'Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters' Movie Review: Entertaining, If Not Superficial, Adventure

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters gives the audience the same bewilderment and amazement a tourist would get while seeing the sights. Just like its predecessor, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters immerses its audience through a modern, although flawed, representation of Greek Mythology. I felt like I was a half-blood (son of a God and a human) myself, part of Percy Jackson’s (Logan Lerman) crew.

While all the locations looked comedic and cartoony due to the heavy use of CGI, it never detracted from my viewing experience because of the light tone established by the supporting actors and actresses. Stanley Tucci looked like he was having a blast as the Greek god, Dionysus, throwing zingers everywhere, wishing that Jesus was an Olympian God who could turn his water into wine. Ares’ daughter, Clarisse (Leven Rambin), a new addition to Camp Half-Blood, kept up the playful atmosphere of the film with her constant banter with Percy. And easily the best part of the movie is the great Nathan Fillion (aka 'Malcolm Reynolds'), who performed a spastic and witty version of Hermes. Fillion even gave a nod to the beloved sci-fi series, Firefly, referencing a Zeus-produced show as the best show he’s ever seen even though it was cancelled after one season.

Unfortunately Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters fails to find any substance past the adventure theme. I didn’t care that Luke (Jake Abel) was back from the dead as Percy’s nemesis. Abel's monotone seemed like it was ripped from Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto of the Fast and the Furious franchise. Furthermore, there was no sense of urgency for Percy to prevent Luke from retrieving the Golden Fleece and resurrecting Cronus, Zeus’s evil titan father; though it didn’t help that Cronus’s downfall was depicted in jagged stained glass animation. And I sure didn’t feel bad for Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) when it was revealed that a Cyclops killed her friend, Thalia. Why should I? Even Logan Lerman showed zero emotional response to the revelation.

For a movie with “sea of monsters” in the title, it was ironic that there was only one monster in said sea. Yet, for all its flaws, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is still an entertaining flick because of its modern incarnation of Greek mythology, giving the audience an enjoyable adventure through a wide variety of mythological attractions. While Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters may not be in the same tier of adventure movie like an Indiana Jones flick (Only 1-3 of course), it's fun nonetheless.

Article by Bill Wang