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Parents' Guide to

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Too scary for younger fans of the popular books.

Movie PG 2010 119 minutes
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 151 parent reviews

Glen C.
Glen C. Parent of 9 and 11-year-old
November 6, 2021
age 8+

IT SUCKED

I read the book then I watched it. IT SUCKED. I was about to cry because I thought hmm the book is so good, can’t wait to watch the movie. But when I watch it, everything is so rushed, they are supposed to figure out that Percy is the son of Poseidon and then they are just like: oh your the son of Poseidon you go in this cabin.
4 people found this helpful.
Simon_Cowell
Simon_Cowell Adult
March 21, 2019
age 10+

Bloody Horrible... Wouldn't Send My Worst Enemy to Watch It

THERE WAS NOTHING EVEN REMOTELY SIMILAR TO THE BOOK IN THERE!! The characters were supposed to be 12, not 17. Also, it took Percy a couple of chapters to find out that he was the son of Posiden and it was a really big deal. Annabeth is BLONDE! Also, Percy and Annabeth were on the same team for capture the flag. The movie completely ruined Percy, Annabeth, and Grover's characters. Percy was a sarcastic but still nice kid. He was always cracking jokes and wasn't nearly as mature as the Percy in the movie. Annabeth was a smart and good leader. In the movies, she introduces herself to Percy saying she's never lost a battle before, and that she's been going to this camp since she was a child and then Percy (who has no training at all) beats her in a battle right after she says this???? How??? They also took away her baseball cap, and made her a useless character when she wasn't at all useless in the books. On to Grover.... In the books he was a shy, nervous saytr. In the movies, he's a ladies man which is just.... no..... I loved the books so much and I despise these movies with a deep passion. The plot wasn't even the same. In the book they were trying to find the door to the Underworld and they collected the pearls along the way. In the movie they were looking for the pearls as there quest. Also, in the movie they just snuck out of the camp, while in the book Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were given a quest. I think that's enough...

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
2 people found this helpful.
See all 151 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Seemingly normal (albeit dyslexic) D student Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) realizes that something is very wrong when he's attacked by a demonic beast during a class trip and whisked away by his mother (Catherine Keener) and friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) to a secret camp. He wakes up in an infirmary like no other, teeming with teens in Greek battle gear, as he remembers with a jolt that he fought and killed a minotaur ... but only after it took his mother to the underworld. Grover, now sporting the goat hooves of a satyr, leads Percy through camp explaining that he's actually half-god -- and his parent isn't just any god, but sea king Poseidon. But before Percy can even break in his new bunk, Hades accuses him of stealing Zeus' master lightning bolt. So Percy decides to go to the underworld to find the truth and save his mother. Grover and daughter-of-Athena Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) decide to go with him, armed with a magic map from senior camper Luke (Jake Abel) that will lead them to three special pearls -- the key to getting out of the underworld alive. Too bad Luke didn't warn them about what was guarding the pearls -- they'll have to fight Medusa (Uma Thurman), a hydra, and even lotus flowers to get to the underworld and back before the gods' petty fighting destroys the earth.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (151 ):
Kids say (565 ):

Kids have been waiting for this movie adaptation for a long time; too bad they'll likely be disappointed, especially if they love the book series. The filmmakers had a great formula on their hands: Rick Riordan's fanastic story, which puts mythology in modern times, adds a bit of sass, and makes a hero of a dyslexic Everykid; Chris Columbus, the director of the first two Harry Potter movies, at the helm; some great monster special effects; and some great actors, even in the supporting roles (Pierce Brosnan, Thurman, Keener, Joe Pantoliano). But the script is a mess; too many liberties were taken with the original plot, which, with its search for the three pearls as the focus, now seems more like a Dora the Explorer episode with expensive special effects.

And the decision to make the main characters teens instead of tweens was a bad one. It keeps the three cross-country travelers from developing as friends on their quest. Annabeth is simply some hot girl who's great with a sword, and Grover puts all his energy into wooing the ladies. The book saga is a friendship tale at its heart, and that's just not here. And even if you're in it just to watch kids have fun slashing the heads off of a hydra or climb Mt. Olympus above the Empire State Building, the special effects work is uneven. The gods as giants look quite fake, making an important scene where Percy meets his dad fall flat -- but at that point most viewers will already be beyond being disappointed.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the book vs. the movie. So much was changed here -- the characters' ages, the plot, the places they visit, etc. Was it still the movie you were hoping for?

  • Talk about the scare factor. Did anything make you hide under your chair? What mythological monsters would you least like to see in the real world? Does fantasy violence have the same impact as more realistic violence?

  • Who are your favorite hero characters? Do they usually have humble beginnings, thinking they're nobody special, or do they always know what they're destined for? How many of your favorite heroes are girls? Boys?

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