DVD Reviews

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jun 28, 2010, 17:24 GMT

Modern and mythical worlds collide in this thunderous fantasy-adventure starring Pierce Brosnan, Kevin McKidd and Uma Thurman as you’ve never seen them before! Percy Jackson is no ordinary teenager...he’s just learned he’s the son of Poseidon and is accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt – the most powerful weapon ever created! With storm clouds brewing, Percy embarks on an incredible cross-country journey to prove his innocence, recover the bolt and ...more

The comparisons with Percy Jackson and a certain boy wizard are sure to come up. However, the film has enough charm and adventure to hold your attention for the two hour running time.

The Greek Gods are still around and Zeus (Sean Bean) summons his brother Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) to tell him that his lightening bolt has been stolen and he suspects Poseidon’s son as the thief. Zeus proclaims that if the bolt is not returned in fourteen days that a war between the gods will break out.

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is Poseidon’s son, but he doesn’t know it or that he is a demigod (the results of the gods coming down from Olympus and getting “busy” with mortals).

Percy’s mom Sally (Catherine Keener) is married to the abusive Gabe (Joe Pantoliano) and has kept the secret of his true father from him. Percy and his best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) are on a school trip to a museum Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan) gives a presentation on the Greek gods.

Percy’s substitute teacher Mrs. Dodds (Maria Olsen) asks to speak to him alone and reveals herself to be a harpy and after the bolt. The revelation of this mythical creature also unmasks Grover as Percy’s protector who is a satyr and Percy’s status as a demigod. Sensing danger, Grover and Sally take Percy to Camp Half-Blood but on the way they’re attacked by a minotaur and Sally appears to be killed.

When Percy awakens he finds that Mr. Brunner is the mythological centaur Chiron, meets Luke (Jake Abel), a son of Hermes, and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), a daughter of Athena, and learns that Zeus has forbidden any gods from having contact with their offspring.

He also discovers that Hades (Steve Coogan) didn’t kill his mother but is holding her hostage so that Percy will bring the bolt to Hell in exchange for his mother.

Unfortunately, Percy doesn’t have the bolt, but he has to save his mother. However, to make that journey he’ll have to have three of Persephone’s (Rosario Dawson) pearls to get him, Grover, and Annabeth back out of Hell.

To find them they’ll have to battle Medusa (Uma Thurman), another mythological creature, and resist the temptations of the lotus eaters. They’ll also have to track down the real thief and return the bolt to Zeus before the war of the gods causes the end of the world.

One thing that amused me was that the gods were obviously fed up with the imploding Greek economy and moved all their operations to the United States. We never step foot in the land that birthed all those deities. We actually find some stateside substitutes that fill in for Greece. I wonder what the Greeks thought of that?

The other thing that struck me is that the whole thing seemed to remind me very much of Harry Potter. Rick Riordan, the author of the original series of novels, says that his kids were interested in mythology and when he ran out of stories about them he started making them up and Percy Jackson was born.

I’ll not say that J.K. Rowling should sue, but I’d imagine that the success of her creation helped Riordan’s books find a willing publishing house. Maybe it was also that director Chris Columbus also helmed Harry’s first foray onto the silver screen as well. That doesn’t mean that Percy should be dismissed.

I think kids, perhaps just little boys but I’ll not typecast it, go through a dinosaur (my two year old at the moment) phase and a mythology phase (my 12 year old just started reading the Percy books). If your kid is in that second phase then they’ll eat up the film or even if they’re into Harry Potter they might like the differences and the similarities. I found the young cast appealing and charming.

The mythology ranges from the familiar (Medusa) to the obscure (I had to wait for the film to clue me into the lotus eaters, forgot about that one). However, we do focus on our youthful protagonists, so it seems that the gods and adults are give short shrift and the overarching plot point, the theft of the bolt, didn’t seem like much of a threat since we know that Percy is going to figure it all out and save the day.

Riordan even comments on using the story of Perseus as a backdrop for his novel since all the other mythological tales end in suffering and destruction. Percy Jackson seems a bit too cotton candy for the adults but it does offer a pleasing well made film. Fans of the novels may well enjoy it more, but it is still a fun ride for those that aren’t familiar with the books.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightening Thief is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features are a bit sparse.

You get a handful of deleted scenes, the 4 minute “The Book Comes to Life” that is part making of and part chat with Riordan, a quiz that will tell you what demigod you are, and the 2 minute trailer. There are also previews of other Fox products.

If you’re into mythology then the first Percy Jackson film will put a modern spin on those ancient myths. Sure, it’s a bit Harry Potter, but that familiarity might just serve as the catalyst to getting into this series. It’s a fun ride with enough derring-do to keep you interested in Percy and his pals.