Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
(C+ or 2/4 stars)
As far as Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings/Clash of the Titans knock-offs go, I enjoyed 2010's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. It wasn't incredible. But I found the proceedings to be pleasurable family film fare. I cared for the characters. I dug the mythology mash-ups. I had high-ish hopes for this sequel, 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters' (directed by Thor Freudenthal). This movie is okay. But it lacks some spark & some of the originality of the previous film. Being a demigod, Percy Jackson (adorable Logan Lerman, so good in last year's Perks of Being a Wallflower) has some - shall we say - daddy issues.
In other words, he's kinda bummed that his father, Greek God Poseidon, doesn't stay in touch anymore. Furthermore, Percy was unaware of having a cyclops half-brother, Tyson (Douglas Smith, aided by special effects), until now. Tyson's surprise arrival at Camp Half-Blood (there's your 1st Hogwarts tie-in) is soon followed by an attack on the camp by a fire-breathing mechanical bull, as well as an attack on the camp's protective barrier (um, think Harry Potter again) by lightning thief Luke (Jake Abel). It's up to Percy, Tyson, demigoddess Annabeth (blue-eyed Alexandra Daddario) & satyr pal Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) to fetch the legendary Golden Fleece (think Clash of the Titans) from the Bermuda Triangle(!) if they hope to save the world. Mayhem ensues.
Throughout 'Sea of Monsters' we experience that mechanical bull, enchanted trees, magical cab rides with 3 blind drivers that owe a lot to Harry Potter's Knight Bus, as well as the 3 Stygian Witches in Clash of the Titans; we also get a giant cyclops, cross-dressing satyrs, Civl War ghost ships with Confederate zombies on them (yes, you read that correctly), a little Moby Dick action, Raiders of the Lost Ark hijinks, abandoned amusement parks, a multi-colored sea horse (who I LOVED, needed more of him in this movie), and all other sorts of magical nonsense. See, the plot is a mumbo jumbo of storylines, incidents, & set pieces from a plethora of well-worn source materials. Like ... you name it, it's in this movie. That's fine. But you have to add something unique to all of that. And while the 1st Percy Jackson film was able to do that just enough, this one really doesn't. I realize that it's difficult to make a teen/family film "unique" nowadays -- but still.
Logan Lerman & Co. are fine, here. It's not the type of movie where you're expecting exceptional thespian skills. They do what they're asked. A new character named Clarisse (Leven Rambin) attempts to be a cocky, bitchy counterpart to Percy's demigod reputation. But all she did, really, was irritate me. I enjoyed the small, fleeting performances by Stanley Tucci (as Dionysus, head of Camp Half-Blood, ughh) & Nathan Fillion (as Hermes, Luke's regretful father). Before, during, & after the rip-snorting climax (involving God Kronos ... cue Wrath of the Titans, Immortals, or any other mythological material), we get the usual end-of-the-world stakes, combined with the numbing notion that none of our main characters will likely die; which will appease moms & dads of children in the audience, but also cancels-out any tension in the narrative. There just isn't enough in this movie that is memorable.
If these filmmakers were going to use SO much material from other books/films, then it's essential to add a twist to the proceedings. I saw a twist with the multi-colored horse. I saw it with the 3 blind women driving the Harry Potter-like taxi. But there isn't enough of it. The dialogue includes desperate attempts to inject some witty, sarcastic one-liners from our adolescent cast. The cinematography/special effect work looked murky, to me. I don't know. There is absolutely nothing to hate about 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters'. The crowd I saw it with seemed to be into it. I liked it enough. But it could & should have been better all-around.
In other words, he's kinda bummed that his father, Greek God Poseidon, doesn't stay in touch anymore. Furthermore, Percy was unaware of having a cyclops half-brother, Tyson (Douglas Smith, aided by special effects), until now. Tyson's surprise arrival at Camp Half-Blood (there's your 1st Hogwarts tie-in) is soon followed by an attack on the camp by a fire-breathing mechanical bull, as well as an attack on the camp's protective barrier (um, think Harry Potter again) by lightning thief Luke (Jake Abel). It's up to Percy, Tyson, demigoddess Annabeth (blue-eyed Alexandra Daddario) & satyr pal Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) to fetch the legendary Golden Fleece (think Clash of the Titans) from the Bermuda Triangle(!) if they hope to save the world. Mayhem ensues.
Throughout 'Sea of Monsters' we experience that mechanical bull, enchanted trees, magical cab rides with 3 blind drivers that owe a lot to Harry Potter's Knight Bus, as well as the 3 Stygian Witches in Clash of the Titans; we also get a giant cyclops, cross-dressing satyrs, Civl War ghost ships with Confederate zombies on them (yes, you read that correctly), a little Moby Dick action, Raiders of the Lost Ark hijinks, abandoned amusement parks, a multi-colored sea horse (who I LOVED, needed more of him in this movie), and all other sorts of magical nonsense. See, the plot is a mumbo jumbo of storylines, incidents, & set pieces from a plethora of well-worn source materials. Like ... you name it, it's in this movie. That's fine. But you have to add something unique to all of that. And while the 1st Percy Jackson film was able to do that just enough, this one really doesn't. I realize that it's difficult to make a teen/family film "unique" nowadays -- but still.
Logan Lerman & Co. are fine, here. It's not the type of movie where you're expecting exceptional thespian skills. They do what they're asked. A new character named Clarisse (Leven Rambin) attempts to be a cocky, bitchy counterpart to Percy's demigod reputation. But all she did, really, was irritate me. I enjoyed the small, fleeting performances by Stanley Tucci (as Dionysus, head of Camp Half-Blood, ughh) & Nathan Fillion (as Hermes, Luke's regretful father). Before, during, & after the rip-snorting climax (involving God Kronos ... cue Wrath of the Titans, Immortals, or any other mythological material), we get the usual end-of-the-world stakes, combined with the numbing notion that none of our main characters will likely die; which will appease moms & dads of children in the audience, but also cancels-out any tension in the narrative. There just isn't enough in this movie that is memorable.
If these filmmakers were going to use SO much material from other books/films, then it's essential to add a twist to the proceedings. I saw a twist with the multi-colored horse. I saw it with the 3 blind women driving the Harry Potter-like taxi. But there isn't enough of it. The dialogue includes desperate attempts to inject some witty, sarcastic one-liners from our adolescent cast. The cinematography/special effect work looked murky, to me. I don't know. There is absolutely nothing to hate about 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters'. The crowd I saw it with seemed to be into it. I liked it enough. But it could & should have been better all-around.