Sunday, September 22, 2013

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters [PG]


Having saved Olympus and the world from the wrath of the Gods Percy, son of Poseidon, and Annabeth, Daughter of Athena, are back to training and schooling at Camp Halfblood. That is until the protective shield around the camp is destroyed and Luke, son of Hermes and the Lightning Thief, comes back with another plot to rise up against the Gods. But this is not the worst of Percy’s worries: there is a prophecy in which he is mentioned, a prophecy that states that a living child of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) will either save Olympus or destroy it. Now on a quest to find the Golden Fleece before Luke does to hopefully save Olympus and their home, Percy’s belief in himself and others is put to the test, especially when he discovers that he has a half brother who’s part Cyclops. 

At the end of the day, The Lightning Thief wasn’t as brilliant as all that, but at least it was genuine and fun: just a movie that you could sit and enjoy. This one, not so much really and it pains me to say that because I was quite looking forward to a second instalment of Percy Jackson. There were far too many cons that outweigh the pros for me here, but it’s not to say that I hated the movie. It was fine, it just was a big step down from the first film and it seemed to me that everyone involved were really struggling to keep it going. 

Having saved Olympus and the world from the wrath of the Gods Percy, son of Poseidon, and Annabeth, Daughter of Athena, are back to training and schooling at Camp Halfblood. That is until the protective shield around the camp is destroyed and Luke, son of Hermes and the Lightning Thief, comes back with another plot to rise up against the Gods. But this is not the worst of Percy’s worries: there is a prophecy in which he is mentioned, a prophecy that states that a living child of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) will either save Olympus or destroy it. Now on a quest to find the Golden Fleece before Luke does to hopefully save Olympus and their home, Percy’s belief in himself and others is put to the test, especially when he discovers that he has a half brother who’s part Cyclops. 

Ok, let’s start with the script because generally that’s the root of a good or bad movie. I got the feeling that everyone in the writing department had the good idea, but then ran into unforeseen troubles regarding the messages they wanted to convey so that they to randomly stick in a line or a character that would visualise what they were trying to say. There is no fun and comic banter between any of the characters in this one really. Even Grover, who provided most of the comic relief in the first one, was just sort of there without anything to say. Then we have the haphazard introduction of Percy’s half-brother, Tyson. He had the potential to be the fresh comic relief, but didn’t really live up to it and from where I sat his character’s existence was a pretty weak attempt at conveying the message of believing in people from all kinds and creeds. We then have the hero who’s become all moody and annoying, doubting his importance, not believing in himself and all that sad sop story. And for all the “sea of monsters” rap, we only see, like, two. Bit of an overstatement, that title. 
Having said all this, I do have to give snaps to the people in the special effects department. The new creatures and the monsters that we get to see are a sight to behold truly. 
Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Douglas Smith, Leven Rambin, Jake Abel, Anthony Head, Nathan Fillion, and Stanley Tucci, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is a pretty mediocre film, mindless brain candy for the family really. Filled with action, mythical creatures, ‘emotional’ drama, and a little bit of comedy, I’d say it’s ‘meh’; a solid, unconcerned meh. 

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