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Our on-staff movie buff Leanne McGrath shares her latest candid movie reviews. Email feedback to her at [email protected].

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief ****

Stars: Logan Lerman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Uma Thurman, Steve Coogan

Director: Chris Columbus

Rated: PG

Showing:  Liberty Theatre. Daily at 1:30pm, 4:30pm and 7pm.

Runtime: 119 minutes

Adventure/fantasy/family

Based on the hit novel by Rick Riordan, this action-packed, effects-laden blockbuster is the first of what is likely to be a hugely successful franchise.

The story follows teenager Percy Jackson, who discovers the gods of ancient Greece are real and he is the demi-god son of Poseidon, god of the sea.

Soon, Percy and his friends Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), the demi-god daughter of wisdom goddess Athena, and satyr Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) find themselves caught in a battle between furious gods.

Zeus, king of the gods, has his powerful lightning bolt stolen - and Percy is prime suspect. More worrying, his mother has disappeared.

The teenage trio must embark on a thrilling adventure to catch the lightning thief, save Percy's mom and unravel a powerful mystery.

The movie is basically Harry Potter with mythological monsters instead of magic.

A young boy goes to a special school to learn about his powers, hooks up with a quick-witted boy and smart girl and saves mankind.

It's even directed by Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two Potter movies.

In the books, the characters start out as 12 - the same age as the first Potter tale - but the movie has made the protagonists older in a bid to avoid too many comparisons.

Similarities aside, The Lightning Thief is a great popcorn movie with a fun plot, wonderful special effects and an impressive cast including Sean Bean as Zeus, Pierce Brosnan as hero trainer Chiron and Steve Coogan as Hades, lord of the underworld.

The spectacular mythological creatures are a million miles from Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion creatures in Clash Of The Titans and include the snake-haired Medusa, whose look turns you to stone, and the five-headed hydra.

Overall, it's visually exciting, educational and fun-filled adventure for kids of all ages.

Watch if you liked: Harry Potter, Hercules, Clash Of The Titans.

For more information about film times, call 292-7296.[[In-content Ad]]

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