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Film Title: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

 Best for ages: 7 & Up

Movie Website:   Click Here

Year Released: 2010

Rated: PG

The Review

   Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a tale based on Rick Riordan’s children’s novel The Lightning Thief.  While the film is different from the book in, for example, the age of the character, the story remains similar. The plot puts the ancient gods into today’s modern world and their dealing with their demigod offspring.

   I never have read the book, but know a little bit about it. In the film, Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is a troublesome fifteen-year-old, whereas in the book, he is twelve years old. He never has known his real father and lives with his mother (Catherine Keener) and his drunk stepfather (Joe Pantoliano).  What Percy does not know, but is soon to find out, is that his real father is the God of the Ocean, Poseidon (Kevin McKidd). Someone has stolen the lightning bolt of the god, Zeus (Sean Bean), and the gods believe that is it Percy Jackson who has taken it. Zeus gives Poseidon fourteen days to get Percy to give the lightning bolt back or war will be waged between the gods, and disasters will happen all over the earth. The god of the underworld, Hades ( Steve Coorgan),  gets word that Percy Jackson has the lightning bolt and sends certain creatures to attack him. Little does Percy know that the people around him are actually there to protect him. His best friend, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), and his school teacher, Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan), are actually creatures that are friends of his father.  When trouble comes calling, Percy finds out the truth about who his father is and is sent to a training camp for Demigods. However, Hades sends a bull-like creature to kidnap Percy’s mother, and after learning where she has been taken Percy, Grover and Annabeth (Alenandra Daddario), the daughter of Athena, leave the camp and go on a journey to not only rescue Percy’s mother but to find out who the lightning theif is and return the lightning bolt to Zeus and prevent the war.

   This film was a lot of fun to watch. It’s full of a lot of action and some great visual effects. The film does have some animated violence, which may not be suitable for younger children to watch, and there are some scary moments involving monsters such as Medusa, Fury, and a Hydra. There is also some mild language in the film as well.  Ideally, the film is probably suitable for children ages seven and up. Its action is similar to that of the Spiderman films, maybe not as extreme in it’s violence, but there are some excessive fight scenes and an off screen beheading. There is also a trip into the Underworld which, although comedic in its tone, still has some scary images and creatures.

   The Blu-ray disc has a lot of special features. There are over ten deleted scenes and two featurettes, Secrets of the Gods and Inside Camp Half-Blood.  There is also a Discover Your Powers quiz game and a ton of special interactive features which can be accessed online through your Blu-ray player or iPhone. The Blu-ray combo pack also comes with a DVD and digital copy of the film

   Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a fantastic film. Not since Harry Potter have I enjoyed a film adaptation of a young adult novel.  It’s full of action and has a great storyline. One thing about the film that I found to be educational is its in-depth description of the ancient gods and monsters that are famous throughout ancient history. If your child is having trouble with his or her ancient history, (I believe the ancient gods are taught in the sixth grade), it’s a film where they can learn a lot about the gods and the history behind them. The film also has some cameo appearances by some well known actors such as Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson and Julian Richings. Overall it’s a great film and you and your children will have a great time watching it.

BUY THIS MOVIE.