Cast: Logan Lerman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Catherine Keener, Brandon T Jackson, Steve Coogan, Kevin McKidd, Rosario Dawson, Uma Thurman

Director: Chris Columbus

From the book series by Rick Riordan comes the latest attempt to launch a new franchise as we prepare to farewell Harry Potter.

Helmed by the director who did the first three Potter films, you’d expect the film was in safe hands.

Lerman is teenager Percy Jackson, a dyslexic ADHD kid who sees himself as a loser and is constantly surprised by his mum’s (Catherine Keener) decision to stay with a deadbeat loser (the ever great Joe Pantoliano).

One day when on a school trip, Jackson’s attacked by a creature determined to get The Lightning Bolt from him. You see, it turns out that Jackson is the demi god son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), the Greek god of the sea and nephew of Zeus (Sean Bean.)

But someone’s stolen Zeus’ lightning bolt – and unless it’s returned in 14 days, Zeus will bring down all manner of furious vengeance upon the world.

So with the help of a wise cracking protector Grover (Jackson) and a potential love interest daughter of Athena, Percy sets about to prove his innocence and rescue the world from an angry god, hell bent on exacting vengeance.

It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters have walked out of the pages of high school student Percy Jackson’s Greek mythology texts and into his life. And they’re not happy: Zeus’ lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Even more troubling is the sudden disappearance of Percy’s mother. As Percy adapts to his newly discovered status as a demi-god (his father is Poseidon), he finds himself caught between the battling titans of Mt. Olympus. He and his friends embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true lightning thief, save Percy’s mom, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Synopsis: Trouble-prone Percy Jackson is having problems in high school – but that’s the least of his challenges. It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of… Trouble-prone Percy Jackson is having problems in high school – but that’s the least of his challenges. It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology texts and into his life. Percy has learned that his real father is Poseidon, god of the sea, which means Percy is a demigod – half human, half god. At the same time, the powerful gods on Olympus are feuding, which could launch a war enveloping our entire planet.

Now, Percy must prepare for the adventure of a lifetime, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

With ominous storm clouds brewing over Earth and his own life now in peril, Percy travels to a special enclave called Camp Half Blood, where he trains to harness his newly discovered powers and prevent a devastating war among the gods. There, Percy meets two fellow demigods – the warrior Annabeth, who is searching for her mother, the goddess Athena; and his friend and protector, Grover, who is actually a brave but untested satyr.

10-year-old Jackson decided it was “quite good” – and could really remember the beginning which sees Poseidon rise from the sea and walk onto the land. He was impressed with those effects – and then went off on a tangent about what powers he’d have if he could control the elements; ultimately he decided on electricity. Overall it’s 8/10 for him.

Percy Jackson is perhaps a muddled start to the franchise (there are four other books) and may disappoint some of the legions of its fans. As a piece of cinematic entertainment, it’s a fairly harmless film that is unfortunately none too memorable.