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!

As huge fans of the series (we've read them all!), our family went to the film opening yesterday. Our 8-year-old was really excited to see how book would be translated, and he was disappointed that some of his favorite scenes and aspects of the story had been changed; such as the decision to change the 5 days of gaming in the Lotus Club arcade to 5 days of debauchery that was shown in the movie (which was funny, but perhaps intended for a PG audience?). He was also disappointed that Grover's character had been altered significantly form the book series (in the series, he's a lovable, at times, awkward, satyr. he's not the smooth ladies-man-satyr shown in the film ... who is, a likable character, but intended for an older audience.) I gave it 4 stars because it is a very good film, but it's not really much like the book, which is excellent!

I was so disappointed!My daughter and I both read the books together and I had hoped that since Chris Columbus would be truer to the book (he did the first Harry Potter movie without advancing the childrens' ages). We were expecting the violence--come on!--they were fighting monsters all the time in the book! And Gabe was a jerk in the book too. But I was mostly disappointed in the themes that were in the movie that were not present in the books--all the sexual innuendo, especially with Persephone! Even the physical tension with Percy and Annabeth was really amped up. There were good and bad role models; I did like the strong Annabeth but Grover was very disappointing. I wish I had previewed this movie before taking my daughter.

they did a terrible job following the book

....Ok first off if you read the books DO NOT watch the movie the plot line was off the movie was just way off the book...I saw this for my b-day because I loved the books sooooooooo much but ugh it was stupid. I have one word for it FAIL!

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.

really, really bad. NOT LIKE the book in ANY way whatsoever, except for the characters' names. percy's poor? oh well, that's funny - he has an iPod touch, plus his stepfather has a sports car. bad plotline, acting, and screenplay. bad in general, could have been AMAZING. try again, please!

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".

Well if you or your children are fans of the books then you might just want to skip the movie. My boys were excited to see this movie & had devoured the books. They & I couldn't believe how they changed this story. They neglected to include many important details that role into the rest of the books & totally forgot to introduce many of the characters. Gone were the pictures of Camp Half Blood being like any other camp until you looked closer. There wasn't a sign of anyone in the bright orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirts but adults wearing grecian togas. It felt as if the screen writer didn't even bother to read the story before he wrote the script. It felt as if the director was more interested in the action sequences then the actual story of friendship that developes between the 3 main characters & how Annabeth deals with her conflicted feelings. By the way Annabeth's invisibility cap is MIA in the film. With such a star studded cast & a story that had endless possibilities this movie failed painfully. If the rumors are true & they are planing to do more I hope that they take the time to be more faithful to the story. Sure liberties will be taken & somethings will have to be cut but this film failed to explain the "Mist" & never once mentioned the prophecy regarding a child of the big 3. Thus making me feel as if they are already planning on dropping this series after the 1st movie. Sorry to hear as they had the makings of something as amazing as Harry Potter had they wanted it to be that way.