PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS

Life at Camp Half-Blood is disrupted when former camp member (Luke) poisons the tree that shields the camp from the outside world. In order to heal the tree; Percy Jackson, his two best friends Annabeth and Grover and his half-brother Tyson must journey to seek out the Golden Fleece. But Luke and his minions are also after the fleece for a much more sinister purpose. Both groups will converge for a grand battle in the Sea of Monsters.

This film is the sequel to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010) and is based on the popular novel "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan. I haven’t read any of the books so comparisons between book and movie will not be made in this review. Instead comparisons to another fantasy film aimed at children must definitely be made. Percy Jackson is basically the American Harry Potter, minus the intricate world of magic, the fascinating stories and the truly likable characters. Instead we have a superficial world of Greek Mythology, lackluster stories and truly clichéd characters. Percy Jackson is the illegitimate son of Poseidon with severe daddy issues. Annabeth is the do-gooder and moral compass of the group. Grover is the ‘token black guy’ and comic relief. Clarisse is the pig-headed tough chick and Tyson is the half Cyclops half Poseidon spawn with a heart of gold. Even Luke; the main villain has considerable disputes with his father and all the other Gods of Olympus.

The story contains a fairly predictable formula; give the hero a problem to fix, send him on a quest to find the tool that will fix the problem and add as many obstacles in his path as possible. The world of Percy Jackson duplicates quite a bit from the world of Harry Potter. Camp Half-Blood is akin to Hogwarts School of Magic. Characters from Greek Mythology living amongst oblivious humans is similar to Harry Potter and his kind living in the Muggle world. Even the taxi scene in Sea of Monsters is reminiscent of the double-decker bus scene in one of the Harry Potter films. The story feels meager and devoid of any true conflict. The characters get themselves into tight situations but they get themselves out in a jiffy and this eliminates any anticipation as a viewer. I didn’t feel that Percy and his friends were in any real danger throughout the entire film. There is absolutely zero character growth from the first film to the second. Even Percy’s powers of controlling water is never clearly established or even explored.  

The screenwriter provided the actors with a handicap to begin with. The corny dialogue could make even the most talented actor look like a melodramatic amateur. Logan Lerman returns in the title role of Percy Jackson and does a fair job with what he’s been given but lacks cinematic presence. Alexandra Daddario who plays Annabeth is simple there to make teenagers drool. Any blonde, blue-eyed, Bambi-like actress could have played this role. Brandon T. Jackson comes back as the fast-talking, wise-ass satyr but makes the role more ‘ghetto’ in his second outing. Leven Rambin is worth mentioning because she plays Clarisse, who happens to be one of the most annoying female characters in recent film history. Clarisse takes girl-power to aggravating new heights; even the Spice Girls would feel nauseated. Jake Abel, Anthony Head and Stanley Tucci round up the supporting cast with their ordinary performances.

Similar to many commercial films, this too relies on action and special effects to distract from the awfully boring plot. Even the title of the film is a misdirection of sorts because it says Sea of Monsters when actually there is only one sea monster. Besides showcasing a few mythical creatures, this movie is quite empty in the special effects category. The action is hardly exciting and the whole film is in need of a generous dose of wonderment. When a film’s producers hand over the reins of a sequel to a relatively unknown director like Thor Freudenthal; they either have tremendous faith in Freudenthal’s abilities or they really don’t care about making a good film. Freudenthal’s only notable directorial credit is Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) which was more like a made-for-television movie. He is the obvious scapegoat for this poor sequel but the blame should be equally divided amongst the writer, producers and film studio. The first Percy Jackson film cost $95 million to make and grossed nearly $227 million in worldwide ticket sales. Since that amounts to a considerable profit, it’s not surprising that a sequel was made three years later. But if this is the direction the series is taking then Percy Jackson is a sinking ship. With its corny characters, forgettable story and lukewarm action scenes; Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters belongs in the Bermuda Triangle.

Rating: 2/10

S. V. Fernando