Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was far from a unanimous critical success, but it did the business at the box-office, and thus here we have the sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. And while it’s still not likely to drill Percy any further into the public consciousness, it is an improvement over the patchy, episodic first instalment.
The plot centres once again on Percy Jackson, the demi-god son of Poseidon, and his friends Annabeth (daughter of Athena) and Grover (a Satyr). Their quest is to recover another mystical artefact – in this instance The Golden Fleece – which has the properties to heal anything. With the magic tree that protects Camp Half-Blood poisoned and the entire population of demi-gods at risk, a Golden Fleece would definitely come in handy.
The core trio are joined on their quest this time by the arrival of Percy’s long-lost half-brother Tyson, who also happens to be half-Cyclops. Tyson proves to be a welcome addition; his relentlessly upbeat, naive outlook is tempered by his own insecurities about his ocular condition.
Tyson is endearing, and his character is just about the only one that’s explored in any depth, and with some actual character development the message of learning to be comfortable in your own skin is one that will likely resonate with the young target audience.
Elsewhere in the cast and the other main addition is Levan Rambin as Percy’s new rival-cum-ally Clarisse (daughter of Ares), and her spunky, fiery personality provides the film with a strong female presence, where Alexandra Daddario’s Annabeth is sadly reduced to just being the girl who follows Percy around. It’s also a blessing that Brandon T. Jackson’s irritating Satyr is absent for much of the proceedings.
Padding out the cast are Stanley Tucci’s joyous turn as Dionysus, the god of wine who’s cursed never to drink it. Tucci’s such a riot that you can’t help but wish he had more screen-time. There’s also a Nathan Fillion cameo that provides one pricelessly knowing line for fans of a certain sci-fi show. Jake Abel, meanwhile, returns as Percy’s nemesis Luke, but continues to lack the required menace to be a resonant bad guy.
Of course, the real fun of the Percy Jackson franchise is seeing Greek myths and legends brought to life on the big screen, and The Sea of Monsters doesn’t disappoint on that front.
A giant, fire-breathing mechanical bull (not sure how much historical basis there is for that one…) makes for a great set-piece, while the guardian of the titular sea of monsters puts other on-screen sea-monsters to shame. If the 3D – a post-conversion job that adds nothing – is unnecessary, the CGI is at least very satisfyingly impressive throughout.
The climax (featuring a Cyclops voiced superbly by a growling Ron Perlman), takes place – bizarrely – in an abandoned theme park. It’s a fitting end to a film that is very much like a theme park ride; the audience are whisked quickly from one spectacular CGI set-piece to another, with little room for nuance or depth along the way.
It’s dangerous to suggest – this being a summer-holiday film, aimed at a reasonably young audience – that Percy Jackson doesn’t need nuance or depth, but if Sea of Monsters is something of a mechanical ride, there are enough sparks of life and character to keep it afloat, and it’s directed with enough verve by Thor Freudenthal that it will surely entertain despite the laminated nature of proceedings (Also; keep an eye for a winning homage to the climax of Raiders near the end.)
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters may be lightweight, but it’s also a slicker, and more assuredly crafted film than the first instalment and with a lively supporting cast and an impressive menagerie of creatures on display, there’s definitely fun to be had.
Released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 7 August 2013.