Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Reviews
Universal D
Super Reviewer
August 9, 2013
Young nearly almost gods quest for the Golden Fleece ... no more, no less than mixing up of some of the old stories with the emphasis and appeal aimed squarely at those precious little savages in your back seat complaining right now about slow internet speeds on their smartphones. Designed to be disposable and fully achieving just that.
KJ P
Super Reviewer
August 8, 2013
It may not be as interesting or intriguing as the first instalment, but "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" brings enough cheesiness to the table in order to warrant a fine time at the movies. I enjoyed watching every bit of this film , even though it steals plot elements from almost every film imaginable. The cast is great and the chemistry is much better, because they are much more comfortable with each other now. There are ideas in the film that make no sense, and the dialogue is pretty bland, but the visuals are decent, the lessons that kids can learn from this film are far superior to the first, and the motivations for the characters make much more sense. The direction is fine, the story is fine, and the execution of it all works well enough. It's nothing to write home about, and it's very kid friendly, but I had some fun with it!
Shawn M
Super Reviewer
September 7, 2013
really cool, working my way upto watching this i thought i already seen it, then i noticed its a sequel... my bad haha, refreshed my memory as i forgot the first one. while this one cators to a younger auidence i was still able to really enjoy it.
SC007
Super Reviewer
August 11, 2013
Chris Columbus did a better job directing the first film, than new director Thor Freudenthal has with this one. The first film has a great ensemble that the main 3 actors could play off of. This film lacks the ensemble. There is one scene at the end that reminded me of the ending scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
On a positive, the film does have some good moments. I liked the Percy's rivalry with Leven Rambin's character. Lerman, Jackson, and Daddario are great here and have a great on screen chemistry. Nathan Fillion and Stanley Tucci are great additions to the Percy Jackson world. I wish Pierce Brosnan would have returned to play Chiron. Anthony Head lacks the charm that Pierce brought to the role. Leven Rambin steals this film in my opinion. Jake Abel reminded me a lot of Kevin Bacon in this film and Percy's stepbrother reminded me a lot of Brendan Fraser from Encino Man.
Still the film is ok, but I am hoping they do better on the next film, if they decide to make one.
The sequel was ok, but could have been so much better. The first film had a great story with heart and brought the audience into this world with awe and wonder, letting them have fun as they go on this adventure with the characters. This film lacks the heart and fun that the first film had.
Chris Columbus did a better job directing the first film, than new director Thor Freudenthal has with this one. The first film has a great ensemble that the main 3 actors could play off of. This film lacks the ensemble. There is one scene at the end that reminded me of the ending scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
On a positive, the film does have some good moments. I liked the Percy's rivalry with Leven Rambin's character. Lerman, Jackson, and Daddario are great here and have a great on screen chemistry. Nathan Fillion and Stanley Tucci are great additions to the Percy Jackson world. I wish Pierce Brosnan would have returned to play Chiron. Anthony Head lacks the charm that Pierce brought to the role. Leven Rambin steals this film in my opinion. Jake Abel reminded me a lot of Kevin Bacon in this film and Percy's stepbrother reminded me a lot of Brendan Fraser from Encino Man.
Still the film is ok, but I am hoping they do better on the next film, if they decide to make one.
Gavin the moviejunkie1994
Super Reviewer
August 3, 2013
When it was announced that Chris Columbus would not direct the sequel and would instead produce it, he got replaced by another director named Thor Freudenthal known for his two films "Hotel Dogs" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", both films that also received mixed reviews. The director said that he was a fan of the book series and understood the world that he needed to fix the errors that the first film had. So, being a fan of the books and kind of loved "The Lightning Thief" despite it's errors, I went to see it in theaters in 3D two days ago, hoping that it would exceed my expectations. Turns out, it did and I really enjoyed it. OK, it's not an excellent film by any means, but I'll get to the flaws in a moment so I can talk about the good stuff.
