Percy his friends flee the Underworld with the bolt to return it to Mount Olympus. During a fight with Hades, Percy discovers the bolt in the backpack that he received from Ares. Hades, however, did not steal the bolt but has had his own Helm of Darkness stolen as well.
They find Hades' house and confront him about the theft of the Master Bolt. They bribe Charon, the ferryman, to take them across the River Styx. Percy and friends find the entrance to the underworld at DOA Records in Los Angeles. Along the way they battle Furies and Medusa, are attacked by Procrustes, the stretcher who stretched travelers to fit a bed, and meet Ares, god of war, who gives them supplies. Using buses, trains and taxis, the trio travel across the United States, stopping in St. They must travel by land, because flying may draw the attention of Zeus. Percy, along with Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and Grover, a satyr, must travel across the country to the entrance to the Underworld in Los Angeles, California. Percy goes on a quest to retrieve the bolt from the most likely thief, Hades, ruler of the underworld, before the upcoming summer solstice. Percy also learns that Zeus has accused him of sealing his Master Bolt. While at camp, Percy discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and a nephew of Zeus and Hades. Unfortunately, the film failed to meet expectations, and I know that if there is a cinematic sequel to Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I certainly will not be seeing it.After Percy is kicked out of school, his mother takes him to Camp Half-Blood, a camp in New England where demigods are trained to use their powers. I've read both of the Harry Potter books prior to seeing the movies and was satisfied enough by the movies to continue watching as the novel-based saga unfolded.Īfter all, had the movies failed to adhere to the books upon which they were based, I would have had no desire whatsoever to watch the last few Harry Potter films despite the fact that they were directed by someone new.Īs it was, the first two Harry Potter movies, in my opinion, stuck to the plot of the books very well, and I expected that the Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie would do the same. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was directed by Chris Columbus, the director of the first two Harry Potter movies, so I'd expected it to be pretty good. In the film, Percy comes to camp knowing that he is a son of Poseidon and secretly leaves on the quest that night. He is then sent on a quest to find Zeus's stolen lightning bolt. In the novel, Percy is immediately put through rigorous training to develop his abilities and, in the process, is discovered to be a son of Poseidon. This is where the book and the movie begin to show some serious differences. When Percy is first discovered to be a demigod, he is immediately brought to Camp Half-Blood. This is an ability of which much is made in the film (after all, giant tidal waves make for great CGI effects) and that also comes to Percy's aid quite a bit in the book. Percy, being a son of Poseidon, has control over the water. These demigods live in society like (semi) normal kids until they are discovered by the minor gods and sent to Camp Half-Blood, a Hogwarts-like place where they can grow up in peace to develop their supernatural abilities (which are different for each camper but always relate to the powers of their godly parent).
Percy jackson and the lightning thief movie summary series#
In Rick Riordan's book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, these gods are alive and well in the world today.Ī child like Percy with one godly parent and one human parent is called a demigod (or a half-blood). Percy Jackson is your average American kid save for the fact that his father is Poseidon, ancient Greek god of the sea.
These are the future as laid out by the Oracle at Camp Half-Blood, and The Lightning Thief features two. It also left out one of the most critical aspects of the book: the prophecies. It invented a reason that made sense in the context of the movie but failed to even begin to capture the theme of the novel. It left out crucial plot elements - in fact, the movie even failed to reveal the real reason behind the thievery of Zeus's Master Bolt (the lightning referred to in the title of the film). Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief failed to follow the plot of the book at all. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning ThiefĪfter seeing Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I wondered if the screenwriter of the movie even read the book the movie was supposedly based on or if he just got a summary from Wikipedia.Īlthough come to think of it, even Wikipedia with all its editors can give a better synopsis of Rick Riordan's epic novel The Lightning Thief than the screenwriter of this movie did.