Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

  • Percy Jackson & the Olympians:
  • The Lightning Thief

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Chris Columbus
Produced by
  • Chris Columbus
  • Michael Barnathan
  • Karen Rosenfelt
Screenplay by
  • Craig Titley
  • Joe Stillman[1]
Story by Rick Riordan (novel)
Starring
Music by Christophe Beck
Cinematography Stephen Goldblatt
Editing by Peter Honess
Studio
  • 1492 Pictures
  • Imprint Entertainment
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) February 2, 2010 (2010-02-02)
February 12, 2010 (2010-02-12) (United States)
Running time 118 minutes
Country
  • United States
  • Canada
Language
  • English
Budget $95 million[2][3]
Gross revenue $226,058,010[3]
Followed by Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters[4]

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (also called Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief) is a 2010 fantasy-adventure film directed by Chris Columbus. The film is based on The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan. It stars Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson alongside an ensemble cast which includes Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Sean Bean and Pierce Brosnan. It was released to theaters on February 12, 2010.[5]

In its opening weekend in North America the film ranked number two; and in its first week the film grossed $40 million, recouping 40% of its $95-million budget.[6] The film grossed $255,057,663 internationally. The film was met with mixed critical reception.

Contents

Plot

At the top of the Empire State Building, Zeus (Sean Bean) tells his brother Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) that his master bolt has been stolen. He blames Poseidon's son for the theft and, despite Poseidon's claims of his son's innocence, tells him the bolt must be returned by midnight on the summer solstice in 14 days or a war would begin between the Olympians.

Seventeen-year-old Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is shown underwater in the opening credits, implying that he can remain underwater for long amounts of time, though he doesn't know why. His step father, Gabe Ugliano (Joe Pantoliano) is revealed to be a disgusting man who treats Percy's mother, Sally Jackson (Catherine Keener) wrongfully.

Percy goes on a class field trip to an exhibition of Greek and Roman art, with his friend Grover Underwood (Brandon T. Jackson). While walking into the museum, Percy hears a voice in his head warning him that everything is about to change. During the field trip , Percy is lured away from the crowd by a Fury, disguised as his substitute English teacher, who then attacks him and questions him about the lightning bolt. The incredulous Percy, who has no knowledge of what its talking about, is rescued by his Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan). After dispatching the Fury, Brunner gives Percy a pen, instructing him that this pen is in fact, a very powerful weapon and to use it only in the direst of circumstances. Grover then informs Percy's mother regarding Percy's danger and when Gabe attempts to insult Percy's mother again, Grover knocks Gabe unconscious. After escaping from Gabe, on Brunner's instruction, Grover takes Percy to a training camp for demigods, Camp Half-Blood, along with Percy's mother. Although Percy and Grover, who is revealed to be a satyr, make it to the camp, its defenses prohibit Sally from entering, and she is immediately captured by the Minotaur attacking them, and turns to golden dust in front of Percy. Percy engages in a battle with the Minotaur, using the pen, which turns into a sword, eventually killing the creature with one of its horns after it gets stuck in the tree it rammed trying to get Percy.

Percy passes out and awakens in the infirmary, with Grover informing him he'd been unconscious for 3 days. While touring camp Half-Blood, Percy learns that Brunner is the mythological centaur Chiron, and the camp's trainer, and that his (Percy's) father is the god Poseidon. He also meets Luke Castellan (Jake Abel), a son of Hermes, and Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), a daughter of Athena. While at the camp, Percy learns from Poseidon's voice that water has the power to heal his injuries, and allows him to manifest his magical abilities.

Hades (Steve Coogan) later appears and reveals that Sally Jackson is his prisoner, and proposes she be traded for the master bolt. Chiron instructs Percy not to bargain with the god, but to go to Olympus to convince Zeus of his innocence. Percy sneaks away from the camp to travel to the Underworld, along with Grover and Annabeth. Luke supplies them with a portable shield, flying shoes and a map to Persephone's (Rosario Dawson) pearls, which would allow them to exit the Underworld.

