Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief Review

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief is based on Rick Riordan’s novel. This is the story about Percy, a trouble-prone high school boy who struggles with learning disabilities. Percy discovers that he’s a descendent of a Greek god, and that his absent father is actually Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. He also learns that his Uncle Zeus’ lightening bolt has been stolen, and that he’s the prime suspect, and his mother’s taken hostage. So now the adventure begins, as Percy and his friends travel cross country to save his mom, and ultimately to catch the real thief.

Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: June 29, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild

See the trailer here!

Talking Points:

This movie is another action/fantasy movie, and has been compared to Harry Potter. However, director Chris Columbus, who also directed Harry Potter 1 and 2, said, “Harry Potter deals with wizards and witchcraft, and it’s set at Hogwarts in England. Percy Jackson is a New York kid dealing with gods and monsters of Greek mythology, but in modern-day America. They are two completely different worlds.”

I also read that the director said he wanted a movie that’s “appreciated on two levels: a wild ride for kids 7 to 16, and for older kids and their parents, a movie that would make them feel 12 years old again.”

I loved Percy’s relationship with his mom. Throughout the whole movie he tries to protect her.

Sexual Content: Mild

• Innocent flirting.

Violent Content: Moderate

• There are many violent, action scenes which may scare some kids:

• There are a lot of sword fights, with many bloody cuts. There are also monster attacks.

• The scene with Medusa is creepy. Percy slashes Medusa’s head off, then his friend picks it up, and carries it around.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

I interviewed many kids that liked it. Two 13 year old boys said, they liked the book better, but still enjoyed the movie. A nine year old girl said she liked it, but got a little scared.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. It was a fun, action/fantasy movie that the whole family will love. I recommend it for kids ages 8 and up, that enjoy action/fantasy movies. I give it 4 buckets.

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