When I was nine years old, my dad got me a movie from the library. He knew how much I loved Greek mythology, and I adored the modern-day adaptation of demigods and Mount Olympus and heroic quests. Shamefully, when he showed me the film’s source material, I initially refused to read it. I already knew the story, after all! But he insisted on reading it to me, and that was how I discovered The Lightning Thief for the first time.
Now, over thirteen years later, we’ve received yet another reimagining of Rick Riordan’s iconic book! And isn’t it odd to realize that this is the fifth of its kind? But does that mean it’s the best? Is the TV show the most iconic, the most faithful, the most exciting? Let’s rank all five adaptations!
5. The Lightning Thief DSI game (2010)
Ah, remember the Nintendo DSI? What a mark of privilege that used to be. I have many fond memories of playing with my very own DSI during road trips; I cycled through several iterations of Mario and Ben 10 games. And of course, given my childhood obsession, I had to have the cartridge for the official “Lightning Thief” one!
Looking back, I can’t remember too many details about this turn-based combat game. I’m fairly certain I never finished it. While it followed the movie plot, the game was rife with far more monster battles than the source material! I think I gave up in frustration at the Lotus Casino, overwhelmed by wave after wave of attacks.
But there’s something else I still recall, more of a feeling than a solid fact. Amid the onslaught of action scenes in this game, I remember Luke playing a greater role here than he did in the book. And that delighted me, as I was just starting to discover the excitement of slight canon changes from adaptation to adaptation! Bringing us to our next entry…
4. The Lightning Thief graphic novel (2010)
Oh, the number of times I reread this book as a child. I used to pack it on trips just to pick it up again if I felt like it. Once, during a visit to my grandparents, we stopped by a Barnes and Noble where I purchased the graphic novel for The Sea of Monsters. How delighted I was to race back to their house and read it back-to-back with The Lightning Thief one!
This book only rates so low on this list due to the triumph of the top three TLT versions. I’m still deeply fond of it, and it’s a fantastic adaptation. So many strong plot and character moments are paced out perfectly, and the slight restructuring of certain conversations works very well. When the PJO TV show let me down here and there, I’d return to a particular scene in the graphic novel and sigh in wistful disappointment.
Speaking of…
3. The Lightning Thief TV show (2023)
Part of me bitterly wishes this show came out over a decade ago. I was much more into the PJO fandom then than I am now, and the abundant CGI in here is a bitter reminder of how much time has passed.
Remember Vance Joy’s song “Riptide” being used in the original trailer for this show? One of my friends eagerly theorized that the show would be a period piece set in the 2010s… only for that song to never come up in the show once!
But I digress. Despite front-loading nearly every single god and goddess, the PJO show isn’t a bad adaptation. It’s well-paced, strongly acted, and funny at times. Altered moments, such as Medusa’s sympathetic backstory or Poseidon surrendering to Zeus for Percy’s sake, are good calls.
However, there’s still a lot to be desired. Many worldbuilding elements from the book are improperly explained or ignored in the show, such as monsters coming back to life, Thalia’s tree, and many of the stakes. I can’t imagine this would be an easy watch for someone who never read the books.
The worst part, for me, is the lack of character depth when it comes to the main trio. They’re all fantastic actors, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t feel like kids. They don’t make impulsive decisions or step off the path to try and have fun. Any genuine bonding moments are lacking, and their devotion to their quest feels hollow.
I want their moments from the book! Their detour to visit the Arch, their visit to the Lotus Casino! Percy telling Grover that he wouldn’t want any other protector, Annabeth vowing to stand by Percy’s side if war comes – even Grover accidentally eating the whole apple during a hacky sack game! And don’t get me started on how he doesn’t eat a single tin can the whole season!
Despite my complaints, I’m still looking forward to season 2! I like these actors very much, and I’m so hyped to see how they’ll continue to develop as the show moves onward. But as for an adaptation of The Lightning Thief, there’s a far older version that holds the key to my heart…
2. The Lightning Thief movie (2010)
Hello, old friend.
Looking back, it’s amusing how greatly my views on this movie have flip-flopped across the years. This was my very first introduction to the world of Percy Jackson, and I still fondly remember the chills I got at the opening scene (“or there will be war!”), the way I laughed at Grover eating cans, and how Medusa’s “I used to date your daddy” was emblazoned on my brain! Such a perfect line.
This movie was just enjoyable and cheesy enough to win me over. I loved the modern Greek myth touches, such as Percy using an iPhone as a reflective shield, the hydra being five different janitors, and the Lotus Casino! And oh man, don’t get me started on Rosario Dawson as Persephone! (Do I care that Persephone absolutely shouldn’t be in the Underworld during the summer solstice? Nope!) Oh, and Melina Kanakaredes as Athena, love her!
But of course, the moment my dad read me the books, I instantly fell in love with their superior plot and spent many years mocking the movie’s butchering of the story. It’s still hilarious that the movie just threw up its hands and made the three pearls the entire storyline! Did Chris Columbus just pick one line in the book at random?
