When I started this blog a few years ago, I aspired to do film reviews as one of the features of my content. The trouble with that is, as every parent of young children will tell you – you don’t get out too often to see current films.
But this one was good enough to merit a few impressions:
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief is based on the wildly popular books by Rick Riordan. The Greek gods of Mt. Olympus have sired demi-gods on earth and a plot is hatched to cause the gods to war among themselves.
What I Liked
- The effects from Digital Domain and others were top notch; in particular the CG shots of Pierce Brosnan’s Centaur character artfully blended human and equine anatomy, and the Hydra scene (whose heads grow back in pairs when decapitated) was extraordinary.
- Uma Thurman’s performance as Medusa. Is she our generation’s Queen of Camp? Her head of snakes was mesmerizing (and completely plausible), pity the fool who looked upon her.
- Besides NYC looking glorious on film as always, locales like Nashville and Vegas were also brilliantly photographed for film.
- Rosario Dawson as Persephone. Appears towards the end, and worth the wait for the Dads.
- Brandon T. Jackson was funny throughout as Grover, the “Protector/Satyr”
What I Didn’t Like
- I liked it more than I probably should have. What I thought was merely a night at the movies with my son turned into a rather diverting entertainment. Greek mythology has always held a fascination for me, and credit where credit is due for Rick Riordan. I didn’t like that I liked it so much!
Best LOL Jokes (Spoilers!)
As I aspire (and struggle with) writing jokes for my comic, I am impressed when something in a film makes me laugh out loud. Here are the LOL Spoilers:
- In one of the earliest dialogs, the satyr character Grover (still incognito) is walking through the rough and tumble halls of school with Percy (played by Zac Efron look-alike Logan Lerman) when he proclaims it is “like High School, without the Musical”
- Later, Grover (the African American/Satyr) explains demi-gods are living all around us; some even famous – “I mean White House famous”.
Parental Watch-outs
Once in Vegas the three principal actors consume lotus flowers which induce a drug-like effect on them; I was uncomfortable with their stoned behavior in the presence of my eleven year old.
Overall Grade: A-
Points taken for drug reference and Persephone’s sexual innuendo. Rated PG.