‘Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters’ Review

Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters
Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario in ‘Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters’ (Photo © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)

“The only thing that has the power to save our home is the Golden Fleece,” says Mr. D (Stanley Tucci) to the entire community of Camp Half-Blood which is under attack from powerful dark forces in the action/fantasy sequel Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

The protective force field that was created by the God Zeus after the sacrifice of his daughter to save others so many years ago is under attack and breaking down. Without it, everyone in Camp Half-Blood will be at the mercy of all those terrible creatures trying to kill them including Cyclopes, mystical giant bulls, and Luke (Jake Abel), son of Zeus. Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) discovers the only hope for their world is the mythical Golden Fleece which has special healing powers and should be able to heal the magical tree which generates the force field.

So, Annabeth, along with her best friends Percy (Logan Lerman), son of Poseidon, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), and newcomer Tyson (Douglas Smith) – Percy’s half-brother – begin a journey headed for where it’s believed the Golden Fleece was lost…the Sea of Monsters, known to mortals as the Bermuda Triangle.

Perhaps one of the worst sequels to come along in years, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is an uninspired fantasy/adventure film that suffers from terrible dialogue, an unoriginal plot, and pathetic special effects.
Lerman delivers a walk-through performance, seeming bored as he says his terrible lines and delivers the opening monologue. He also has zero chemistry with any of the cast.

Alexandra Daddario spends most of the film wide-eyed and worrying about Percy or yelling to him for help whenever a threat appears. It seems that she, along with the director and writers of the movie, forgot her character in the first film was a tough warrior. She also has no chemistry with any of her cast mates, especially Lerman, something that becomes painfully obvious anytime the two have a scene together or, worse yet, hug each other. That action feels incredibly forced and uncomfortable.

The CGI special effects in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters are so deplorable they make the stop-motion effects in the 1950s Sinbad films and 1981’s Clash of the Titans look cutting-edge in comparison. The 3D effects in the film are, of course, pointless and not even worth mentioning.

With two horrible films now made based on these popular young readers’ books, here’s hoping that any other effort to bring more of Percy Jackson’s adventures to the big screen end up getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle.

GRADE: D-

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters opens in theaters on August 7, 2013 and is rated PG for fantasy action violence, some scary images and mild language.