From then on, Percy and Grover are on the run to or from something. We meet Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan), a wheelchair-bound teacher at their school who turns out to be the centaur Chiron. We see Percy's dad, Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) and Zeus (Sean Bean) discussing an impending war between the gods. We meet Hades (Steve Coogan) and his unhappy wife Persephone (Rosario Dawson). And we meet Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), daughter of Athena and fierce warrior woman ready to prove herself in the outside world.
Somehow the supernatural realm Percy didn't know existed seems to think that he stole Zeus's lightning bolt from Mount Olympus. But he didn't steal it and nobody seems to care. Annabeth, Percy, and Grover try to figure out what's going on around them.
The whole movie is a roller coaster ride from beginning to end as Percy learns who he is and tries to save his mother Sally (Catherine Keener) from Hades' clutches. Hades wants the bolt so he can challenge Zeus to become king of the gods. And Zeus just wants the bolt back before the Summer Solstice or a war will start among the gods and the Earth will suffer.
As you can see, there's a lot going on. The three actors at the center of the story — Lerman, Jackson, and Daddario — are thrust into the limelight in much the same way as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone hit movie screens in 2001. And I think they did a great job with the roles, presenting kids with good role models who learn and grow throughout the adventure.
Overall, I thought the movie was fun and shows a lot of promise for sequels based on the rest of the Riordan series. If nothing else, it brings a number of wonderful Greek myths back into the foreground for school kids around the country. Hopefully they'll see these ancient stories as gifts from the past and not simply homework from now on. With worldwide box office totals of greater than $225 million and a budget of $95 million, hopefully the producers and studio will see their way to filming some sequels.
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