Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief HD Movie Trailer

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief HD Movie
Christopher Columbus' vision of the first Percy Jackson book seems to miss out slightly on the subtleties the books contain. Part of the magic of the Percy Jackson book series is the retelling of ancient Greek mythology gods, monsters, and parables within the confines of a modern Western society.

The gods, as in the ancient days, are promiscuous, creating many children with mortals. For reasons unclear, even at the end of the film when it's somewhat explained, Zeus has decreed that the gods must not visit their demigod offspring. Percy (Logan Lerman) is a young dyslexic boy who only feels at home in the water. This is fitting due to he's a demigod, son of the god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), only he doesn't cognize it yet. His mother conceived Percy with Poseidon, but Poseidon had to leave due to of the law. On Mount Olympus, the entrance of which is atop the Empire State Building, Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen. Zeus (Sean Bean) thinks Poseidon's son, Percy, has taken it. Why Zeus thinks this is never explained, but no matter it's what brings Percy into the picture.

It isn't long into the movie when Percy finds out his true nature. A winged beast, called a Fury, attacks him in a museum. It wants the lightning bolt. Soon Percy is whisked away by his friend Grover and his teacher Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan) a Centaur in disguise. Camp Half Blood is where the sons and daughters of the gods train to become warriors, and to deal with their powers. It all seems alike a hybrid of the X-Men and Harry Potter.

The idea behind the story is an interesting one. What would the Greek gods be alike if they moved along with time? What would they look and act alike in the modern day? In the book the entrance to hell is located in a music studio in L.A.; in the movie it's just a hidden doorway in a mountainside. These are the subtleties missed out on in the film. The tiny details in the books that make them memorable are substituted by extended, and oft times hokey, CG sequences of Percy and his friends fighting monsters alike a Hydra and Minotaur.

The film is peppered with humor written for, and delivered like, a Disney Channel teeny-bopper sitcom. Many of the jokes in the film fall flat, as the lines are delivered by the actors as if there's a laughtrack coming up. The plot contains so many holes that a sponge is more solid, but many things just have to be put aside and not thought about. Percy has 14 days to learn he's a demigod, train at Camp Half Blood, then go on a journey that involves traversing the country (seriously, from Nashville to Hollywood) in a dilapidated truck to get to the Underworld. The trek that Dennis Quaid takes in The Day After Tomorrow is more believable.

Percy Jackson and his exploits will no doubt be compared over and over again to Harry Potter. Yes, at times it seems alike a cash-in on the Harry Potter hype --- Camp Half Blood, really? Putting that aside, it ends up being a fresh take on the ancient stories we grew up learning in school. I remember thinking as a kid how cool it would be if these gods actually existed and if these stories were true. It's fascinating to think of ancient gods in modern day civilization doing the same types of things they used to do in ancient times. While this movie about Percy's adventures indeed caters to a younger audience, it isn't without its charms. It will hold up with fans of the books, and with people just looking to take their children to a family-friendly film.

Buy movie online click here!