To quote CS Lewis: “When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” And that’s an apt way to surmise my feelings on the PJO movie now! It’s by no means a faithful adaptation of its source material, but it’s fun! Multiple parts still make me laugh! And I owe a debt of gratitude to the movie for introducing me to the world of Percy Jackson!
(You hear that, Riordan? Stop pretending this movie doesn’t exist!)
But with all that being said, we’re brought to the cream of the crop, the top dog, the very best of TLT adaptations…
1. The Lightning Thief musical (2014)
I suppose this is a surprise to no one but myself!
Even though Rob Rokicki and Joe Tracz’s musical adaptation of TLT was alive and well during the peak of my PJO obsession, I just never got around to checking it out! I was quite the musical nerd as a kid (still am!), so I don’t know why it took me so long to finally see what all the hype was about.
(I also have a distinct memory of learning that Les Mis was originally a book and deciding I could make a musical out of my favorite book at the time, aka The Lightning Thief! After a failed attempt to make a song from Percy’s “Isn’t an echidna a type of anteater?”, I shamefully discarded the idea. Glad to know someone took it up in my stead, lol!)
Honestly, when I finished the TV show and decided to check out the musical, I didn’t expect too much. I assumed I would place it somewhere above the graphic novel but below the show on this list, and that would be that.
Foolishly, I didn’t realize it would be so… good?
I’ve listed the original cast recording of the musical above. But before I listened to it, I wanted to see a stage version, so I watched this 2023 production by the CSUCI performing arts department. And honestly… I preferred it over the OG soundtrack! The cast is amazingly talented and the songs are so good and ripe with references – the rewatchability is off the charts!
So many moments were rife with nostalgia, even though I’d never seen this musical before! Chiron tossing Percy Riptide during his fight with Mrs. Dodds, the minotaur battle scene… you can tell how much love for TLT went into this! And the character moments and bonding hit so hard, too! Percy and Grover, Annabeth’s addition to the group, Luke’s complexities – it’s all so good, and there are so many funny parts! And hey, this time the Big Three agreement is actually explained!
Oh, and don’t get me started on “Put You In Your Place”; I replayed that one MANY times! All the fight choreography is incredible. And “Campfire Song” is catchy as hell, but this animatic of it is a masterpiece! The added details of Luke’s childhood during his verses, the way 0:51 makes “and once was enough” hit so much harder, the glimpse of Thalia and Luke at 1:18, Percy comforting Grover at 2:32, and Luke’s final tragic lines at 4:43 and his dark look at 4:52… now that’s a good watch!
“The Oracle” is another great song, as it puts the prophecy into haunting music. Percy’s “Good Kid” is gorgeous, and “no one will ever take my side, all I ever do is take the fall” gets me! Luke and Percy’s talk after that song is both touching and ominous, and “Killer Quest” is a freaking delight all around! And Annabeth’s “My Grand Plan” is another fantastic addition; I love the character analysis of her calling her invisibility cap an “appropriate” gift, and the ending is heart-wrenching!
It wasn’t until I got to “Drive” that I realized I actually had listened to one of the songs from this musical way back in the height of my PJO obsession, so that was a great surprise! And look at that, we can actually fit a decent Bianca and Nico reference in the mix! Take notes, TV show!
But despite all that, we haven’t even gotten to my favorite part! “The Tree on the Hill,” Grover’s song about failing Thalia, is so good on its own, but the stage direction is incredible! (1:18:19, by the way!) As Grover tells Percy the story, Annabeth and Luke and Thalia turn to face an oncoming threat. Annabeth and Luke cower and back away, but Thalia approaches it instead. The way the two of them drop to their knees and cover their faces, only for Thalia to kneel in sacrifice, Grover’s narration, the dancer during his next lines, and the way she touches his shoulder and he places his hand on hers before she disappears… gods, so freaking emotional!
The musical strongly succeeds in an area that the show failed: it gives each of the main trio a solid goal and develops them according to their fear of falling short. Percy wants to save his mom, Grover wants to protect his friends, and Annabeth wants to create a legacy. They all have songs echoing these wants. The way Charon addresses each of them with their darkest fears during “DOA” is fantastic. And that song is such a bop!
“Son of Poseidon” is another banger for the climax, and Ares’s lines being a reprise of Clarisse’s “Put You In Your Place” goes so hard. And ooh baby, Luke and Percy’s final confrontation with Luke reprising Percy’s “Good Kid?” “The gods are never on our side, so I think it’s time to watch them fall”? GOOD shit!
I have such a bittersweet appreciation for the finale, “Bring On the Monsters.” It’s a fantastic call to action with the demigods deciding to take a stand in the coming fight… but it’s the end! Damn it, I want more of this! I want a Sea of Monsters musical! I want to see these exact theater kids continuing the story!
But ugh, I’ll be satisfied with the fantastic “I’ll be back next summer” closing lines! I might have to make this an annual rewatch!
Huh. So much for a simple ranked list; this just turned into me venting my love for the musical ten years after the fact! It’s a shame I won’t have another such adaptation to turn to for the Sea of Monsters season of the TV show, but I guess that just means I get to rewatch the 2013 movie! For the first time since I saw it in theaters as a furious eleven-year-old. So that should be fun! Can’t wait. I’ll be back next season!
