Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Logan Lerman, Brandon T Jackson, Alexandra Daddario
Screenplay: Craig Titley
Running time: 118 min
Rating: M
***/*****
IT'S A SHAME SOMEONE COULDN'T HAVE STOLEN CHRIS COLUMBUS!
Despite comparisons to another fantastical franchise featuring an adolescent boy with magic powers, Percy Jackson is not the next Harry Potter. It is instead a rather mediocre yet entertaining entry into the genre that has the potential to achieve far greater things than what has been elicited out of this initial outing.
Following the theft of his precious thunderbolt Zeus wages war on Poseidon, convinced that the culprit is Poseidon's half human half immortal son Percy. Raised as a normal teenager Percy must channel his dormant powers and find the real thief before a war of the gods destroys the world.
Everything about Percy Jackson is quite hit and miss. The screenplay by Craig Titley lacks the emotional subtext that makes Harry Potter resonate with all ages. Instead rather bad dialogue and scant character development abound, with hastily introduced sub plots wrapping up as unsatisfyingly as they are introduced.
Based on the novel by Rick Riordan it is a shame that Chris Columbus could not have delivered a better thought out product as the premise is rather good. The Gods of Olympus have not featured prominently in a mainstream film for decades, and the concept that their half human offspring must train as warriors to save the world is practically every fantasy enthusiasts wet dream. Unfortunately Columbus fails to capitalise on the rather ingenious premise instead meandering about not quite sure on what aspect of the film he should be focusing on
Luckily for the film, Logan Lerman in the title role goes along way in smoothing over the movies flaws. Lerman has long been a child star to watch and as he develops into a young man his performances, particularly last years My One And Only, grow in depth and stature. Doing well with the bad dialogue he is given it is hoped that Lerman follows a Dicaprio type career path and not get caught up in a string of dead end franchises like many other teen stars that have gone before him. The supporting cast does not fair so well. Indie darling Catherine Keener is practically nodding of in her role as Percy's long suffering mother and whilst Brandon T Jackson gets in a few witty one liners as Percy's sidekick Grover, he appears awkward in any scene that requires a more "serious" tone. It is hard to ascertain anything about Alexandra Daddario's performance as Percy's love interest and fellow immortal as you are too distracted by the fact that she appears to be trying to pop her eyes out of the sockets in every scene , the same can be said or Pierce Brosnan in the sense that his half human half horse physique elicits the giggles so profoundly that it is almost impossible to concentrate on what is coming out of his mouth.
On the plus side a few solid action sequences and interesting cameos manage to briefly lift the quality of the rather hodge podge fair. One has to wonder if Columbus rushed the filming of Percy Jackson in order to beat Clash of the Titans to the screens as it often comes across as hastily thrown together and not entirely thought out. If this is a case it is a shame because potential peaks through the crevices of the film, potential that will hopefully be capitalised on should Percy Jackson be granted a second outing.
Despite the criticism Percy Jackson is a bit of mindless fun, which perhaps would not have been such a disappointment if the fine calibre of artists assembled had not been involved. Still more enjoyable than a lot of pop corn movies flooding the marketplace, here's hoping that Columbus can create some real magic in the sequel. THREE OUT OF FIVE STARS.