The first pearl is located in Auntie Em's Garden Emporium, an old statuary store in Leeds Point, New Jersey, which is revealed to also be the lair of Medusa (Uma Thurman). She attacks the trio, but they manage to decapitate her, and take the pearl from her bracelet. They also take her head, which they later successfully use against a Hydra, which attacks them during their acquisition of the second pearl from the crown of a giant statue of Athena at the Parthenon replica in Nashville, Tennessee. During their stay in Nashville, the trio also discovers that Gabe has appeared on television news, accusing Percy of attempting to "kill" him and of "kidnapping" Percy's mother, which then makes Percy wanted as a criminal. The third and final pearl is found on a roulette wheel at the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is also the lair of the Lotus Eaters. While there, Percy, Annabeth and Grover are encouraged by the casino staff to eat lotus flowers, which drug them and make them unwilling to leave. Eventually Percy is warned not to eat the flowers by the voice of Poseidon. He then wakes the other two and they escape with the pearl from the casino in a prize display sportscar. They then realize they've been there for 5 days and only have until the next day to get the bolt. The map reveals an entrance to the Underworld in Hollywood, beneath the Hollywood Sign.

The trio enter the Underworld, where Percy attempts to explain to Hades that he is not the lightning thief. Hades then produces Percy's mother from a container of dust, from which she re-materializes. Percy drops the shield that Luke had given him in the camp before they left, which reveals the lightning bolt concealed inside its handle, along with the fact that Luke had set them up. A confrontation ensues, during which Persephone takes the lightning bolt, and actually helps the trio by knocking Hades unconscious with it and saving their lives. She reveals that if Hades killed the other gods, she would be all alone with him, which is something she did not want. Percy, his mother and Annabeth then use the pearls to transport themselves to the entrance to Olympus. Unfortunately, Grover is left behind in Persephone's "care", as they only possess three pearls. They find themselves at the top of the Empire State Building, and are confronted there by Luke who admits that he is the real lightning thief. Expressing his desire for a new generation of rulers to take over Olympus, he explains that he had hoped that the trio would not have escaped the Underworld alive. Percy and Luke then engage in battle, with possession of the bolt passing between them at various points. Percy eventually wins through the use of his ability to manipulate water, then creates a water trident and throws it at Luke, which pins to him and propels him into the river below. Percy arrives back to the top of the building, and Sally, Annabeth and Percy all take a secret elevator to Olympus where he presents the retrieved bolt to Zeus and reveals the truth about Luke leading Zeus to praise and thank Percy politely. Percy also requests that Zeus retrieve Grover from the Underworld, which the god agrees to. Poseidon explains to Percy the reason why they could not know each other during Percy's childhood, but expresses his love for his son. Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood, where he resumes his training, ending the film in the midst of a training duel with Annabeth.

During the ending credits sequence, Sally Jackson angrily ends her marriage to Gabe, and leaves him with his belongings. Wanting a beer, he finds a lock and a note from Percy on the refrigerator door with instructions not to open it under any circumstances. Furious, he breaks off the lock and sees Medusa's head inside the refrigerator. The screen fades to black as crackling (Gabe turning to stone) is heard and the credits continue.

Cast

Main characters

Gods

Mythical creatures

Mortals

Production

In June 2004, 20th Century Fox acquired feature film rights to the book.[12] In April 2007, director Chris Columbus was hired to helm the project.[13] Filming began in April 2009 in Vancouver.[9] Portions of the film were shot at the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens.[14] Filming wrapped up on the morning of July 25, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Digital intermediate work began in San Francisco in November 2009.[15] Christophe Beck composed the score.[16]

Columbus has stated that the cast were chosen specifically with sequels in mind. "I think with Percy Jackson it was a matter of finding the right cast to fit into these roles, sort of the perfect cast for these roles, because hopefully, God willing, we will go on to do other Percy Jackson films and you want the cast to grow with their characters."[17]

Reception

Box office

The film opened on February 12, 2010 in 3,356 theaters; its opening weekend box-office results totaled $31,236,067[18] in the U.S., finishing at #2 above The Wolfman, which opened at #3 with $31,479,235 and below Valentine's Day, which opened at #1 with $56,260,707.[19] The film had a strong opening weekend for its genre, posting the highest opening weekend for a fantasy film not from the Harry Potter, Narnia, or Lord of the Rings series.[20] As of June 27, 2010 it grossed a domestic total of $88,768,303 with $137,289,360 elsewhere in the world, bringing it to $255,057,663.[3]

Critical response

Critical reception of the film has been mixed, as indicated by an average score of 47 out of 100 from Metacritic.[21] Only 50% of 130 reviews were positive according to Rotten Tomatoes; the site's general consensus being that although the film "may seem like just another Harry Potter knockoff, the film benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology".[22] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "standard Hollywood product... unadventurous and uninteresting."[23] The Washington Post reviewer thought "the movie suffers by taking itself a little too seriously. It's not just that it's a lot less funny than the book. It's also a lot less fun."[24] On BBC Radio 5, Mark Kermode criticized the similarity of the film to director Chris Columbus's Harry Potter films, comparing it to a Harry Potter parody book and dubbing it 'Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins'.[25]

