Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

PG

2010

1h 59m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

150 Reviews

53%

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250,000+ Ratings

Always trouble-prone, the life of teenager Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) gets a lot more complicated when he learns he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon. At a training ground for the children of deities, Percy learns to harness his divine powers and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime: he must prevent a feud among the Olympians from erupting into a devastating war on Earth, and rescue his mother from the clutches of Hades, god of the underworld.

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Critics Consensus

Though it may seem like just another Harry Potter knockoff, Percy Jackson benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology.

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Amy Nicholson

I.E. Weekly

The Greek gods had outsized powers and petty grievances. These Gen-Y demigods are no different - it's a whole generation of kids with daddy issues

Rated: C

Feb 18, 2010

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A.O. Scott

At the Movies

I thought it was mischievous and witty and amusing and I was just sort of drawn into it.

Feb 16, 2010

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Time Out

It's not enough to compensate for the computer-game-style plotting, which is largely based on us picking up narrative nuggets that mechanically slot into place later on.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 16, 2010

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Justin Kim

Loud and Clear Reviews

Though its infamy may be overblown, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is still an unimpressive film that more than justifies the book fans’ outcry for a better adaptation.

Jan 6, 2025

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

This is a by-the-numbers fantasy adventure that merges the modern world with a magical one.

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 22, 2023

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

The Lightning Thief is good juvenile entertainment. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 19, 2022

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Justin T

I did not enjoy this film. In order of awesome it goes the books, the series and way down at the bottom is this film. It takes excellent source material and not only dumbs it down but also changes it way too much. I really hated the writing. Everything else is perfectly fine and this could have been a good movie if the writing had been more faithful to the source material. There’s no Ares, no Chronos, no Clarisse, no invisibility hat, nothing that made the books and series so good. This is honestly not worth the time watching it. Oh and Uma Thurman over-acts massively. The other cast are fine.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/12/25

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Kevin C.

A very good coming of age type of movie. Fun for the whole family

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/10/25

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Tommy D

Good movie and great cast

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/25

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Devin S

I think it was an amazing movie. It is a movie that everyone should watch and the second movie is just as good, if not better. I give it 5 stars!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/05/25

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Cyncy L

I LOVE Percy Jackson I read all the books and watch the movies sooo.. I thought this movie would be ⭐️ AMAZING 🤩 but the movie misses all the good bits 👍🏻 and the characters didn't even look like them so.... As much as it was OK... it didn't seem they listen to Rick's book or anything so it wasn't that good plus it was REALLY short 🤏🏻 😔😞😫 ... Btw 👻 HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/25

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Ivan P

Nothing like the book, way too fasted paced, CGI is good but everything else sucks, and why would you pick an 18 year old, a 24 year old, and a 16-17 year old to play 12 year olds? I know Grover was actually 28 in the book, but he was presented as 12, he LOOKED 12. These actors don’t even look like 12 year olds. Rotten tomatoes to the max. 👎🏾

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/01/25

Full Review

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Chris Columbus

Director

Logan Lerman

Percy Jackson

Brandon T. Jackson

Grover

Alexandra Daddario

Annabeth

Jake Abel

Luke

Sean Bean

Zeus

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Synopsis

Always trouble-prone, the life of teenager Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) gets a lot more complicated when he learns he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon. At a training ground for the children of deities, Percy learns to harness his divine powers and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime: he must prevent a feud among the Olympians from erupting into a devastating war on Earth, and rescue his mother from the clutches of Hades, god of the underworld.

Director: Chris Columbus
Producer: Karen Rosenfelt, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Mark Radcliffe
Screenwriter: Craig Titley
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Phoenix Film Partners, Dune, Sunswept Entertainment, 1492 Pictures
Rating: PG (Mild Language|Action/Violence|Peril|Some Scary Images|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $88.8M
Runtime: 1h 59m

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