Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) stands triumphant with the trident belonging to his father, the Greek god Poseidon. (Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox)
“The Lightning” was originally released in 2005 as the first of a five-book set and quickly made the New York Times best seller list. The movie shows a seemingly average young teenage boy Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), as he goes on a great quest across America to save his mother after discovering his father is a Greek god. Along to accompany him on his quest is daughter of Athena Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), and Grover Underwood (Brandon T. Jackson). Grover, who is half-human and half-goat, is Percy’s best friend. Actors Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Catherine Keener, Rosario Dawson and Uma Thurman also have leading roles in the film. The director, Chris Columbus, has directed movies such as “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”
The movie starts off fast, with very little time for talking after Percy is attacked on a field trip by a demon who suspected him to be the “lighting thief.” While trying to escape the Minotaur, his mother is kidnapped and banished to Hades. After the attack, he arrives in Camp Half-Blood, a secretive training ground for demigods, where he learns about his destiny and what is to come.
While at Camp Half-Blood, Percy decides to sneak out and set out on a quest to rescue his mother from Hades. Along the quest to save his mother, Percy encounters several obstacles, giving him an opportunity to sharpen his magical skills.
The action in this movie was amazing. For a film based on a children’s book, it harbored some very cool action scenes.
Brandon T. Jackson, stand up comedian and former cast member of MTV’S “Wild ‘N Out with Nick Cannon” delivered a outstanding comedic performance as a young newcomer.
One aspect of the movie that might not go over well with longstanding fans of the series is the difference between the book and the film. Anyone expecting the movie to match the book might be disappointed in this 119-minute movie version. Several of the characters are missing, and a lot of the dialogue was left out of the movie. Also, most importantly, the entire story was told from a different perspective. But the graphics brought the movie to life and did very good justice to the book.
Overall the movie gets a B but it had everything you need in a movie: action, romance, comedy, adventure and graphics. Whether you have been a long-time fan or are just picking up, you will be amazed by this movie.