I was amazed by how wrong this movie went. It was like "High School Musical" with combat scenes. I understand taking liberties with a story line in order to make a compelling movie of an appropriate length, but the makers of "The Lightning Thief" entirely omitted something core to the book: wit and irony. The movie is earnest, predictable, sophomoric, and boring. It exposes none of Percy's self-deprecating humor, or his the clever observations in the book's narratives. Save your money.