Percy Jackson series' second film has been released in India and this time the teenager hero is set to taje on adventures at Sea going by its title - 'Sea of Monsters'.
Percy (Lorgan Lerman), son of Greek god Poseidon, is seen with his bunch of teenage demigod friends trying to avert a catastrophe yet again. The film is abundant with graphic and special effects given its attempt at recreating the Greek mythology with fantastic creatures, hideous monsters and some virtually enhanced combat. Based on Rick Riordi's fiction series and with an aim to target young audience, the film has received poor reviews by critics and has failed to surpass the expectations set by its prequel "Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief" (2010).
The film has been released in 3D format and here is what critics have to say about the fantasy-adventure:
Tushar Doshi of Daily News Analysis wrote: "With a misleading title, Sea of Monsters is the most lacklustre and tepid adaptation of a book to the big screen. There really are no sea monsters in the film, unless you count the insides of a scaly giant creature as some sort of retribution. Percy Jackson - the Harry Potter equivalent of a half baked magical world inspired by Greek Gods plays the lead role as the boy chosen to save their campus where all sorts of mythical creatures and humans stay in unison."
"Unlike the Hunger Game series, this one struggles to find an age group or the right audience to cater to. The script and story is interesting only to entertain us for the first 30 minutes, after which everything gets predictable and characters go through the expected routine.
"Logan might look like Percy, but he's too bland and ordinary to stand out in a room. The climax in the monsters belly and the lead up to the big fight with Cronos seems weary and lethargic. Also Cronos doesn't look menacing at all, with all those fiery parts that keep falling off!"
Nanadini Ramnath of Live Mint wrote: "The sequel Sea of Monsters, directed by Thor Freudenthal (The Lightning Thief director Chris Columbus has a producer credit on this movie) doesn't waste too much time on the backstory and jumps straight into the action sequences, which are plentiful."
"The running time is trim (1 hour, 45 minutes) and the visual effects dazzling, including a rampaging metal bull, the phosphorescent insides of the sea monster Charybdis, a blue-green sea horse and resurrected Kronos, who is imagined as a horned creature made entirely out of glowing hot coals. The computer-generated imagery provides welcome distractions from the attractive yet anodyne young leads and the familiar feeling of having seen it all several times before."
Reagan Gavin Rasquinha of Times of India wrote: "The best thing about this predictable film is undoubtedly the special effects. For want of anything better, Sea of Monsters is a mishmash of various similar films in this genre and a passable potpourri of Greek mythology retold with a contemporary veneer."
Meanwhile, movie rating site Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a negative rating, saying, "It's pretty and packed with action; unfortunately, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is also waterlogged with characters and plots that can't help but feel derivative."
