PERCY JACKSON & THE LIGHTNING THIEF (PG, 118 mins) *** Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Pierce Brosnan, Catherine Keener, Jake Abel, Joe Pantoliano, Kevin McKidd, Sean Bean, Uma Thurman, Steve Coogan

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You wait years for an all-action adventure inspired by Greek mythology, and then two come along at virtually the same time.

Next month promises the remake of the 1981 sword-and-sandals epic Clash Of The Titans, replacing Ray Harryhausen’s beloved stop-motion animated monsters with a miasma of digitally-rendered beasties.

Here, Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief juxtaposes the very same battle of the Gods on Mount Olympus, and the exploits of a teenage boy destined for greatness, based on the first of five books by Rick Riordan.

Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, is a safe pair of hands behind the camera of this big-budget extravaganza, seamlessly melding live action and computer trickery.

The similarities with JK Rowling’s boy wizard are evident: A tormented hero oblivious to his noble bloodline; a brainy female sidekick and a wise-cracking best friend who accompany the hero on his quest; a Half Blood camp where the protagonists hone their skills; and benevolent centaurs and other magical creatures.

The characters are distanced from the students of Hogwarts by upping the ages in the book from 12 to 17, thereby introducing some additional growing pains and raging hormones.

Percy Jackson (Lerman) is struggling at high school and rowing constantly with his mother Sally (Keener), who has married a loser called Gabe (Pantoliano).

During a visit to a museum, the troubled teenager learns a shocking secret: He is the son of Poseidon (McKidd), god of the sea, and a war is brewing because Zeus (Bean) believes – quite wrongly – that Percy has stolen his lightning bolt.

Spirited away to Camp Half Blood, Percy begins his training with centaur Chiron (Brosnan).

When Hades (Coogan) enslaves Percy’s mother and promises her safe return in exchange for the stolen lightning bolt, the teenager embarks on a quest to the underworld accompanied by pals Grover and Annabeth, pitting the teenagers against fearsome adversaries.