Two years on, and an unhappy Kate Pierce is kidnapped by a cast-out elf aiming to get revenge on Santa. Sprawling grab-bag sequel, mashing up Milton, Gremlins and a hundred other properties. Messy and uncoordinated, though Kurt Russell is having fun, plus he gets another Blues Brothers-ish singalong set piece.
Here’s the trailer.
A New York teen finds he is Poseidon’s son, and is wanted by the Gods. Straightforward tick-box fantasy quest from the bestselling Rick Riordan books. Slumming starry character actors help, but aping of the same director’s Harry Potter formula reinforces the schematic way the monomyth is handled here. A sequel followed.
Harry and friends search for a hidden part of Hogwarts. Second and perhaps the least of the Rowling adaptations, this mimics the structure of the first, though adds enough novelty to please fans, and begins to develop the series mythology.
An orphan boy finds that he’s a famous wizard child; his education begins. The first Potter movie is a straightforward breeze through the book. Awkward early performances and under-par CG aside, this is reasonable family fun, though no classic.
![Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief [AKA Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief] (2010, dir. Chris Columbus)](https://255review.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/pjlf-poster.jpg?w=459)
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