Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

If there's one thing that the Percy Jackson films have going for them, it's a fun concept.  These movies are about independent teens whose parents are the Greek gods.  As such, these teens have special powers but the gods don't have anything to do with their offspring.  This provides the film's intended audience with the fantasy of parents that don't interfere with teenage independence.  It also provides the narrative with plenty of opportunity for drama based on parental abandonment issues which, considering the divorce rate, must hit home for a lot of the audience.

 

Specifically, this movie picks up far enough from the events of the first movie that Percy Jackson's accomplishments are being forgotten.  The young demigod training camp that Percy and his friends live at is attacked.  Usually, a force field that is powered by a tree protects the camp.  But a traitorous demigod poisons the tree leaving the camp's occupants vulnerable to the myriad monsters that wish to kill them.  It is decided that only the curative properties of the Golden Fleece can save the tree.  Percy and his friends team up with Percy's biggest rival and his Cyclops half-brother to retrieve the Golden Fleece and save the world while they're at it.

 

Sea of Monsters isn't quite as good as the first one, but it's still a pretty enjoyable movie.  The computer effects are pretty rough this time around (the brass bull is especially bad).  But the movie makes up for it with an abundance of enjoyable characters and plenty of fun action sequences.

 

Percy's Cyclops half-brother, Tyson, is the best of the new characters.  He's a little too dumb, but he's also relentlessly sweet.  Cyclops are known for being brutal monsters and Tyson is fighting that perception.  He also yearns for family and the way he instantly latched onto Percy could've been creepy or obnoxious, but the actor (Douglas Smith) manages to make him endearing.

 

And speaking of endearing actors, Nathan Fillion has a small supporting part in this movie.  Needless to say, he's worth the rental alone.  But we do lose a great actor from the first movie.  Pierce Brosnan is replaced by Anthony Head.  He's good and the role is pretty small, so it's not that obtrusive.

 

Overall, Sea of Monsters continues the adventures of Percy Jackson really well.  I get the feeling that the filmmakers are big Lucas/Spielberg fans.  A mythical whirpool turns into basically an aquatic version of Return of the Jedi's Sarlac and the box that contains Kronos looks just like the Ark of the Covenant from Raiders of the Lost Arc.  That sense of adventure is there too.  The next one comes out in 2015, so that gives you time to catch up on the books (which I hear are pretty good too).

 

7 out of 10