| Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Chris Columbus |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Craig Titley |
| Based on | The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
| Cinematography | Stephen Goldblatt |
| Editing by | Peter Honess |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | February 2, 2010 (Canada) February 12, 2010 (United States) |
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $95 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $226,497,209[2] |
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (also known as Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief) is a 2010 fantasy-adventure film directed by Chris Columbus. The film is loosely 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 that 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.[3]
The film cost $95 million to make.[2] In its opening weekend in North America the film ranked number two; and in its first weekend the film grossed $38.8 million.[4] The film grossed $226,497,209 worldwide.[2]
A sequel to the film is planned for release on March 27, 2013.[5][6]
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On top of the Empire State Building, Olympian gods Zeus and Poseidon meet, where Zeus reveals that his master lightning bolt has been stolen and accuses Poseidon's demigod son Percy Jackson of the theft. Poseidon reminds him that Percy is unaware of his true identity, but Zeus declares that unless Percy returns the lightning bolt to Mount Olympus before the next summer solstice, war will be waged. Percy is a seventeen-year-old teenager who appears to be dyslexic, but has a unique ability to stay underwater for a lengthy time. While on a school trip to the local museum, Percy is attacked by a Fury disguised as his substitute teacher, who demands the lightning bolt. Percy's best friend Grover Underwood and Latin teacher Mr. Brunner, both of whom appear disabled, help Percy and scare off the Fury. Upon learning the Fury's reason for the attack, Mr. Brunner gives Percy a pen and tells him it is a powerful weapon and has Grover take Percy and his mother Sally out to Camp Half-Blood, leaving behind Sally's lazy husband Gabe Ugliano. However, the three are attacked by a minotaur who appears to kill Sally, since she is unable to enter the camp. Grover tells Percy to use the pen, and Percy discovers that it is actually a sword, which he uses to fight the minotaur, without initial success. Percy kills the minotaur with its own horn and then faints from shock.
Three days later, Percy wakes up in the camp. He learns that he is the son of Poseidon, Grover is really a satyr and his protector, and Mr. Brunner is really the centaur Chiron. Chiron suggests Percy go to Mount Olympus and convince Zeus of his innocence. Percy begins his training to use his demigod powers (which include water manipulation and using water to heal), and meets other demigods including Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and Luke Castellan, son of Hermes. After assisting in a team exercise, Percy is visited by a fiery apparition of his uncle Hades, who reveals that Sally is with him in the Underworld and he will return her safely if Percy hands over the lightning bolt. Defying Chiron's orders, Percy goes to the Underworld, joined by Grover and Annabeth. They visit Luke, who gives them a map showing three of Persephone's pearls that they can utilize to escape the Underworld, an old shield, and a pair of winged sneakers Luke stole from his father.
The trio head out, locating the first pearl at an old garden center but encountering Medusa, who tries to kill them until decapitated by Percy - her head taken with them for further use. They locate the second pearl in the Parthenon in Nashville, and Percy uses the winged shoes to take it from a statue of Athena. Afterwards however, they are confronted by Hydra, whom Grover petrifies using Medusa's head. The third pearl is located in Las Vegas in the Lotus Casino, where the three eat lotus flowers and forget their reason for being there. They wind up in the casino for five days until Percy's dad Poseidon speaks into Percy's mind, helping Percy come to his senses, and Percy then goes and helps Grover and Annabeth do the same and they flee, discovering the casino is run by the Lotus-Eaters. With all three pearls in their possession, Percy, Grover and Annabeth head into the Underworld, the portal for which is located in Hollywood.
In the Underworld they meet Hades and his wife Persephone. Though Percy tells Hades he does not have the lightning bolt, Hades finds the bolt hidden inside Luke's shield, thus revealing Luke to be the lightning thief. Persephone knocks out Hades with the bolt to get back at him for imprisoning her with him for all eternity, and hands the bolt to Percy. However, because they only have three pearls, Grover remains with Persephone. Percy, Annabeth and Sally teleport to the Empire State Building but are attacked by Luke, who wants to destroy Mount Olympus to secure the demigods' place as the new rulers of the gods. After a fight across Manhattan, Percy defeats Luke and returns the bolt to Zeus, who forgives Percy and allows Poseidon to briefly speak with his son. The film ends with Percy and Annabeth reuniting with Grover, who has now grown horns (though only small ones), meaning he is now a senior protector, and returning to the camp to continue their training.
