Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) More at IMDbPro »

To begin I have not read any of the books, but considering their popular following I have to believe the source material was far better than the movie. Yes, similar to Harry Potter in concept but the focus of Greek mythology provides an interest for new and even older viewers, like myself. I wish there would have been more information on the mythology in general and less time spent on poor attempts at satirizing popular culture and humor.

The character of Grover exists purely for the purpose of comic relief, which he does well but it undermines the quality of the premise. The relationship between Percy and Annabeth leaves little to the imagination and provides for almost zero room for growth should this become a film franchise. Both the above problems may have been solved by making the characters younger (like in the book so I'm told) and more fun could have been had without sleazy hip-hop comic style and sexual tension. A more innocent appearance would have been nice, with more general awe of their situation, particularly in Percy's case.

My only other real problem is that the Gods themselves seem far to accessible. Obviously a large part of the movie is the relationship between the Gods and Demi-Gods, but I could have stood to see the Gods portrayed in a far more formal, classical or in general more awe-inspiring way. Not mommy and daddy smiling proudly while on the sidelines at a soccer game. There are some good acting performances and casting choices. Sean Bean, Uma Thurman, Percy Jackson himself, and Pierce Brosnan (although his role as mentor is far overplayed considering his screen time) all do very well. Alexandra Daddario, Catherine Keener and Rosario Dawson, not so much.

All in all there are far worse young adult book to movie adaptations out there. (My childhood was shattered by the recent attempt at The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.) However, compared to the the Harry Potter series, which whether for good or bad this franchise will try to replicate, Percy Jackson comes up very short. Fun and interesting premise but too much time spent on trying to appeal to the modern and not enough spent captivating with the history.