PERCY JACKSON AND THE SEA OF MONSTERS

year: 2013 cast: Logan Lerman, Douglas Smith, Alexandra Daddario rating: **1/2

With the Harry Potter films behind us, and more Middle Earth Hobbit adventures on deck, the maligned PERCY JACKSON franchise has become a cinematic underdog. The first film, PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THEIF, centers on a group of young, misunderstood demi-gods… half human, half gods… at a wilderness camp protected from nefarious outside elements and, like Hogwarts in the Potter series, is a place to learn their trade… Although THIEF (according to rabid fans) strayed from its source material, the movie was, for conventional viewers, breezily entertaining.

Now we have a second adventure where the basic journey gets right under way… But not so fast… The best sequences occur in the first twenty minutes as a metallic bull invades camp and, after a terrific looking battle with sublime 3D special effects, we’re introduced to a new character, a young Cyclops claiming to be Percy’s brother, and a mission to find a Golden Fleece within an extremely dangerous ocean.  

The main problem with SEA OF MONSTERS is the modern terms and/or vocabulary invading the timeless element concerning Mythological characters. Certain phrases and jokes take the escapist factor away from the story, feeling more like a bad high school comedy than fantasy at times. And there are some really lame side-characters on board, like three blind witches straight from MACBETH driving a speeding taxi cab, trying way too hard to be fun and funky, or tiny smack-talking snakes loosely embedded on an ancient weapon, befitting a Nickelodeon kid’s show or a really bad cartoon.  

The core of the movie occurs at sea – the title will tell you that much. There are a few slick action scenes and intriguing oceanic creatures, but the story hits a wall once the collection of heroes face off on island harboring a closed down amusement park, pitting Percy and friends against the original Lightning Thief, who again wants to rule things his way, and an angry Cyclops and eventually, The Devil (Hades) himself.

While non-stop action abounds within this final thirty minutes, at this point the characters mean very little compared to the desperate need for a prolonged big budget climax. Too bad more time wasn’t spent on the build-up, which seemed to rush right by...