Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy is a teenager (Logan Lerman) who thinks he has dyslexia, but it turns out he’s the son of Poseidon, ’cause his mom got it on with the god while he was partying down on Earth. When Zeus’ lightning bolt disappears, and Percy is the suspected thief, he must fly into action, but must first attend a training camp for demigods. If the setup sounds a little like the Harry Potter saga, it is, but it the results aren’t nearly as enchanting. This is directed by Chris Columbus, the man who got the Potter series off to a poor start. Columbus gets a good cast that includes Uma Thurman, Steve Coogan and Rosario Dawson—and he manages to make them all look bad. The elements just don’t fit together, and much of the action comes off as bland. It’s unfortunate, because the premise seems fun and might have worked in the hands of a director with a little more depth.