Before the superhero film craze reached its present ranges, Hollywood spent a lot of the 2000s and the primary years of the 2010s obsessive about variations of younger grownup science-fiction and fantasy novels earlier than the craze progressively died off. Harry Potter was a worldwide phenomenon with audiences of all ages passionately studying the books and attending the flicks in droves. Twilight combined vampire mythology with teenage romance drama to the delight of adolescent viewers, regardless of the haters. But for each hit like these two sequence, there have been a number of misses.
One such failed try was the Percy Jackson and the Olympians sequence, a deliberate adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved books which introduced Greek mythology to a YA viewers. The motion pictures fell nicely wanting absolutely capturing Riordan’s imaginative and prescient and had been met with fiercely detrimental evaluations from critics and followers, with plans for future installments ending after solely two of the 5 novels had been tailored. But whereas many of the criticism in opposition to the movies’ efforts at adaptation are warranted, the primary movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, does profit from robust work by its star, Logan Lerman. After Lerman’s shorter-than-expected tenure as Percy, he has gone on to do nice work in tv and movie, and this retroactively makes The Lightning Thief a bit extra watchable, as viewers can get pleasure from seeing a younger expertise come into his personal.
Like the novel, The Lightning Thief follows Percy Jackson (Lerman), a troubled adolescent, as he discovers that the gods and different creatures of Greek mythology are actual. Percy is attacked by a fury disguised as his English trainer however is rescued by his greatest good friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), who’s secretly a satyr, and his Latin trainer Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan), who is definitely a centaur named Chiron. Grover brings Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a mystical haven in Long Island that serves as a coaching middle for half-bloods/demigods, youngsters who had been born on account of affairs between gods and mortals. Chiron informs Percy that he’s the son of Poseidon, god of the seas, and that he has been framed for stealing Zeus’ (Sean Bean) lightning bolt as a part of a mysterious plot to start out a conflict between the gods. When Percy learns that Hades (Steve Coogan) is holding his mom, Sally (Catherine Keener) captive within the Underworld, he units out with Grover and Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), daughter of Athena, to rescue her, unraveling the thriller of the lightning thief alongside the best way.
‘The Lightning Thief’ Is a Failed Adaptation — Even With Christopher Columbus
Director Chris Columbus, who made the primary two Potter movies pleasant fashionable classics, tried to repeat his success with The Lightning Thief however was unable to recapture the identical magic. The script is unable to condense the nuances of the comparatively sophisticated novel right into a runtime of lower than two hours, which leaves the movie with out practically as a lot substance because it might have. The movie usually appears in a rush to get to its subsequent VFX-heavy motion sequence or campy comedic bit reasonably than taking the time to decelerate and absolutely discover its characters and world. Despite this, Logan Lerman turns in a powerful efficiency that elevates the movie’s portrayal of Percy.
Logan Lerman Is ‘The Lightning Thief’s Saving Grace
The most drastic distinction between Percy in The Lightning Thief ebook and movie is his age. In the ebook, Percy is barely 12-years-old, with the sequence going down over the course of 4 years, till the dramatic occasions prophesied about his sixteenth yr come to go in The Last Olympian. Lerman was 18 when the movie was launched and his model is consequently a lot older, showing to be at the very least a beginning excessive schooler. The sequel, The Sea of Monsters, adjusted the prophecy to seek advice from when Percy turns 20. Despite this important age hole, Lerman characterizes Percy very equally to how he’s portrayed within the novel. Like many half-bloods, Percy suffers from bodily and emotional points together with ADHD and dyslexia. Lerman captures the nervousness and social discomfort this brings the character nicely whereas additionally exhibiting how Percy turns into extra assured and comfy as he adjusts to the reality about his lineage and bonds with Annabeth and Grover, making a hero who’s well-rounded and price rooting for. Lerman has particularly vibrant chemistry with Daddario, who turns in equally robust work regardless of the adjustments to her character. The books thinly disguise Percy and Annabeth’s romantic emotions for one another for a number of installments, however within the movie they’re instantly obvious, even when the pair don’t turn out to be an overt couple. It’s a noticeable change, however one which advantages the movie by giving it a extra passionate central relationship.
The Lightning Thief is much from a profession spotlight for Lerman. He’s been part of each stronger style tasks like Fury and Hunters and ably dealt with central roles in acclaimed dramas like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Indignation. The upcoming Percy Jackson Disney Plus sequence additionally seems to be at the very least a way more correct adaptation of the novels. But if one is searching for a household pleasant journey movie with a succesful lead, they might do loads worse than The Lightning Thief. Unfortunately, even Lerman wasn’t capable of save The Sea of Monsters.
If you need to see Lerman fully in his ingredient, take a look at the trailer for the most recent season of Hunters under. Every episode of Seasons 1 and a pair of is now accessible on Prime Video.