Percy Jackson series

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)

(On Cable TV, January 2015)  Given that I barely remembered the first Percy Jackson, it’s not as if I was hungering for a sequel.  Now that it’s out, the only thing to say is that it’s… average.  Much of the interest of the first film, as inspired by the Rick Riordan books, was in seeing how various elements of Greek mythology could be integrated in the modern world, and so it goes with the sequel –most amusingly in seeing a cameo by Nathan Filion running a Hermes-inspired messenging service.  (That’s supposed to take place in Washington… except for the high-rises in the background)  There are interesting odds and ends: A wild taxi ride, a trip through a sea monster, some nice special effects.  There are action scenes every few minutes, but otherwise it’s as generic a fantasy product as can be aimed at teenagers.  It’s generally enjoyable (and the actors aren’t bad, just stuck with undistinguished material) but it’s not really essential.  There is really no need to do a third one.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

(In theatres, February 2010) The trailer for this film was unremarkable, so it’s a small surprise that the film itself proves just fine.  No in terms of plotting, which blends “kid with a fantastic origin” with “quest!” and explicitly takes on the good old plot-coupon approach to second-act plotting.  Not in terms of verisimilitude, when some of the dumbest material actually makes it on-screen in what looks like a summer camp that no one would enjoy.  No, the chief saving grace of this adaptation of the first Percy Jackson & The Olympians book is in the way it adapts Greek mythology to a modern-day context.  Part of this package are seeing a bunch of known actors in small roles: While Pierce Brosnan is OK as centaur Chiron and Sean Bean is credible as Zeus, it’s Uma Thurman as a leathery Medusa and Rosario Dawson as luscious Persephone that get all the attention.  They are barely enough to make us ignore more fundamental details about the film’s world-building, and how it doesn’t exactly hang together gracefully.  It’s a good thing that it’s Chris Columbus who directs the film, because it makes the clunky first-act plot similarities with Harry Potter easier to dismiss.  But then again, the fun of the film is in the details, not the overall plot.  A few good action sequences, complete with top-of-the-line special effects, finish off a package that is, all things considered, a bit better and more fun than anyone would have thought.