Lowering Prices Doesn't Have to Mean Lowering Standards

Ever notice that the cheaper a film becomes to watch, the more likely you are to watch it? To me, very few films are worth spending the IMAX-ish money at my local theater. However, for those films on the bubble, there are daily matinees and my local Cineplex does have a 6.00 Wednesday special. But lately it’s not a money issue, but a time one.

But tonight I caught a break. Leaving work at 6:30 gave me enough time to watch and review a film in the same night. That’s not usual practice, but I do have a self-imposed 4 monthly post deadline to hit. I wanted a film requiring little thought, but still seemed interesting. After reviewing the new movies menu from my soon-to-be-ex cable company, I selected “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”.

I knew this was the possible start of a franchise, with the studio thinking it will replace the OTHER franchise about the young wizards. This film has two major selling points for me. The first was that I HAVEN’T read the source material. I have this bad habit of being a voracious reader. By the time the movie has come out, I have already read the book which usually ruins the film. (Case in point: I’m currently reading “The Passage”, which has already been optioned by Ridley Scott.) The second is that I am familiar with the background of the story.

I found it entertaining to see how they incorporated the myths I read as a child in a modern setting. I loved the parade of cameos; even the credits were a kick to watch. The adults in the film are truly an ensemble; and are more recognizable that the ones in the OTHER franchise. But the film belongs to the three leads (Why does it always have to be three, btw?) who were complete unknowns to me. I thought the acting was solid, the writing was above average, and the ideas themselves were extremely entertaining.

The other thing worth mentioning is the use of special effects. Most of the time effects bore me. I find them fake and distancing to the audience. But here they actually worked. I’m not sure if that’s because of the state I’m in, or if it’s because of the world the filmmakers put me in, but either way it was successful.
This is what I’d consider a true family film. It doesn’t pander down to children, and it’s intelligent enough to hold the attention of adults. I guess that’s why it was one of the first well-reviewed films of 2010. In a summer saturated with stories I’ve already heard or couldn’t care less about, it was very nice to finally see a film that was original, in its own way.

If they do decide to make this into a franchise (and I have no doubt that they will), I’m all for it. And I PROMISE not to read the books!