Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (PG, 2010)

I have no idea why this movie was not rated PG-13. I took my daughter to this and Avatar in 3-D and saw no difference in the violence level. There were a lot more younger kids in the audience for Percy Jackson because of the PG rating. I took my 10 year old daughter to this because she is a fan of the books. There were a lot more inappropriate messages in this flick for kids her age than Avatar for sure. I was dissappointed. I have an 8 year old son who is trying to finish the book so I can take him - but I will not take him now due to the too graphic scenes. Yes, the special effects are well-done. The movie's story is just okay. It does not leave you with a positive feeling at the end of the movie like Avatar does - much better written story-line. My daughter liked the Lightning Thief book much better. This movie just makes me wonder who's establishing the ratings out there!

My 11 year old son and I LOVED the books and were so excited when we heard a movie was being made. We made it a special event to attend the midnight opening and waited in line to get our seats. We were so disappointed that the movie WAS NOTHING like the book! Too fast-paced in the beginnning, there was little time for character development. The kids were too old, key characters were left out, and the storyline was far off from Rick Riordan's witty, entertaining adventure. Intense monsters, mild language, and sexual innuendos make this a no-go for my 8 year old daughter who so desperately wants to see it. It's too bad they didn't stick to Riordans original story. 'That would have been a huge success. Those who have not read the series may enjoy the action-adventure and be entertained by the cg effects, but fans of the Percy Jackson series will be left feeling ripped-off and disheartened.

It wasnt worth the two hours of my life. I'll actually be suprised if they make a second one. It might have been good if had seen the movie before I read the books, considering the storylines are COMPLETLEY different.

I

they did a terrible job following the book

It is outrageous that this is rated PG. It should be PG-13. It is geared more to teenagers, not to the age of children who are most likely to be reading the book. It scared the daylights out of my 8-year-old--he still won't go upstairs or downstairs alone since he's seen it. The Medusa and Hades scenes are just too much for children under 13.

I liked the movie on it's own, but not based on the book. I really think it would have been better if it had a different name than the book, and possibly even different characters. I was a little disappointed that the characters weren't 12 and Clarisse and Ares weren't in it. If they make a 2nd one, they'll have to completely introduce Clarisse because she is one of the main parts. I don't think the movie was bad, just a little different. I would recommend the book a little more, but i still recommend the movie.

i am a HUGE fan of the books, and i was disappointed by the fact that the movie changed it to where it was almost nothing like the PJO i know and love. the failure to mention the great prophecy and thalia, and the fact that percy is older than 16 kills all hope that if movies are made for the rest of the books, they might be like the books. if you haven't read the book, the movie is great! if have, (and you should) it sucks out loud.

The Lightning Thief review: Violence- LOTS for a PG. Expect no shooting, but lots of swordplay and scary monsters. The minotaur scene wasn't as violent as I predicted, but the scene with Medusa was lengthy and definitely one of the scariest parts of the movie. If you have any mature 8 year olds or younger, that part will most likely scare them. A teacher changes into a Fury, and picks up Percy, which contains some scariness. Many monsters including one with like 7 heads and then it grows 2 more. Oh, I forgot to mention, in the Medusa scene, they end up cutting her head off and taking it with them. Yeah, so I think you get the point on the violence. Sex: Some flirting between Anabeth and Percy, and in the end they kiss. Peresphone sees Grover in the Underworld and shows obvious love for them. Grover makes some sexual remarks. All of this will go over kids head's though, so no need to worry; but the part in the casino is fairly explicit. Language: H**l, A**, g*d in a bad way, and D**M. Drinking - The biggest part is definetly in the Lotus Hotel and Casino. They eat these flowers which make them not want to leave and party all night. There is drinking in the casino, and it's obvious the kids gamble. A guy in there seemed to be addicted to the video game he was playing. Gabe (Percy's step dad) always asks for a beer and orders the mother around. Overall- I honestly think if you have read the book and you go with a friend who hasn't, the friend will love the movie and you will be disappointed. I went with 2 friends, one has read the book ,and one who hasn't. You can guess who liked it and who didn't enjoy it as much. I have read all the books, and I admit I was disappointed, but still, with an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING book, you have a pretty good movie. Let me say why this is true (about people liking it). In the movie, they left out Ares and his daughter, Clarisse. They have almost the most important parts in the movie! The actors miserably failed to capture Rick Riordan's astonishing characters.You see, one who hasn't read the book won't notice these problems, and without them, it's a great movie! If the movie was like the book, I would give it 9,999,999,999 out of 5 stars. Yes the book is that amazing and the special affects in the movie could have made it ABSOULETLY FANTASTICLY ASTONISHINGLY FABULOUS! Overall, you need to read the book first to understand it, but you can still enjoy it without reading. Can't wait for "The Sea of Monsters" to hit theaters in 2012! Age group- mature 7 year olds and up. (the reason I said this was in the theater, I saw a little girl probably 5, crying and constantly telling her dad she was scared.) I know this review was immensly long (my longest yet), but I really hope it helped you figure out if you and your family shall see "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief".