Reviewed by Lamar Kukuk
2/15/10
You've got to give it to
the Greeks: they sure knew how to come up with a cinematic religion.
The Greek Gods and Goddesses, Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Aphrodite, et all,
remain iconic fantasy characters millennia after anyone last believed they
actually existed. And why not? They've got it all: monsters,
heroes, sex, war, and more familial squabbling than a dozen soap operas.
And so, every few years, they enjoy a rebirth in the movies and TV.
2010 will be an especially good year on Mt. Olympus with a remake of Clash
of the Titans in the pipeline along with a new film version of the
first book in Rick Riordan's popular Percy Jackson & the Olympians
series. The Lightning Thief couldn't ask for a better Percy
than rising star Logan Lerman (at least if you're willing to concede his
being somewhat older than the 12-year-old literary version) or a more apt
choice of director than Chris Columbus, who shepherded the first cinematic
adventures of Percy's forbearer Harry Potter. The resulting movie,
bulkily titled Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning
Thief, is fun and imaginative, even if it never builds up much of a
head of steam. The better you know your Greek mythology, the better
time you'll have with this charming diversion.
Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman)
has one of those awful lives literary fantasy characters tend to:
he's afflicted with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder, and he and
his Mom (Catherine Keener) live with his utterly odious stepdad Gabe Ugliano
(Joe Pantoliano). One day on a class trip to a museum, one of his
teachers morphs into a fury and attacks him, forcing his teacher Mr. Brunner
(Pierce Brosnan) and best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) to reveal
themselves as a centaur and satyr who've been watching over Percy:
his long-lost father is in fact the Greek God Poseidon (Kevin McKidd),
and the theft of Zeus' (Sean Bean) Lightning Bolt by an unknown assailant
threatens to throw the Gods into all-out war. Percy, as the son of
his greatest rival, is Zeus' prime suspect, and now all the magical world
is after him. He and Grover escape to Camp Half-Blood, where the
world's dozens of half-Olympian, half-human children train to use their
powers. But his Mother is abducted by Hades (Steve Coogan), who demands
the Bolt in exchange for her life. Over the objections of Brunner
(known as Chiron at the Camp), Percy joins with Grover and Athena's daughter
Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) on a journey to gather three “pearls” that
will allow them to enter Hades and leave with their lives. Using
magical items on loan from the camp's student leader Luke (Jake Abel),
they must battle Medusa (Uma Thurman), a Hydra at Nashville's Parthenon,
and a Vegas Casino full of Lotus Eaters en route to the Underworld, while
a continent-sized storm cloud gathers. Zeus is very, very angry and
without the return of his Lightning, the world as Percy knows it will end.
Percy Jackson struggles
at times with what the Harry Potter films do effortlessly: simultaneously
playing to a young audience drawn by the kids and an older one looking
for Olympian spectacle. Pantaliano plays his character with pure,
worthless malice, but he's playing a man who's named for ugliness and we're
told stinks so horribly that it throws the Gods off of Percy's scent.
The film introduces a large number of likable characters and moves them
through the paces of a clever plot, but it also tends to get bogged down
in sections like the Vegas excursion that can't be faulted on a plot level
but just don't have any narrative drive. This isn't the first movie
to struggle to dramatize a ticking countdown (characters racing the end
of the world should probably check the next stop on their itinerary after
completing their previous task, not later at a restaurant), but the narrative
is doubly removed from its own gravity because Percy's plan (and a terrible
plan it is, basically an epic trek to look Hades in the eye and say “I
don't have the Lightning Bolt, please let my Mom go”) in no way addresses
the impeding fall of human civilization.
As is often the case with
a new franchise hedging its bets on long-term viability, The Lightning
Thief alternates between sequences of remarkable spectacle and low-budget
time-killing. But there are some exciting sequences, particularly
the fight with the Hydra and the nifty Medusa sequence, which gives a splendid
Thurman the nastiest snake hair ever committed to film. And you can't
fault writer Craig Titley's imagination when it comes to creating a world
where the characters and situations of Greek myth continue to exist side-by-side
with our own. The road trip is a bit peculiar as a travelogue, though
(particularly given that these scenes don't seem to be in the book, which
I haven't read): there's an unsavory “Man, if I wasn't on an epic
quest, this would be a great place to plan a vacation!” quality to the
sequences in Nashville and Vegas that suggests the stops on that tour put
up half the movie's budget out of their own advertising funds. I
suspect a second Jackson adventure will be more up to code if the first
succeeds at the box office.
Despite these issues, the
movie is never less than enjoyable because it's chosen its star well:
Lerman just turned 18, but he's got the charisma and screen presence of
an established star. He's also very good at playing the fantastic
material as though it actually surprises him that the world is full of
monsters and Gods, not something everyone can do. Jackson, while
his wisecracks only hit their target about half the time, makes an agreeable
sidekick, and the lovely Daddario a solid tough-girl love interest.
Brosnan does an exceptional job seeming like a mythical creature (and the
effects that give him a horse's body are first-rate): just the way
he holds his arms and shoulders while speaking is otherworldly. The
Gods don't get much to do, but Bean, McKidd, and company are solid in their
roles.
Percy Jackson & The
Olympians: The Lightning Thief exists primarily to launch a new
franchise, but give it credit for actually telling a complete story that
doesn't rely on sequels that may never come for its effect. It's
far from perfect, but remains pleasant and diverting throughout and will
serve as a nice introduction to the fascinating Greek Myths for the kids
in the audience. And keep an eye on Logan Lerman: whether as
Percy Jackson or not, we'll be seeing a lot more of that kid. |