Awards and nominations

Award Category/Recipient(s) Result References
2010 MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Performance

Logan Lerman

 Nominated [26]
Best Fight

Logan Lerman vs. Jake Abel

 Nominated
Teen Choice Awards 2010 Choice Movie Actress: Fantasy

Rosario Dawson

 Nominated [27][28]
Choice: Breakout Female

Alexandra Daddario

 Nominated
Choice: Breakout Male

Logan Lerman

 Nominated
Choice: Fight

Logan Lerman vs. Jake Abel

 Nominated

Soundtrack

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Soundtrack by Christophe Beck
Released February 9, 2010
Genre Soundtrack
Length 59:07
Label ABKCO Records
Professional reviews
No. Title Music Length
1. "Prelude"   Christophe Beck 2:29
2. "The Minotaur"   Christophe Beck 5:09
3. "Chiron"   Christophe Beck 2:02
4. "Victory"   Christophe Beck 1:32
5. "The Fury"   Christophe Beck 2:16
6. "Dyslexia"   Christophe Beck 1:02
7. "The Hydra"   Christophe Beck 6:54
8. "Medusa"   Christophe Beck 2:43
9. "Son of Poseidon"   Christophe Beck 1:57
10. "The Parthenon"   Christophe Beck 3:42
11. "Hollywood"   Christophe Beck 2:32
12. "Lost Souls"   Christophe Beck 2:35
13. "Fighting Luke, Pt. 1"   Christophe Beck 3:54
14. "Fighting Luke, Pt. 2"   Christophe Beck 2:47
15. "Hades"   Christophe Beck 2:47
16. "Mount Olympus"   Christophe Beck 1:27
17. "Poseidon"   Christophe Beck 3:07
18. "Homecoming"   Christophe Beck 3:06
19. "End Credits"   Christophe Beck 7:12

Songs featured in the film that were not included in the soundtrack:

No. Title Music Length
1. "Highway to Hell"   AC/DC  
2. "I'll Pretend"   Dwight Yoakam  
3. "A Little Less Conversation"   Elvis Presley  
4. "Poker Face"   Lady Gaga  
5. "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)"   Three Dog Night  
6. "Tik Tok"   Ke$ha  

Video game

A video game based on the film was released on the Nintendo DS on February 11, 2010.[29] GameZone's Michael Splechta gave it a 6/10, saying "Percy Jackson might not make a splash when it comes to movie tie-in games, but fans of turn-based combat might find some redeeming qualities in this otherwise bare-bones game."[30]

Home media

The film was released on June 29, 2010 on DVD[31] and Blu-ray.[32] The movie itself charted at the top of the charts (DVD sales) with $13,985,047 in revenue in it's first week; at this time, the movie grossed over $28 million in DVD sales.[33]

