Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief [Blu-Ray]

I read somewhere that Chris Columbus rejects all comparisons of Percy Jackson to the Harry Potter franchise, saying that all fantasy films are connected in some way. And, indeed, they are all essentially childhood wish fulfilment parables for the awkward and disenfranchised, but they don't all revolve around three magical teenagers that attend a shrouded, mystical school who struggle to hone their powers while a series of clues guide them towards a life-changing battle ― commonalities both franchises conveniently share. They also have the added bonus of sharing a director, since Columbus handled the first two Potter instalments with the same flat, expositional, literal handling he displays with this kid-targeted epic. In fact, the only real distinction I can muster is that The Lightning Thief deals with Greek mythology rather than witches and warlocks, a dissimilarity that seemingly makes a world of difference. Here, the titular Percy (Logan Lerman) learns that he is the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) when a schoolteacher turns into a harpy and attacks him during a museum field trip. Soon after, his mom, Sally (Catherine Keener), is kidnapped by Hades (Steve Coogan), due to some misunderstanding with a lightning bolt, leading to some schooling and a cross-country search for magical marbles with love interest Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and a goat-legged protector named Grover (Brandon T. Jackson). Unfortunately, the three leads are all bland and interchangeable, which is exacerbated by the underwhelming, repetitive dialogue they have to work with. Grover repeatedly points out that he is Percy's protector, while Percy reminds us that he has to find his mother and Annabeth waxes stubborn and independent. Since they never seem particularly interested in their surroundings, we only learn the bare minimum necessary to keep the plot advancing, leaving this world incomplete. Fortunately, the many battle sequences with Medusa, a hydra and Hades keep things compelling even when basic storytelling fails, ensuring a pleasant, but mediocre, distraction. The Blu-Ray includes an abundance of special features about the school, artistic decisions and mythology, all of which add up to a series of cast and crew interviews with behind-the-scenes footage. There is a quiz about discovering your powers, along with a computer and iPhone tag-on that requires a download from the Fox website, allowing additional quizzes, battle information and lame celebrity gossip. To boot, the Blu-Ray comes with a supplemental digital and DVD copy, ensuring that all viewing possibilities are covered.