by Lorie Lewis Ham
Special coupon for Dinuba Platinum Theatre at the end of this review.
I have always loved Greek mythology, so when the first Percy Jackson movie came out, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, I was excited to see this new take on the mythology. The movie focuses primarily on the grandchildren of the gods, with Percy actually finding out he is the son of one of them– Poseidon. Percy joins many other demigods at a special camp where they learn about their history and how to use their special abilities and where they can be protected. This movie series is based on the book series written by Rick Riordan.
In the second movie, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, we are taken back to that camp where we find all the demigods training, having fun, and competing against one another–but Percy (Logan Lerman) is feeling a bit let down after returning to a “normal” life back at camp having saved the world in The Lightening Thief. He feels that maybe that was just a fluke and he really isn’t anything special. That feeling is intensified when he learns that he has a half brother named Tyson (Douglas Smith) and isn’t even the only son of Poseidon.
Soon after meeting his brother, the field that protects their camp is penetrated and they are attacked, and the source of life behind the field is dying–a young demigod girl named Thalia who gave her life to protect her friends many years ago. Percy and his friends decide to go on a quest for the Golden Fleece, which they believe, will save Thalia and restore the field, however they learn that an old enemy is also after the Fleece with a purpose that could destroy the world and the gods.
This is a fun movie for the family–filled with adventure, updated takes on familiar mythology, friendship, the importance of family, and heroes. Sure it can be cheesy at times, but cheesy can be fun. Friendship, belief in oneself, and love are a strong theme throughout the story.
While I love Pierce Brosnan, as a Buffy fan it was also fun to see Anthony Stewart Head take over the role of Chiron, the leader of their camp, and I absolutely LOVED the brief appearance of Nathan Fillion–Firefly fans pay careful attention to his time on screen.
Sea Monsters is a fun movie for teens and I really think for the family, if you enjoy fantasy and Greek mythology. I have heard it is best not to see it in 3D though.
Check out the trailers on the movie website.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is currently playing at Dinuba Platinum Theatres 6, also in 3D. Showtimes can be found on their website. Platinum Theaters Dinuba 6 now proudly presents digital quality films in 2-D and 3-D with 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound to maximize your movie experience.
Print this coupon and enjoy a special discount for Kings River Life readers only!
We didn’t have a choice with the 3-D thing. The family is Sabbath Observant so I could only get tickets for a Sat. night 10:30 showing (we left on vacation the following morning). My 14 yr old grandson’s only comment was, “the only part of this movie that had anything to do with the book was that Percy was in it”. He’s a real wise ass.