Okay, let’s get one thing straight. The book is always,
always better than the movie. Now, some great movies have been inspired by
books (Jumangi and The Invention of
Hugo Cabret are great examples), but a book was written to be a book, not a
movie (at least I hope so). In the case of the movies Sea of Monsters and The
Lightening Thief, both stories are well-adapted and manipulated for the
screen, but both truly lack the hilarity and originality found in the novels. I
was impressed with the way the book’s themes were retained—there are messages
about the role of relationships and confidence and working together. (I must
admit my bias here, I’ve seen Rick Riordan, the author, speak at a conference, and interviewed and wrote a brief essay on his work). But, this is a review of the film.
Here’s a quick plot summary.
Percy rejoins his friends, Grover and Annabeth, at Camp Half
Blood as they embark on a quest to save the camp. The mythical item they need
is located on an island in the Sea of
Monsters. Along the way, they meet several mythical characters who help or
hinder their journey. Percy also learns a bit more about his past and his place
in this world.
Random comments.
1. The
film was well cast! Thanks so much for having Anthony Stewart Head from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I’m a huge
Buffy nut and sort of scholar) and Yvette Nicole Brown from Community.
2. Some
things only my nerdy family noticed: first the joke Nathan Fillion made about
short-lived television shows (he was in Firefly—another Whedon connection) and in
the scene on the deck of the Andromeda,
Luke is listening to “Waltz” by Brahams. the fifth piece in Suzuki Vol. 2 book
for violin. And, yes, the scene in the taxi is sort-of like the scene with the
Knight Bus in Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azakaban.
3. As far as watching the film, it was hard
to concentrate when Emery kept whispering in my ear all of the things that were
different in the movie than the book. Also, Emery thought the 3D was cool; I didn’t
mind it, but I didn’t think it was necessary.
4. I feel like with these two movies, they write
them as stand-alone films in case someone is seeing them for the first time, and
just in case they don’t make a sequel.
My son and husband
make two good points in their reviews: first, this is a film suitable for younger
audiences (even younger than Lightening Thief)
and you need to accept that this movie is not a faithful recreation of the book.
Am I glad I went to see it, yes. Will we probably buy the DVD, yes.
Emery’s review of
Sea of Monsters: the book was 115% better. First mistake;
Talia!!!!!!! They pronounced her
name wrong!!!!! It’s Thalia! They also took out the guinea pig scene !! When they make the Son of Poseidon, they will regret that.
Don’t get me started on Kronos! THEY just eliminated 1 whole movie because they
moved elements from the Labyrinth to
this movie. On the positive side, I like the special effects (ex the wind) and
the plastic eye on Grover. If you read the book and you are flexible watch it
if you are not don’t.
Victor's Review: Let me make it clear that my review of Percy
Jackson and the Sea Monster is 100% aimed at the movie not the novel which I
haven't read. I feel like the best way to go about this is to first admit that
I had no real desire to see this film. Rather, I had a desire to be with
my wife and son, and since they were bound for the film, so was I.
I also feel that comparisons all not always
fair ... but that's what I'm going to do anyway. This Jackson film seemed
to be aiming squarely at a younger audience whereas by comparison, the Harry
Potter films seemed to transcend the YA label, There was never a second I
thought this Percy Jackson film was "for me." The quippy
dialogue bordered on the obvious, and the set pieces were all way tame ...
again, I assume, aiming at a younger audience. (The last film I REALLY
enjoy was Django Unchained, so ....)
If you’re a good parent, and your kid wants to
see it, then yeah.
If you think a movie with swords should have
more stabbing ... then no.
So, what do you think? Did you or will you see it? What else are you watching this summer?
Unwatchable, and amazingly worse than #1, which was an awful movie.
ReplyDeleteCasting is dreadful, they need to completely reboot the series with actors that are age appropriate, and Hollywood check out Harry Potter Series, yes this actually can work with a young cast.
Fighting monsters at age 13 is terrifying (books) apparently fighting Kronos at age 25 (movie) is not a big deal.
who the heck is Percy Jackson, the whining, crying, pathetic creature as portrayed by Logan does not resemble the PJ of the book at all. His pity party by the ocean (large lake?) was laughable.
Who is Annabeth ? She lacks confidence, lacks a baseball hat, and lacks a knife. We are told she is smart, but all she does is ask the men what she should do. She accomplishes nothing in the entire movie, she could easily be removed from the film, and you would not notice.
Who is Clarisse? She's a daughter of Aphrodite in this movie. Stunning looks, people love her, she hands out compliments. Whatever.
Who is Luke? Never uses a sword, is about 30 years old, has water powers and can water surf, gets his boat to the island minutes after Percy? They should have just stayed on board with Luke. Oh and he has the hots for a 12yr old. Great, just great.
Who is Grover? He asks "Is that an offer?" a possible love interest to Annabeth. Well ok....
** SPOILER **
When Annabeth dies
a) umm, you just revived a 3,000 year dead God, you just MIGHT be able to revive a wounded girl. zero drama
b) I did not care. Wow, I love the books and I felt nothing. Her character is so pathetic you just don't care
c) The film departs so significantly from the book I hoped she was dead, I thought maybe a Clarissa / Percy pair might be interesting.
Oh, my 3 kids agreed with me, most of above is their comments
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your and your kids' comments and I appreciate the observations on the (mis)(lack of)characterization of the roles from the book to the film.
DeleteGlad to see someone else is noticing the lack of sword action. And, Emery, also agree with the missing cap.