Percy Jackson is not the superhero demigod that you would expect him to be. On the surface he doesn't seem very spectacular or super heroic. He is just an average high school student with typical adolescent problems such as ADHD, dyslexia, and sometimes crippling social anxiety due to his problems. He doesn't know and has never known his real father and lives with his mother and stepdad, a foul and piggish man that Percy has no idea why his mom puts up with. Underneath, though, Percy Jackson is far from ordinary. He is the son of Poseidon and has the blood of a Greek god running through his veins. The only problem is, he doesn't have a clue who he really is... at least, not yet. Through the help of one of his teachers and his best friend and protector, Grover, he is about to find out and embark upon the adventure of a lifetime.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the first book of a five-book series to make it to the silver screen, chronicles the story of Percy as he is first becoming aware of and accustomed to his new existence as a demigod. The film itself is a fairly entertaining ride through the lives of superhero children, a la Harry Potter, with cool special effects and very laudable performances by some young up-and-coming actors. Although the story and the writing has a few glaring weak spots, overall the film really is pretty good and enjoyable to watch.

In this first installment of the Percy Jackson saga, one of the most prized weapons of all the Greek gods, the powerful lightning bolt, has been stolen. Zeus, the ruler of the skies, believing that Percy is the thief, declares that if the lightning bolt is not returned by the summer solstice, only a few days away, that he will declare war upon the other gods and begin a battle of epic proportions among the deities. Upon Zeus's accusation, Percy suddenly becomes a highly sought-after individual by both good and evil forces alike. Everybody wants to hold and maintain the power of the lightning bolt. Percy himself, of course, has no idea any of this is going on and it is only after one of his teachers transforms into the Fury, a gigantic and terrifying flying creature, and tries to rip him apart that he even realizes there is something different about him. He is immediately thrust into a life he never had any idea existed. As Percy is whisked away by his best friend and Satyr, Grover, to Camp Half Blood, a safe place and training ground for young demigods, his eyes are opened to a world where the Greek gods of ancient mythology really do exist, interfere with the lives of humans, and are on the brink of a world-wide, catastrophic war with one another.

As Percy becomes more aware of who he is and that he is not just a normal teenager, he realizes that many of the things that keep him from fitting in with other kids his age are actually some of his greatest strengths. His dyslexia is the result of a mind that is naturally programmed to read ancient Greek and his ADHD proves to be a great help in his ability to fight in battle. Things he has experienced and struggled with all his life turn out to be some of his strongest traits as he discovers who he truly is as a warrior and demigod. These were characteristics that he always viewed as abnormal and bad and made him different from other kids, a loser in his own mind. When he peels back the top layer, though, and truly embraces who he is at heart, his great weaknesses prove to be his greatest strengths.

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