Walking out of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the latest by Harry Potter film franchise pioneer Chris Columbus, I had a similar reaction while exiting the theater after Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen last June. My world was shocked by each blockbuster. With the latter, I couldn’t believe a movie like that could actually pass as a piece of work that was ready to be watched by a human. With the former, I was amazed at the adventure and spectacle that I was able to experience. Admittedly, my expectations were low and I hadn’t even heard of Rick Riordan‘s five-part book series before seeing the film. What I thought would be a mediocre precursor to the similar story of Clash of The Titans coming this spring turned out to be an epic whirlwind of escapism.
Logan Lerman (Gamer, 3:10 To Yuma) plays Percy Jackson, a teenager stricken with dyslexia and ADHD who happens to be the demigod son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd). Along with his friends Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), the daughter of Athena, and the half-goat known as a satyr (Brandon T. Jackson), they trek across America in search of pearls that will help them reach the Underworld where Percy’s mother (Catherine Keener) has been captured by Hades (Steve Coogan).
Aside from the adventure aspects, the casting is the golden note here. Pierce Brosnan is a freaking centaur. Sean Bean is the almighty Zeus. Steve Coogan is the evil Hades. Rosario Dawson is stunningly beautiful as the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone. Uma Thurman has goddamn snakes coming out of head. Oh, and Joe Pantoliano plays an asshole. Each of these characters have their moments and are ridiculously fun to watch. Percy Jackson’s friends can get a bit annoying and they are in the film for much longer than any of the highlights above. He has little chemistry with Athen’s daughter Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson (the gay rapper/actor from Tropic Thunder) delivers some of the most annoying lines as his sidekick. Fortunately the leading star Logan Lerman has great on-screen presence and is able to carry us through the film without any complaints.
Most people like to give Chris Columbus a hard time for the first two Harry Potter films. While I don’t particularly love any of them, save Alfonso Cuaron‘s Azkaban, he was able to successfully create the entire world in which the rest of the saga has followed. Columbus creates an even more magical landscape here. By mixing present-day America with this Greek mythology we are put right into the action, which delivers on all accounts. Columbus uses an array of tracking, dolly and jib shots to give us a strong sense of all the spectacular pieces on display. These include an epic fire vs. water battle with a 10-headed hydra dragon to a climactic fight through NYC skyscrapers. They each have a unique touch and are able to deliver a sense of excitement that many bigger budget summer blockbusters never achieve.
The weakest part of the film lies in the first act. We are rushed into this magical world and never get a definitive sense of Percy’s life or the people that surround him. Catherine Keener, his mother, seems to be playing the exact same role as Where The Wild Things Are, but to a lesser effect here. The initial reveals of the Greek mythos invading his life also tend to be awkward and quite forced. Once the trio starts their adventure though, there is little downtime. The most ridiculous (read: entertaining) portion comes when they travel to Las Vegas for one of these special pearls. This PG film featured beheadings, blood and beer previously, but you may ask when do the hard drugs appear? Welcome to Vegas baby. The trio consume “lotus flowers” that make them hallucinate in a drug-induced haze, where they lose all sense of time as they go clubbing, gambling, and womanizing to Lady Gaga.Yeah, it’s awesome.
Chris Columbus was able to let go and have fun with Percy Jackson, something I never found to be true in the Harry Potter adaptations. I was instantly brought back to my childhood; feeling unadulterated, innocent joy that is too rare in children’s films today. The sweeping adventure with it’s memorable characters prove Avatar isn’t the only fantasy to rule the theaters this season.
8 out of 10