First, let me point out that the story is more accurate to the book than the first film. It has a nicely detailed back-story about how the Tree of Thalia is made to protect the Half-Bloods along with another back-story about Kronos done in a solid stain-glassed window sequence. There are some scenes from the book that were altered, but I actually found them to be very acceptable. It also had some of the details right including the Great Prophecy and the villain Kronos, but the only thing that I didn't like about the story was the rising of Kronos, the main villain of the book series because as it turns out he never appeared until the fourth book, "The Battle of the Labyrinth". I think it would improve on the future films if they get made. It also drags on a bit too fast throughout the entire film, but that's about it.
There are still a lot of good things for me to talk about. The acting is once again superb. Logan Lerman did a good job as Percy Jackson as did Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth. Brandon T. Jackson is a lot more mature as Grover while retaining his comic characteristics from the first film while Jake Abel is a good secondary villain with his attempts to bring Kronos back to life. The new cast is great. Leven Rambin from "The Hunger Games" is a terrific bad*** Clarisse La Rue, who never appeared in the first film, Douglas Smith is very funny as Tyson, Percy Jackson's twin brother, and Anthony Head is a great replacement for Pierce Brosnan as Chiron. The two actors, Stanley Tucci and Nathan Fillon as both Dionysus and Hermes steal the show for their funny moments.
The last few good things are it's beautiful scenery, the decent special effects, the heart-pounding action sequences that took every inch of my breath away, and a solid music orchestra score from Andrew Lockington.
Overall, PJ: SOM is a good continuation to the franchise and improves over "The Lightning Thief" by fixing it's errors and turning it into a fun-filled experience for Percy Jackson fans. I simply can't wait for Titan's Curse to be made into a film as soon as possible.
Three years ago, 20th Century Fox made a new fantasy adventure "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief", based on the first book of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, that revolves around the Greek mythology set in the modern times in a Harry Potter-esque style. When it was first released in theaters, it received mixed reviews from the critics and fans were disappointed by how much the film deviated itself from the book, but it became a huge hit worldwide at the box office along with it's DVD sales. Nevertheless, a sequel was needed.
When it was announced that Chris Columbus would not direct the sequel and would instead produce it, he got replaced by another director named Thor Freudenthal known for his two films "Hotel Dogs" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", both films that also received mixed reviews. The director said that he was a fan of the book series and understood the world that he needed to fix the errors that the first film had. So, being a fan of the books and kind of loved "The Lightning Thief" despite it's errors, I went to see it in theaters in 3D two days ago, hoping that it would exceed my expectations. Turns out, it did and I really enjoyed it. OK, it's not an excellent film by any means, but I'll get to the flaws in a moment so I can talk about the good stuff.
First, let me point out that the story is more accurate to the book than the first film. It has a nicely detailed back-story about how the Tree of Thalia is made to protect the Half-Bloods along with another back-story about Kronos done in a solid stain-glassed window sequence. There are some scenes from the book that were altered, but I actually found them to be very acceptable. It also had some of the details right including the Great Prophecy and the villain Kronos, but the only thing that I didn't like about the story was the rising of Kronos, the main villain of the book series because as it turns out he never appeared until the fourth book, "The Battle of the Labyrinth". I think it would improve on the future films if they get made. It also drags on a bit too fast throughout the entire film, but that's about it.
There are still a lot of good things for me to talk about. The acting is once again superb. Logan Lerman did a good job as Percy Jackson as did Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth. Brandon T. Jackson is a lot more mature as Grover while retaining his comic characteristics from the first film while Jake Abel is a good secondary villain with his attempts to bring Kronos back to life. The new cast is great. Leven Rambin from "The Hunger Games" is a terrific bad*** Clarisse La Rue, who never appeared in the first film, Douglas Smith is very funny as Tyson, Percy Jackson's twin brother, and Anthony Head is a great replacement for Pierce Brosnan as Chiron. The two actors, Stanley Tucci and Nathan Fillon as both Dionysus and Hermes steal the show for their funny moments.
The last few good things are it's beautiful scenery, the decent special effects, the heart-pounding action sequences that took every inch of my breath away, and a solid music orchestra score from Andrew Lockington.
Overall, PJ: SOM is a good continuation to the franchise and improves over "The Lightning Thief" by fixing it's errors and turning it into a fun-filled experience for Percy Jackson fans. I simply can't wait for Titan's Curse to be made into a film as soon as possible.
