Greek myth isn’t too family-friendly. Those Gods up above could be a wild bunch, full of jealousies and nasty feuds, while their visits here tended to involve rape or murder, when demigods and humans weren’t fighting blood-lustily in their honour. But it’s not so much the strange sanitizing of Greek myth that makes Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief fizzle out as its plod-by-numbers trek through fantasy-adventure formula.

The opener of Rick Riordan’s series has Percy (Logan Lerman) discovering Dad is water-god Poseidon even as the teen’s being accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning-bolt. (Only an American re-myth would make Percy’s disabilities—ADHD and dyslexia—not differences but latent super-gifts, signs of his restlessness to fight and being born to read Ancient Greek, not English.) After scorning a Fury’s wrath and butting heads with a Minotaur, Percy’s off to the Underworld to save Mom from Hades’ clutches, though he must find three pearls en route (presumably because epics are always brought to you by the number three). He’s accompanied by Grover (I respectfully refrain from another Sesame Street joke here) and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), a daughter of Athena. [Source]