Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
Directed by: Thor Freudenthal Starring: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: August 16, 2013
Trailer Score: 6/10
Thoughts by TSR: NotSharks, a ChromaLusion sea horse, and Stanley Tucci's gnarly hair/goatee combo: boy, they weren't kidding when they gave this film its subtitle. Seriously though, it's weird how uninterested I am in this film, even after this decent trailer. Despite boasting a cast full of people I enjoy, I never bothered seeing Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Now we have Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. It exists in a world where I have a newfound appreciation of Logan Lerman (thanks to The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and yet I still can't muster up much interest.
Having not seen the first, I feel like this gives a pretty solid idea what kind of world we're dealing with. It also features some decent effects work throughout. Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, and Brandon T. Jackson seem fun together, and supporting players like Tucci's goatee and Nathan Fillion appeal to me as well. Still, there's something about this that leaves me uninterested. I think it might be the Chariot of Damnation. That whole bit in the trailer does nothing but call to mind the Knight Bus stuff from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Overall, it just leaves a derivative taste that keeps me from feeling the need to catch up on the first. If I stumble upon it someday, perhaps I'll take a couple hours and see what it's all about. And if that happens, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters either. After all, it's a film dealing with gods and demigods directed by a guy named Thor. That has to count for something.