References

  1. ↑ Fleming, Michael (March 12, 2009). "Joe Stillman joins 'Alien Zoo'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5mFdwgCVD. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 
  2. ↑ "'Valentine's Day,' 'Percy Jackson' and 'Wolfman': The more they cost, the less they made". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). February 15, 2010. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/02/valentines-day-percy-jackson-wolfman-the-more-they-cost-the-less-they-made.html. Retrieved February 16, 2010. "The debut of "Percy Jackson" was good, but not great given its $95-million production budget funded by 20th Century Fox, Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners." 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=percyjackson.htm. Retrieved May 26, 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters". http://www.reelzchannel.com/movie/274788/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-the-sea-of-monsters. Retrieved 10 February 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Contact Information and FAQ:Rick Riordan". http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/contact/. Retrieved 2010-01-22. 
  6. ↑ Marshall, Rick. "What Does The 'Percy Jackson' Opening Weekend Mean For Logan Lerman's 'Spider-Man' Chances?" MTV, February 16, 2010
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Siegel, Tatiana (March 2, 2009). "'Percy Jackson' finds lead actors". Variety. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gmnMoq6y. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  8. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (March 18, 2009). "'Lightning Thief' finds female lead". The Hollywood Reporter. http://login.vnuemedia.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i8cb6d62d50873a4965bc520af0275b90. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Siegel, Tatiana (March 25, 2009). "Fox 2000 bulks up 'Percy Jackson'". Variety. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gmnCPgh3. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hewitt, Chris (May 7, 2009). "Dawson And Coogan Join Percy Jackson". Empire. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gmoROMuC. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  11. ↑ Kit, Borys (April 15, 2009). "Catherine Keener joins 'Percy Jackson' film". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i0c3836c99f47720a731eb6d2ca6df9a2. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  12. ↑ Brodesser, Claude (June 23, 2004). "'Lightning Thief' strikes Maverick". Variety. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gmmoXAco. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  13. ↑ Gilstrap, Peter (April 17, 2007). "Columbus struck by 'Lightning'". Variety. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gmn2hgI8. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  14. ↑ "Portions Of Movie To Be Shot At Parthenon". WSMV-TV. June 2, 2009. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5hnExocye. Retrieved June 25, 2009. 
  15. ↑ Caranicas, Peter (October 20, 2009). "Goldblatt, Deakins follow similar path". Variety. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5mFe9rr24. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 
  16. ↑ Knowles, Harry (November 20, 2009). "New trailer for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief hits...". Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5mFffCexA. Retrieved December 24, 2009. 
  17. ↑ Roberts, Sheila (February 8, 2009). "Exclusive Chris Columbus Interview". Roll Credits. http://www.rollcreditsonline.com/component/content/article/34-highlights/681-percy-jackson-lighting-thief-chris-columbus-exclusive-interview.html. Retrieved February 8, 2009. 
  18. ↑ "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)". Box Office Mojo. 2010-02-12. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=percyjackson.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-07. 
  19. ↑ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=valentinesday.htm
  20. ↑ "Weekend Report: 'Valentine's Day' Massacres Presidents' Day Record". Box Office Mojo. 2010-02-16. http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2681&p=.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-07. 
  21. ↑ "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/percyjackson. Retrieved 2010-02-12. 
  22. ↑ "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/percy_jackson_and_the_olympians_the_lightning_thief/. Retrieved 2010-02-12. 
  23. ↑ Turan, Kenneth (February 12, 2010). "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Review". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-percy12-2010feb12,0,3353954.story. Retrieved 2010-02-12. 
  24. ↑ "Critic Review for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-the-lightning-thief,1158925/critic-review.html#reviewNum1. Retrieved 2010-02-12. 
  25. ↑ "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief reviewed by Mark Kermode". BBC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbzoOxgzYt4. Retrieved 2010-02-23. 
  26. ↑ MTV Movie Awards: When Twilight & Betty White Collide!
  27. ↑ "First Wave of "Teen Choice 2010" Nominees Announced". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2010. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/06/14/first-wave-of-teen-choice-2010-nominees-announced/20100614fox01/. Retrieved June 15, 2010. 
  28. ↑ "Winners of ‘Teen Choice 2010‘ Awards Announced; Teens Cast More Than 85 Million Votes". http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/08/08/winners-of-teen-choice-2010-awards-announced-teens-cast-more-than-85-million-votes/59453?utm_campaign=WP-TWITTER&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter. 
  29. ↑ "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief for DS - Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Nintendo DS - Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief DS Game". Gamespot.com. http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/percyjacksontheolympiansthelightningthief/index.html. Retrieved 2010-05-07. 
  30. ↑ Splechta, Michael. "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief Review". GameZone.com. http://nds.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r39716.htm. Retrieved February 26, 2010. 
  31. ↑ "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief: Logan Lerman, Sean Bean: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Percy-Jackson-Olympians-Lightning-Thief/dp/B003HARV3Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1273270743&sr=1-2. Retrieved 2010-05-07. 
  32. ↑ "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief [Blu-ray]: Logan Lerman, Kevin McKidd, Chris Columbus: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Percy-Jackson-Olympians-Lightning-Blu-ray/dp/B002ZG98J6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1273270743&sr=1-1. Retrieved May 7, 2010. 
  33. ↑ "US DVD Sales Chart for Week Ending Jul 4, 2010". http://www.the-numbers.com/dvd/charts/weekly/thisweek.php. 

External links

The Camp Half-Blood Series by Rick Riordan
Wikipedia book Book:Percy Jackson & the Olympians • Category Category:Percy Jackson & the Olympians • Portal Portal:Literature
Films directed by Chris Columbus
1980s
Adventures in Babysitting (1987) • Heartbreak Hotel (1988)
1990s
Home Alone (1990) • Only the Lonely (1991) • Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) • Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) • Nine Months (1995) • Stepmom (1998) • Bicentennial Man (1999)
2000s
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) • Rent (2005) • I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
2010s
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)