In a post-credits scene, Gabe is being kicked out of Sally's house. He finds a note from Percy warning him not to open the fridge. Angrily ignoring it, he opens the fridge only to be petrified by Medusa's head.
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, that has a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens.[14] Filming wrapped up on the morning of July 25, 2009 in Mission, British Columbia. Additional exterior scenes were filmed on location in Brooklyn, New York during the first week of August 2009.[15] Digital intermediate work began in San Francisco in November 2009.[16] Christophe Beck composed the score.[17]
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."[18]
The film opened on February 12, 2010 in 3,356 theaters; its opening weekend box-office results totaled $31,236,067[2] 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 September 14, 2010 it grossed a domestic total of $88,768,303 with $137,673,529 elsewhere in the world, bringing it to $226,441,832.[2]
Critical reception of the film has been mixed, as indicated by an average score of 47 out of 100 from Metacritic.[21] 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] This comment later sparked a satirical fan creation with precisely that title.[26])
| Award | Category/Recipient(s) | Result | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 MTV Movie Awards | Breakthrough Performance
Logan Lerman |
Nominated | [27] |
| Best Fight
Logan Lerman vs. Jake Abel |
Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards 2010 | Choice Movie Actress: Fantasy
Rosario Dawson |
Nominated | [28][29] |
| Choice: Breakout Female
Alexandra Daddario |
Nominated | ||
| Choice: Breakout Male
Logan Lerman |
Nominated | ||
| Choice: Fight
Logan Lerman vs. Jake Abel |
Nominated | ||
| 37th Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor
Logan Lerman |
Nominated | [30] |
| 2010 Scream Awards | Best Cameo
"Rosario Dawson" |
Nominated | [31] |
| Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Christophe Beck | |
| Released | February 9, 2010 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 59:07 |
| Label | ABKCO Records |
All music composed by Christophe Beck.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prelude" | 2:29 |
| 2. | "The Minotaur" | 5:09 |
| 3. | "Chiron" | 2:02 |
| 4. | "Victory" | 1:32 |
| 5. | "The Fury" | 2:16 |
| 6. | "Dyslexia" | 1:02 |
| 7. | "The Hydra" | 6:54 |
| 8. | "Medusa" | 2:43 |
| 9. | "Son of Poseidon" | 1:57 |
| 10. | "The Parthenon" | 3:42 |
| 11. | "Hollywood" | 2:32 |
| 12. | "Lost Souls" | 2:35 |
| 13. | "Fighting Luke, Pt. 1" | 3:54 |
| 14. | "Fighting Luke, Pt. 2" | 2:47 |
| 15. | "Hades" | 2:47 |
| 16. | "Mount Olympus" | 1:27 |
| 17. | "Poseidon" | 3:07 |
| 18. | "Homecoming" | 3:06 |
| 19. | "End Credits" | 7:12 |
Songs featured in the film that were not included in the soundtrack:
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Highway to Hell" | AC/DC | 3:28 |
| 2. | "I'll Pretend" | Dwight Yoakam | 2:22 |
| 3. | "A Little Less Conversation" | Elvis Presley | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Poker Face" | Lady Gaga | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" | Three Dog Night | 2:58 |
| 6. | "Tik Tok" | Kesha | 3:21 |
A video game based on the film was released on the Nintendo DS on February 11, 2010.[32] 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."[33]
The film was released on June 29, 2010 on DVD[34] and Blu-ray.[35] The movie itself charted at the top of the charts (DVD sales) with $13,985,047 in revenue in its first week.[36] As of October 2011, the movie had sold 2,087,368 DVDs with over $37 million in sales.[37]
In October 2011, 20th Century Fox announced a sequel, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters, scheduled for release on March 27, 2013.[5][6]
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