Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Play trailer

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

PG

2010

1h 59m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

151 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Amy Nicholson

I.E. Weekly

02/18/2010

C

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

Go to Full Review

A.O. Scott

At the Movies

02/16/2010

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

Go to Full Review

Time Out

02/16/2010

2/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Juan Pablo Pugliese

EscribiendoCine

Feb 3

4/10

Of course, of the early installments in fantasy series...Percy Jackson is the least successful, lacking the artistic flair, visual spectacle, and charismatic characters necessary for—at the very least—effective entertainment. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Justin Kim

Loud and Clear Reviews

01/06/2025

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.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/22/2023

1.5/4

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Sonal S

@SonalSingh 2d

No acting. No direction. No plot development. Worst ever dialogues. No fight direction. How bad can a movie get? It’s like they were competing to make the worst movie of all time!

See more

Samuel H.

@Samuelhaubner Mar 1

The corniest movie I think I’ve ever watched

See more

Avery B

@HungryAmerican Feb 23

There were only two correct-ish scenes in the whole movie, so wasn't very imprest.

See more

R T

@TonyDoom003 Feb 11

Not Great but not bad, the movie kind of feels like Christopher Columbus didn't want to make 5 movies so he just made 2 mediocre ones so fox would cancel before the series was over.

See more

Austin S

@Movie_Watcher144 Jan 31

Was a complete horror to watch. Only two not bad scenes that didn't make me want to die. I do not blame the actors I blame the producers and writers. It should have been a blank screen, at least then it wont be as bad.

See more

Isabella T

@Reliable Jan 5

Basically doesn't relate to the book at all, the acting is insanely terrible, all of the characters are just a trope, the jokes are corny, and the directing choices are insane. ABSOLUTE CINEMA. Percy Jackson more like PEAK Jackson. Nothing in this movie makes sense, the GREEK gods have Irish accents and live in New York. So good it brings a tear to my eye. If you're watching this with accuracy in mind you will be upset within 2 minutes, but if you're watching it to have fun, this movie is perfect. One thing I suggest is to watch the background characters tweaking out while they try and fill up space at camp half blood. I love this movie because its absolute dogwater 10000000/10

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Chris Columbus

Director

Logan Lerman

Percy Jackson

Brandon T. Jackson

Grover

Alexandra Daddario

Annabeth

Jake Abel

Luke

Sean Bean

Zeus

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

43%

54%

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Watchlist

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

50%

58%

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

80%

82%

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

90%

86%

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Alice in Wonderland

51%

55%

Alice in Wonderland

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Adventure Series Ordered for Disney+

Critics Consensus: Valentine’s Day Gets Massacred

New Clips From Percy Jackson & The Olympians!

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now