Jason C
Super Reviewer
August 15, 2013
The first Percy Jackson was very good in my book. To top it off, it was done on something like a $40 million budget. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is OK, but it lacked the quirkiness of the first. They failed to do anything original in this one movie-wise. The story was very strong, but they weren't able to make the script as good. This one seems to regress into appealing to a younger crowd possibly than the first one did. They were also inconsistent with the characters. When they made Annabeth a warrior in the first one, she sort of became a damsel in distress type character in Sea of Monsters. If you were a fan of the first, you can watch this one in hopes that the third movie is better. If you haven't seen the first, Sea of Monsters could be somewhat original to you. It's nothing worth going out of your way to see though.
uxsdvuxshr
September 18, 2013
Oddly this movies easily failed to tell the story; leaving the viewer asking of why, why, why didn't I wait for DVD release.
Momentarily4ever
September 8, 2013
Awesome movie! Loved every glance of the mythical days. Percy Jackson is the new Hercules in a modern day period with express mail and everything. If you loved Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief, you'll appreciate this continuation of the first one that will leave you wanting more.
March 3, 2013
much of the charm that made the first one appealing is all but gone. the subplot about the half-brother cyclops only adds to drag this out. lets not fall into the trap of overlooking stupidity because it's a teen movie. the first one had faults certainly, but it was more than watchable, it was entertaining as hell. this one just misses.
August 22, 2013
I didn't read the books that these movies apparently came from. This one was not quite as action packed as the first one. My daughter dragged me to see this one and she is 27 years old. This was designed for teens and little ones...
coolrunning1
August 17, 2013
It was a good, fun movie. The story moved along and their were some interesting things that happened.
August 13, 2013
Was this film necessary? For the average movie goer probably not, yet it was made. Although it garners some interesting uniqueness in that it borrows heavily from Greek Mythology in a clever enough manner, the delivery is at times very plain and very safe. It's PG rating and general atmosphere reflect some of the earlier Harry Potter films, no doubt hoping to tap into that money and target market, however it lacks the same sense of wonder along with a long delay between original and sequel. This film is made bearable by some of the supporting cast such as Stanley Tucci and Nathan Fillion. Having said all of that, considering its PG rating, it is a safe choice for the family. I imagine children will be entertained and adults will at least be mildly amused.
August 13, 2013
What Percy Jackson lacks in character and style makes up for in charm.The best part of this film was Nathan Fillion's Firefly throwback, 'Greatest television show ever so of course, canceled.'
August 11, 2013
Grade: B-
I liked the first one for its introduction of this hidden world and the whole Greek mythology played out by teens. The sequel felt like a side mission for Percy and his friends. Where were the Gods and the teachers? All the humor, wonder, and charm from the first film is gone, despite some cool action sequences. The 3 leads from the first film are better here, but Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) is gone for nearly half the film. Logan Lerman is still a good Percy, almost too good. His character doesn't seem to have a major flaw which makes him uninteresting as the lead guy. I liked the whole Golden Fleece storyline, but I have seen it done better in Jason and the Argonauts. I was actually bored in some parts. I am aware that there are a couple of books left, but I hope they find a way to make these stories more interesting.
Grade: B-
August 9, 2013
worth watching, make sure to watch Percy Jackson and the lightning thief before you watch this one.
Pretty good movie, I enjoyed it, imaginative and some cool battle sequences
worth watching, make sure to watch Percy Jackson and the lightning thief before you watch this one.
August 6, 2013
Just as good as the first one. Nothing groundbreaking, but all very well done. The whole family liked it. It's worth a watch.
October 6, 2013
Took my 10 year old son, he loved it! He has read all the books. Thought this was true to the books & can't wait for the next movie. 5 stars!
Sarah K.
August 25, 2013
Not quite as good as the first one. I felt that this movie was aimed to be more kid friendly. Some laughs, some good fight scenes. I read the book and I have to say the bits about the prophecy and the Golden Fleece were a bit rushed. My friend who hadn't read was asking me questions when it was over. I feel it lacked the original humour that I loved from the first one, but that's probably just because Grover wasn't in it so much. Still it picked up the pace at the end and I can't wait to see what Talia has in store for us now.
