Movie Review: The Lightning Thief

Rick Riordan’s novel The Lightning Thief is so full of fast-paced action and plot twists that it would seem destined to make a great movie. After reading the whole Percy Jackson series, I couldn’t wait to see Chris Columbus’ movie adaption. Unfortunately the movie was a disappointment. Major plot points from the book were skimmed over or cut out all together. For example, the big prophecy about Percy is never even mentioned! Instead the plot focuses on the kidnapping of Percy’s mother by Hades. The result is a movie that lacks the mystery and depth of the books. The movie does have its high points. Despite not having the world’s greatest dialog, Logan Lehrman does a decent job playing Percy and the special effects are really cool. Still, I was left wishing that the writers had stuck closer to the book rather than turning the movie into a generic fantasy with Greek gods. 2.5 of 5 stars Reviewed by: Alia