Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Review)

Aside from some non-PG-rated emphasis on an abusive home life and a lot of underwhelming CGI, 'Percy Jackson' is a well-paced kids' action picture that flirts with Greek mythology to create its otherworldly spectacle. Unfortunately, director Chris Columbus takes a literal approach to spectacle that denies the magnificent use of weirdness and scale that famed stop-action animator Ray Harryhausen brought to such myth-inspired classics as 'Jason and the Argonauts' (1963). Grade: B-.