Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

PG

2010

1h 59m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

48%

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151 Reviews

53%

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250,000+ Ratings

Always trouble-prone, the life of teenager Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) gets a lot more complicated when he learns he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon. At a training ground for the children of deities, Percy learns to harness his divine powers and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime: he must prevent a feud among the Olympians from erupting into a devastating war on Earth, and rescue his mother from the clutches of Hades, god of the underworld.

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Critics Consensus

Though it may seem like just another Harry Potter knockoff, Percy Jackson benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology.

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Amy Nicholson

I.E. Weekly

02/18/2010

C

The Greek gods had outsized powers and petty grievances. These Gen-Y demigods are no different - it's a whole generation of kids with daddy issues

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A.O. Scott

At the Movies

02/16/2010

I thought it was mischievous and witty and amusing and I was just sort of drawn into it.

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Time Out

02/16/2010

2/5

It's not enough to compensate for the computer-game-style plotting, which is largely based on us picking up narrative nuggets that mechanically slot into place later on.

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Juan Pablo Pugliese

EscribiendoCine

Feb 3

4/10

Of course, of the early installments in fantasy series...Percy Jackson is the least successful, lacking the artistic flair, visual spectacle, and charismatic characters necessary for—at the very least—effective entertainment. [Full review in Spanish]

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Justin Kim

Loud and Clear Reviews

01/06/2025

Though its infamy may be overblown, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is still an unimpressive film that more than justifies the book fans’ outcry for a better adaptation.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/22/2023

1.5/4

This is a by-the-numbers fantasy adventure that merges the modern world with a magical one.

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Alysia A

@Alysiabug Apr 9

So so terrible! I can’t stand when they make movies from a fantastic book and butcher the book. Why??! There is basically nothing in here that follows the book, and the acting is atrocious. And yet they had some fantastic actors in here! Sean Bean?! Uma Thurman? And yet the movie was the most painful thing I’ve ever watched.

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Sonal S

@SonalSingh Apr 5

No acting. No direction. No plot development. Worst ever dialogues. No fight direction. How bad can a movie get? It’s like they were competing to make the worst movie of all time!

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Samuel H.

@Samuelhaubner Mar 1

The corniest movie I think I’ve ever watched

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Avery B

@HungryAmerican Feb 23

There were only two correct-ish scenes in the whole movie, so wasn't very imprest.

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R T

@TonyDoom003 Feb 11

Not Great but not bad, the movie kind of feels like Christopher Columbus didn't want to make 5 movies so he just made 2 mediocre ones so fox would cancel before the series was over.

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Austin S

@Movie_Watcher144 Jan 31

Was a complete horror to watch. Only two not bad scenes that didn't make me want to die. I do not blame the actors I blame the producers and writers. It should have been a blank screen, at least then it wont be as bad.

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Chris Columbus

Director

Logan Lerman

Percy Jackson

Brandon T. Jackson

Grover

Alexandra Daddario

Annabeth

Jake Abel

Luke

Sean Bean

Zeus

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Synopsis

Always trouble-prone, the life of teenager Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) gets a lot more complicated when he learns he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon. At a training ground for the children of deities, Percy learns to harness his divine powers and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime: he must prevent a feud among the Olympians from erupting into a devastating war on Earth, and rescue his mother from the clutches of Hades, god of the underworld.

Director: Chris Columbus
Producer: Karen Rosenfelt, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Mark Radcliffe
Screenwriter: Craig Titley
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Phoenix Film Partners, Dune, Sunswept Entertainment, 1492 Pictures
Rating: PG (Mild Language|Action/Violence|Peril|Some Scary Images|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $88.8M
Runtime: 1h 59m