Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters - Movie Review: Light And Engaging
Reviews
oi-IANS
By Ians English
Rating:
2.5/5
Set
in
Greek
mythology,
Percy
Jackson:
Sea
of
Monsters
is
the
second
film
adapted
from
Rick
Riordan's
book
series
Percy
Jackson
and
the
Olympian.
It
is
a
light
adventure
film
with
degrees
of
magic,
mystery,
romance
and
comedy.
The
film
begins
with
a
foreword
stating
that
the
Greek
gods
had
many
children,
some
of
whom
were
half
humans
who
were
easy
to
terrorise.
The
prelude
features
four
kids
-
half
human
children
of
the
Greek
gods
being
pursued
by
some
evil
monsters.
The
kids
escape
into
a
forested
island,
"where
the
half-bloods
camp" is,
till
Thalia
Grace,
daughter
of
Zeus,
confronts
the
pursuer
so
that
the
other
three
may
reach
to
safety.
Thalia
is
killed
and
her
father
uses
her
body
to
erect
an
invisible
barrier
that
will
shield
"Camp
Half-Blood'
and
its
inhabitants
from
further
invasion.
Years
later,
the
kids
are
now
young
adults
and
'Camp
Half
Blood' is
reminiscent
of
an
American
style
University
Campus
with
competitive
games
et
al.
One
fine
day,
the
barrier
that
protects
the
camp
is
breached
by
a
fire-breathing
monster
that
resembles
a
devilishly
looking
destructive
mechanical
bull.
Now
the
lives
of
all
its
inhabitants
at
'Camp-Half
Blood'
are
at
peril.
The
only
thing
that
can
save
them
is
the
famed
'Golden
Fleece',
which
is
adorned
by
a
Cyclops
who
lives
on
an
island
in
the
Sea
of
Monsters,
known
to
humans
as
the
Bermuda
Triangle.
The
aggressive,
Clarisse
(Leven
Rambin),
the
daughter
of
Ares,
the
god
of
War,
is
assigned
by
the
camp
director,
to
retrieve
the
'Golden
Fleece'.
But
according
to
legend
and
a
dream
that
Percy,
son
of
Poseidon
had
-
the
oracle
hints
that
one
of
the
two
cousins
could
retrieve
the
fleece.
But
Percy
is
not
too
confident.
Continue
to
read
Percy
Jackson:
Sea
Of
Monsters
-
Movie
Review
in
the
slideshow.
PJSOM
Story
Coaxed
by
his
friends;
fellow
demi-god
Annabeth
and
satyr
Grover
and
encouraged
by,
"If
you
are
worried
of
your
destiny
then
you
write
a
new
one",
Percy
takes
the
lead.
Albeit,
unofficially.
He
is
accompanied
by
Tyson,
a
Cyclops,
who
happens
to
be
his
half-brother.
Also
chasing
the
fleece
is
Luke,
son
of
Hermes
and
his
coterie.
So,
the
three
teams
venture
to
outsmart
and
excel
rivals
and
enemies
as
they
go.
Lead
Actors'
Performance
In
PJSOM
All
the
young
actors
deliver.
Logan
Lerman
as
Percy
is
charming,
but
he
lacks
the
charisma
or
the
screen
presence
of
a
hero.
And
the
fault
does
not
lie
in
him,
but
in
the
script
as
he
does
not
have
any
awe-striking
moments.
Technical
Stuff
In
PJSOM
The
film
has
high
production
value.
Also,
the
cinematography
by
Shelly
Johnson
and
editing
by
Mark
Goldblatt
are
worth
a
mention.
Director
Thor
Fredenthal
steers
the
action
sequences
competently
enough.
But
unfortunately,
the
script,
which
is
a
fusion
of
ancient
myth
and
modern
teen
fantasy,
seems
ham-fisted
and
forced.
The
use
and
reference
of
a
camera
on
the
mobile
phone
seems
out
of
place
in
the
mise-en-scene.
So,
also
the
sudden
association
of
Clarisse
with
a
group
zombies,
seemed
like
an
obligatory
enhancement
that
was
uncalled
for.
PJSOM
-
Verdict
Overall,
the
monsters
in
the
film
are
staid
and
sedate.
Likewise,
the
conflicts
and
plot
points
in
the
film
are
not
challenging
and
awe-inspiring.
Nevertheless
the
film
is
engaging.
PJSOM
Cast
And
Crew
Producer:
Michael
Barnathan
and
Karen
Rosenfelt
Director:
Thor
Freudenthal
Cast:
Logan
Lerman,
Alexandra
Daddario,
Douglas
Smith,
Leven
Rambin,
Brandon
T.
Jackson
and
Jake
Abel
Music:
Andrew
Lockington
Cinematography:
Shelly
Johnson
Release
date:
August
30,
2013