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This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

It took a while, a lot longer than some page-to-screen adaptations take for sequels. But now, Rick Riordan's boy hero, Percy Jackson, has a second movie. It's called Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and unlike the first film, this one is available in 3D.

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is the Demigod son of Poseidon, God of the Seas. In the last installment, The Lightning Thief, he saved Mount Olympus and the World from Divine in-fighting. Now, he's wondering whether or not he's really a stand-out hero. He's now at Camp Halfblood, the Olympian summer-camp, where he's met a new rival named Clarisse (Leven Rambin), daughter of Ares.

But Percy's real enemy is Luke (Jake Abel), deranged son of Hermes. Luke and his cronies have broken down Camp Halfblood's magical barrier tree. As a result, all sorts of monsters can cause trouble. The only thing that can fix the tree is the Golden Fleece, located within the Bermuda Triangle, the eponymous Sea of Monsters. Percy and his friends, some new, some old, have to set sail to get the fleece. Luke, meanwhile, has another use in mind for the fleece...

(Let me catch my breath.)

(So, anyway...)

At 106 minutes, the film goes by pretty fast. Fortunately, it gets to the points rather well. As a result, it's a fun movie to watch. Part of the fun is from Percy's supporting cast, which includes Stanley Tucci as Dionysus. 

Through visual effects, the filmmakers create some good monsters and Divine powers. A fine example was Percy and friends' ride on a magical Taxi cab driven by the blind Graeae. Their appearances were realized by great makeup effects; if CGI was involved, I didn't notice it.

Some might complain about it being not like the book. Those who haven't read the books might get thrown off. A few monster introductions confused me, so I can see the latter issue in effect. But I won't complain much about the former issue.

That's because Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is a suitably entertaining late summer blockbuster. If all you want is a good time with Greek Mythology, this certainly won't disappoint.

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