I was excited to see Percy Jackson and the Lightning thief because it's a fresh interpretation of the myth that is Perseus. Last week, I even bought the sequel to the lightning thief, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. So my expectations were high but I was disappointed.
Don't get me wrong, the movie was not at all bad. Technically, the effects were at par with Hollywood standards. Pierce Brosnan (James Bond, Mama Mia), Uma Thurman (The Producers, Les Miserables) and Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings) were part of the cast. Logan Lerman was cast for the title role.
Percy is dyslexic so he finds it hard to cope up in school. He lives with his mom who has a loser for a husband. One day, he discovers that he was the son of Poseidon. Sally, his mom, brought him to Camp Half Blood, a place for demigods like him. He learned that he was accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt.
I find the movie bland despite the noble mission the lead character sets upon himself. There's not enough mystery in Percy that got me hooked. J.K Rowling successfully set Harry in a world that could easily pull him to the dark side. In the HP series, there's always a threat lurking in every corner even while he is in Hogwarts. The movie intends to be fast paced and employ action sequence to thrill the viewers rather than engage the audience with the thoughts and feelings of the lead character.
I was expecting a lot from Annabeth's character because she is the daughter of Athena. I expect her to guide Percy in his quest but she was rather weak, too. Unlike Annabeth, Hermione was not a companion for Harry but a real friend. Together with Ron Weasley, they add substance to the plot of the story.
Despite all the action the film has to offer, it appeared uninspired for me. The writing could have done more justice to the heroic exploit of the Greek hero Perseus.
