Teen demigod hero and son-of-Poseidon Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) returns to the big screen to bring to life the second installment of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, for another modern-day Greek-mythology teenage adventure.
In Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Camp Half-Blood (the demigod sanctuary) is in grave danger. The Thalia tree that protects the camp is dying, hence the invisible dome shielding the camp is slowly wearing off and killer monsters are staring to penetrate it, threatening the lives of the demigods. The best solution? Retrieve the healing Golden Fleece from the titular Sea of Monsters. So Percy, along with his demigod best friends, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and Annabeth (Alexandria Daddario), begin an unauthorized quest to sail the waters and grab the magical fleece. But Percy is conflicted with several problems, including a vague prophecy that may be about himself; then there's Luke (Jake Abel), a teen demigod with father issues, concocting evil ideas; and a newly arrived overenthusiastic cyclope named Tyson (Douglas Smith) who turned out to be his brother. So, will the gang succeed and be able to save the camp? Of course.
Directed by Thor Freudenthal (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and screenplay by Mark Guggenheim (Green Lantern) and Riordan himself, the sequel's strength lies in its wondrous visuals, eye-candy cinematography, and almost flawless special effects, effectively transporting you right into its enchanting world. However, the adventures lacked thrill and danger, relegating this supposed adventure story into just a display of eye-catching creatures and beautiful locations.
The story moves along quickly and it's fairly engaging, also rewarding us with Stanley Tucci's appearance, hence adults won't get bored. But since the story is so kid-friendly, the character dynamics and dialogue minimal, the performance of the main cast mediocre, and the gang's challenges suspense-free, it will leave you emotionally short-changed.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is essentially a pretty 3D-storybook experience. It succeeds in bringing to life the magic of Pecy's world, which tween fans of Greek mythology and of the book series will delight in. But for the general moviegoer, do not expect a sweeping action-adventure story, but merely a visually cool kiddie flick.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Opens August 7 (2D and 3D) in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.
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