Tagline: Worlds collide Feb 2010
So, I wanted to see this movie because it is currently number #5 in the box office and it looked like a good epic fantasy movie. This film was being marketed as the next Harry Potter but not necessarily a children’s movie. It is from the same director, Chris Columbus, as the first two Harry Potters after all and it is adapted from a popular series of books. This film is based on the first in a series of books from author Rick Riodan.
The plot follows Percy Jackson, Logan Lerma, who learns very quickly in the movie that he is the son of the god Poseidon, and is therefore a demi-god. He is accused of stealing Zues’ lightning bolt from which a war between the gods will ensue if not returned by midnight of the summer solstice. He then goes on a journey to save his mom, Katherine Keener, from the underworld and to find the real lightning thief. Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Sean Bean, and Steve Coogan make appearances as several gods he encounters along the way. He employs the help of the daughter of Athena and a half man/half goat protector to help him on his journey.
The plot was simple with revealing facts presented at each stop along the journey. I think the book may have been a good read simply because it employs the use of the Greek gods as modern day characters, which is unique. That being said, the plot is too simple and the characters overcome adversity with ease. There is a basic solution for each obstacle they face along the way, which takes away any suspense or anticipation to see the journey through as its obvious the trio will come up with a solution at each turn in the road. They aren’t even led down the wrong path nor do they encounter any major setbacks. The plot seems to artificially move smoothly towards the conclusion atop Mount Olympus. Every single word spoken by the characters was clichéd and. There was no originality or uniqueness at all. This plot felt like the resultant product from an equation by the studio-heads to replace Harry Potter.
The CGI was supposed to be groundbreaking and amazing, and it would have been, if it had been a TV show. The budget was not large enough to make every effect seamless and the CGI covered the screen in almost all the frames. If they had taken out some of the un-necessary effects (i.e. the goat pants) and focused on just a few of the important elements, I think the end result would have been better. However, they decided to ditch quality for quantity and the result was not pleasing. I found the Hades CGI hard to watch, as well as most of the other creatures. The film medium was high resolution and captured a nice overall appearance. The editing was basic but since this is tied with the special effects it is hard to divide the two.
The acting was again basic and clichéd. The semi-cameos from Thurman, Dawson, Coogan, Bean, and Brosnan did not add anything to the film and were not memorable. The kids in the movie were over-acting and could not compete with the effects of the movie. There were many awkward moments in the movie between the characters. The goat man character was intended to be the comic relief but maybe delivered one semi-humorous line out of the few hundred.
Overall, this movie is being marketed extremely wrong. This movie will fall short with an adult audience. Even though Harry Potter is a children’s movie at core, the characters, themes, and tone transverse the age gap and is relatable with adults; Percy Jackson does not. The plot is uninteresting and clichéd and I found myself losing interest in the beginning of the movie. The scenes and character interactions were completely unbelievable, especially the initial scene where Percy confronts his mother about his stepfather and their relationship. I think this movie failed on several levels and I would really only recommend this to younger children, although it may be too graphic (i.e. hell and decapitation scenes alike) for the youngest of children. Quote: “I definitely have strong feelings for you. I just haven’t decided if they are positive or negative”.
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