www.theredrighthand.co.uk
| The Red Right Hand www.theredrighthand.co.uk |
|
|
|
|
|
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS Chris Columbus Starring Logan Lerman Brandon T. Jackson Alexandra Daddario Yet another adaptation of a children's/young teen novel that I have never heard of, let alone read. This one is about the possibility that the ancient Greek Gods are still alive and their offspring inhabit our world, out of sight. It's a fairly interesting concept, I'll grant you that, and the premise sounded rather interesting, however the tales of Mr. Jackson - in the hands of Columbus at least - are far from enthralling. The master bolt, Zeus' [Sean Bean] primary weapon, has been stolen by one of the God's children and the King of the Gods openly accuses his brother Poseidon [Kevin McKidd], stating his son probably stole the bolt. Outraged, Poseidon explains that his son is completely hidden and unaware of his origins and as such, could not have been responsible. Introduce Percy Jackson [Lerman], a young student who quickly discovers his true nature and sets off to train to become.. whatever. Along the way he learns that his best friend is in fact a man-goat Satyr, his mother gets sent to hell and he starts to fall for some impulsive girl, who happens to be the daughter of whomever. All the while, Percy has to uncover the true lightning thief - even though he doesn't actually plan to do this, it just sort of happens. I'm not saying the plot was weak because I understand a great deal must have been cut from the books in order to make it eligible for film (or at least, the kind of film that Columbus wanted to make) but it was certainly lacking. Furthermore, we have the hammy kid acting, the ridiculous notion that all of ancient Greece has inexplicably been relocated to the United States and the inconsistent CGI that ranged from impressive and seamless to rushed; all of which added up to a fairly bland release. It's not all awful -- it may sound strange but a film has to do a great deal right in order to get to the midway point of an average release -- the camerawork was largely commendable, the sound quality was reasonable, the sets and production design were both praiseworthy; to be honest, most of the technical aspects of this release are all reasonably well-executed. The problems seem to stem from the creative aspects (anything to do with story, character development or music) an underwhelming finale and the quiet reminder that the upcoming Clash Of The Titans will probably be fifty times more impressive. At the end of the day, the whole thing felt a bit like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys for kids. Release Date: 12th February 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: Having driven across most of the United States, our 'heroes' find themselves in Nashville, Tennessee, raiding a replica of the Parthenon to find a mystical green pearl. Ok, that I can sort of understand, it's a fairly valid location in the US for this release. So, what is the location of the final pearl? For whatever reason, it's in a casino in Las Vegas. I may not be as familiar with US gambling laws but I'm immensely surprised they admit underage kids without question. I may be coming off as a bit of a prude but it still annoyed the hell out of me. Oh, and their little half-blood camp was crap. Notable Characters: I must confess I actually hated everyone; I couldn't find one performance that stood out for better or worse. The big name cast just embarrassed themselves and the young leads displayed almost nothing worth writing about. The reason I'm so put-out by this is the fact that almost everyone involved has already proved their worth in other features, it was as if all their acting ability was drained and a phoned-in performance was all that remained. Highlighted Quote: "I definitely have strong feelings for you, I just haven't decided if they're positive or negative yet" In A Few Words: "Suffering from toned-down mythology and deplorably annoying lead characters, Percy Jackson will entertain families but warrants little attention" Total Score: 
5/10Matthew Stogdon |
