the book together, and we were so excited to see the movie. We were then so disappointed that the movie deviated so much from the book. Other than that, we enjoyed the movie. The acting was good and most of the visual effects were good (except the minotaur scene with the mother--which was pretty cheesy). The differences between the book and the movie were so severe that the underlying reason for the book series was even omitted. One of my sons has read the entire series, and he is quite concerned that because of how this first movie was portrayed, that the rest of the books won't be able to be made into movies. It seemed as though the filmmakers could have stuck closer to the book and still stayed within a reasonable movie length. If we hadn't read the book, it would have probably been a better experience for us. We love Chris Columbus' directing, but as stated, we wish the movie would have followed the book more closely.
4
Five Word Review by boobie21
Logan Lerman = Great Actor
1
TRAVESTY~ INCORRECT SHAMEFUL REPPRESENTATION OF THE BOOK by kellylmessier
My 10 year old son and I have read almost this entire book series and were very excited to **1**/bad and not ever mention who is actually the real evil character and change then entire plot. The entire movie was a falsehood. It was more than obvious that no one from the producers to the actors had ever read the book. If you haven?t read the book, I?m quite sure this pathetic movie will not make you want to. BAD SCRIPT=BAD MOVIE
1
Read the book by pezzati
Somehow, the screenwriter must have decided that he didn't really want to write a screenplay of Rick Riordan's book, so he just wrote his own story, with some of the same characters but not much else. Add to that the fact that the acting was poor at best and you have a very bad movie. Some nice scenery, that's about it. Don't waste your time and money.
5
Almost Perfect! by BSMGR
Could have done more with the Gods, but other than that, impressive movie and a must see!