Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

The first Percy Jackson movie was a bit crazy. Director Chris Columbus replicated his success in casting well known characters by choosing Logan Lerman and Brandon T. Jackson as leads. After all, this is the guy who cast the Harry Potter trio as well as the Hogwarts staff. You know, the ones who went on to gross a gazillion dollars. But The Lightning Thief changed a good deal of the book’s plot. The result was a video game like mission that had only moderate success at the box office. That was 2010, now we have received a sequel that was a surprise when it was announced. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters has the crew trying to find the mythical golden fleece that will save the human/tree who guards Camp Half Blood.

Since we last saw Percy, Lerman’s stock has risen significantly with his performance in Perks of Being a Wallflower. It seems his acting has also improved since the first movie. While not a particularly challenging role, he maneuvers the film effortlessly. Also Jake Abel, who plays the villainous Luke, had a successful turn in the boring Twilight-esque The Host earlier this year. He does well playing the main antagonist doing antagonistic things like playing chess alone and owning a yacht fit for a Bond villain. To be honest, most of the cast is strong. Jackson (Brandon not Percy), Nathan Fillion, Stanley Tucci, Leven Rambin, they’re a surprisingly strong ensemble for a young adult film. Imagine how much better Twilight would have been with these guys.

Being familiar with the Percy Jackson books, I know that many of the issues with the plot are consistent with those that hold the books back. The presence of a prophecy says that Percy will live to at least 18, which means he can go crazy with no risk of death. Even though there is drama it is adolescent in nature, so the entertainment comes from the concepts and performances. Percy Jackson is heavy on its Greek mythology, but the movie moves quickly to the point that children wouldn’t even catch the connection between the film’s events and the legends they’re based on. But this is a summer movie, not history class. It’s the Percy Jackson movie fans have been looking for, fun and exciting.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.