Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (PG)

Movies are the perfect way to introduce children not only to books, since this tale has been adapted from the first novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, but into Greek mythology. Forget Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, Percy Jackson is set to become the new face to watch out for. The fantasy-adventure film begins when Percy (Lerman) discovers he is the demigod (son) of Poseidon. He is introduced into the world of others like him and sets out on a mission to save his mother, return Zeus' (Bean) stolen lightning bolt and prevent the gods going to war against each other.

The narrative for the film is remarkable and has no obvious troublesome downfalls. It has just the right balance of shocks, humour, fright and emotional moments to enthral onlookers. There are times where various creatures associated with Greek Mythology appear out of nowhere and things can get a little confined, loud and frightening for very young children, yet mesmerise older individuals as the battles commence.

The choice of actors to portray these characters is exceptional. Uma Thurman as Medusa is scary in her own right and with sharp eyes and a head full of snakes she is almost terrifying. It is strange to see Pierce Brosnan as Chiron (trainer of heroes), half man half horse, and however he puts across a real guardianship for Percy. The most solemn of characters seems to be Sean Bean as Zeus, King of Olympus and the Gods. Bean manages to keep the dark persona we have seen him portray many times before and with a consistent seriousness, makes a perfect King of the Gods. The biggest round of applause however must to Logan Lerman. There is no doubt that this leading protagonist is going to become the next Zac Efron after putting his name to this film. In his role he portrays courage and strength as he battles alongside a variety of creatures, as well as being able to add a sense of flirtatiousness within his relationship with Annabeth (Daddario), the daughter of Athena.

Unlike Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is for older children. It has a Parental Guidance certificate and with the amount of fighting and monstrous creatures this is not to be taken lightly. The sudden appearance of creatures and the roaring of Hades Lord of the Dead as he changes from one appearance to another more frightening one may startle children under the age of 8. For children who adore the odd scare and creatures from another world then like adults, they are going to adore this fantasy film and hope optimistically the other books in the series get the big screen treatment they deserve.