PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS
Director: Thor FreudenthalCast: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Melina Kanakaredes, Brandon T. Jackson, Douglas Smith, Missi Pyle, Yvette Nicole Brown, Mary Birdsong, Nathan Fillion, Stanley Tucci, Anthony Head, Leven Rambin
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Run Time: 106 mins
Opens: 29 August 2013
Rating: PG (Some Violence And Frightening Scenes)
The film begins with a prologue depicting the origins of the protective shield around Camp Half-Blood, safe haven for demigods-in-training. When a familiar foe attacks, weakening the barrier and threatening the safety of the camp, Percy Jackson (Lerman), son of Poseidon, sets out to retrieve the fabled Golden Fleece, which will help heal the magical tree that is the source of the force-field. He is accompanied by Annabeth (Daddario), satyr friend Grover (Jackson) and his newfound Cyclopean half-brother Tyson (Smith). Together, they have to traverse the treacherous body of water of the title, more commonly known as the Bermuda Triangle. Percy’s competitive rival Clarisse (Rambin), the daughter of Ares, has also set out in search of the Fleece and must eventually team up with those she has scoffed.
The first film was an entertaining if rather derivative teenage-aimed fantasy-action flick that put several clever spins on Greek mythology, creatively integrating elements like the Lotus-eaters and the multi-headed hydra into a modern-day context. In that regard, this film is very similar, albeit a tad more lighthearted than its predecessor. It’s good to see a young adult novel adaptation that doesn’t take itself so seriously, considering how ridiculously po-faced a lot of them have gotten. It’s paced pretty well, has a straightforward “go get the macguffin!” plot (with the Golden Fleece in place of Zeus’ master lightning bolt) and has enough interesting visuals to hold the attention. For example, there’s a stunning, stylish stained-glass-style animated sequence which brings to mind the “Golden Army” animated prologue from Hellboy II.
Taking over the reins from Harry Potter alum Chris Columbus is Thor Freudenthal, director of Hotel for Dogs and the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid film, whose background is in conceptual and storyboard art. It’s a good thing that, given his résumé, the film doesn’t overly pander to the younger set and still packs decent amounts of excitement for the older kids and parents in the audience. The action set-pieces are not quite as strong as those in the first film, capped off with a slightly anti-climactic denouement set in an abandoned theme park. However, there still are some pretty cool moments, including an attack on the camp by the fire-breathing mechanical Colchis bull that looks like something out of Transformers: Beast Wars, as well as the appearance of the iridescent Hippocampus, a literal “sea horse” that is summoned so Percy and company can hitch a ride.
The central trio of Lerman, Daddario and Jackson appear comfortable stepping back into their roles, Lerman now able to play Percy as a slightly more experienced hero and leader. Newcomer Smith is endearing as the awkward, oafish but good-natured Tyson, who is met with initial hostility from Annabeth. Naturally, we are presented with the moral of learning to look past one’s appearances but hey, better than no character development at all. Rambin has fun with the part of the determined and confrontational warrior – the moral with Clarisse is, of course, the value of humility and trusting in the abilities of others. Thankfully, we don’t get beaten over the head with this. Abel does more unconvincing angsting and flat-line delivery as Luke, but doesn’t get a whole lot of screen time.
This film has to make do without the illustrious supporting cast of the first, the likes of Sean Bean, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan and Pierce Brosnan (he’s replaced by Anthony Stewart Head) all absent. That’s not to say it suffers overly for this, though: Stanley Tucci is funny as Dionysus, the god of wine, ecstasy and assorted hedonism-turned stir-crazy camp director and christened “Mr. D”. Nathan Fillion also pretty much steals the show in his one-scene cameo as Hermes, functioning as a Q-type character who dispenses a couple of nifty gadgets to Percy and friends. Being the fan-favourite herald of geekiness he is, Fillion gets to do a wink and a nod to the television shows he’s best known for, Firefly and Castle. Also worth a mention are Missi Pyle, Yvette Nicole Brown and Mary Birdsong as the Graeae; the bickering crones re-imagined as taxi drivers.
The film aspires to be nothing more than a fun, entertaining family adventure flick – and that, it is. We’ve seen these character types and story arcs before and yes, it's been scaled back a bit from Lightning Thief, but the decent visual effects work and ADI’s make-up and animatronic effects make this a lively ride. The novelty of a world in which the tales of Greek myth are all true and lurk beneath the surface of our contemporary existence is put to amusing use, and a third film certainly wouldn’t be something we’d be vehemently against.
SUMMARY: A generally enjoyable adventure that, in spite of several well-worn elements, has enough vim and verve to keep audiences, kids in particular, interested. Also, the 3D’s not half bad!
RATING: 3.5 out of 5 STARS
Jedd Jong
