I waited a long time to finally watch the first Percy Jackson and I got the opportunity to watch the first one right before going into the second so I could really compare the two. I thought there were a few fatal flaws in the first one including some really campy dialogue and performances and a story that felt a little rushed at times. It was still fun and a great adventure so I had modest expectations for this second one. It absolutely met my expectations and I think in many ways exceeded the first!! Sea of Monsters focused far more on our three heroes with the addition of some new characters which was a wise decision. There was virtually no poorly delivered dialogue because they got rid of the adult culprits that felt so out of place in the first one. This is truly about Percy finding his way as a demigod. The special effects were good in this as they were in the first but I will give the winning points in that department to the first film. That might be due to Chris Columbus having directed the first film because he certainly knows his way around epic special effects and fantasy. The effects were still good in this one, great in some scenes, but not as prolific as the first film.
Logan Lerman returns as Percy. He is great in the role and has a ton of chemistry on screen and absolutely keeps you interested in his demigod hero. It was nice that there wasn't as many plot holes with his character as there was in the first film because now we can accept that he has had time to train and learn about his abilities instead of just suddenly knowing exactly what he can do. Alexandra Daddario also returns as Annabeth. She is good and her and Lerman work well together (although where's the romance angle? I expected more in that way.) However, my complaint with her character is the same as it was in the first...she doesn't get enough scenes to really show off her ability. I want to see her sword fight or just be a really strong heroine and she doesn't get to do that though I have no doubt she could pull it off. She's just underused in this sequel and the first film. Brandon T. Jackson also returns as comic relief Grover. I found him a little more fun in this one though used less. His character is very predictable and stereotypical but he works well for comedy purposes and the "best friend" role. He does get some more action scenes this time around so that was good. Douglas Smith joins the cast as Tyson, Percy's half brother. It was a great addition to the story because it added some depth and emotion to the characters especially towards the end and added a layer of moral message for the younger crowd and the older for that matter. Smith is good in the role, and just a little bit cheesy but that's almost necessary. Leven Rambin is also new to the cast as an adversarial ally for Percy. She's good and fun and gets some solid action scenes. Anthony Head and Stanley Tucci were terrific in their little cameos as Chiron and Mr. D. Unlike the first film neither one were campy or delivered poor lines. Head was a great replacement for Brosnan in the first film. Jake Abel also returns in his role as Luke, our villain so to speak. He is as good as he was the first time around and a worthy young villain.
New director Thor Freudenthal (Thor!?! Talk about irony) takes over the helm. He does a good job and has big shoes to fill after Columbus did the first one but he made a film as good, if not slightly better so bravo to him. The characters felt more lively and important. The biggest thing I was waiting for was the rebirth of Chronos, I thought that would be amazing to see and it was!! The special effects on Chronos were very impressive and although I thought he went down a little easy, the build up and fight was good enough that it didn't bother me a lot. I'm not sure we'll ever see a third instalment which is a shame because while this is nowhere near the quality and depth of Harry Potter it is still a solid, fun fantasy adventure that entertains. Both films are absolutely worth checking out. 7.5/10
Logan Lerman returns as Percy. He is great in the role and has a ton of chemistry on screen and absolutely keeps you interested in his demigod hero. It was nice that there wasn't as many plot holes with his character as there was in the first film because now we can accept that he has had time to train and learn about his abilities instead of just suddenly knowing exactly what he can do. Alexandra Daddario also returns as Annabeth. She is good and her and Lerman work well together (although where's the romance angle? I expected more in that way.) However, my complaint with her character is the same as it was in the first...she doesn't get enough scenes to really show off her ability. I want to see her sword fight or just be a really strong heroine and she doesn't get to do that though I have no doubt she could pull it off. She's just underused in this sequel and the first film. Brandon T. Jackson also returns as comic relief Grover. I found him a little more fun in this one though used less. His character is very predictable and stereotypical but he works well for comedy purposes and the "best friend" role. He does get some more action scenes this time around so that was good. Douglas Smith joins the cast as Tyson, Percy's half brother. It was a great addition to the story because it added some depth and emotion to the characters especially towards the end and added a layer of moral message for the younger crowd and the older for that matter. Smith is good in the role, and just a little bit cheesy but that's almost necessary. Leven Rambin is also new to the cast as an adversarial ally for Percy. She's good and fun and gets some solid action scenes. Anthony Head and Stanley Tucci were terrific in their little cameos as Chiron and Mr. D. Unlike the first film neither one were campy or delivered poor lines. Head was a great replacement for Brosnan in the first film. Jake Abel also returns in his role as Luke, our villain so to speak. He is as good as he was the first time around and a worthy young villain.
New director Thor Freudenthal (Thor!?! Talk about irony) takes over the helm. He does a good job and has big shoes to fill after Columbus did the first one but he made a film as good, if not slightly better so bravo to him. The characters felt more lively and important. The biggest thing I was waiting for was the rebirth of Chronos, I thought that would be amazing to see and it was!! The special effects on Chronos were very impressive and although I thought he went down a little easy, the build up and fight was good enough that it didn't bother me a lot. I'm not sure we'll ever see a third instalment which is a shame because while this is nowhere near the quality and depth of Harry Potter it is still a solid, fun fantasy adventure that entertains. Both films are absolutely worth checking out. 7.5/10