Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Movie Review)(Warning: spoilers)

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Movie Review

I absolutely love the Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus book series. I read and re-read them constantly, and have for the past six (roughly) years. I'm counting down the days until House of Hades, the next book in the Heroes of Olympus series is released (54 days). So I was extremely excited back in 2009 when I found out they were making the series into a movie! Upon seeing the first movie, I was disappointed. Very disappointed. It was a good movie, but it wasn't anything like the book series I knew and love. The characters weren't the same, the plot wasn't the same - it was just plain wrong. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining movie, and I was glad when last year I found out they were making Sea of Monsters into a movie, 4 years after the first one was released. I was even more pleased when I heard rumours that the plot of this movie would be much closer to that of the book; rumours that were confirmed when the first set photos were released, showing a blonde Annabeth. 

The movie came out last Wednesday, and I finally saw it last Sunday. Let me say that first and foremost, I LOVED it. It was a wonderfully put together film, with appropriate moments of humour and suspense. 

Tyson, Clarisse, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy in
Polyphemus' lair. 

First, what I liked. My favourite part about this was that there was no longer any sexual tension between Percy and Annabeth, which was rampant in the first movie. I get that with older actors, you're going to have to play that angle a bit, but in the first movie they tried to turn Annabeth, my favourite character, into some sort of sexual figure with her tight armour, hair flipping, and sultry looks, especially during fight scenes. There was none of that during Sea of Monsters, for which I was VERY thankful. Clarisse took this spot to an extent, but not so much so that it was unbearable, like Annabeth in the first movie. The other thing I enjoyed was the plot. Yes, it was somewhat different from the book. But, even though I knew the end result, the plot changes made the movie more suspenseful. Instead of knowing exactly what would happen and thinking I couldn't be shocked by anything, the movie had me hanging on the edge of my seat. While I didn't like all of the changes, I do think they made the movie more enjoyable. I wasn't bothered by the absence of Tantalus, CC's Spa, or Scylla, and I didn't mind the way that Grover disappeared. As well, I thought Tyson was incredibly well casted. He wasn't the same as the book, but I liked the portrayal nonetheless. Also, loved Hermes, loved Mr. D. (STANLEY TUCCI!), loved Clarisse. No complaints on that front, they were all good.  One of the other things I adored was the opening, with Thalia's story (although I don't like the changes they made to the story). I do wish they'd gone into more detail as to why Annabeth was afraid of Cyclops though; I thought that was a key part of the storyline they left out. Really, I wish they'd have delved into Annabeth's life a little more; there's so much more to her than the movie shows, and I think that's why she lacks some character development. 

Annabeth in the first movie (left) versus Annabeth in the second movie (right)

When it comes to things I didn't like, there were many. However, it's mostly just me being picky; I really did enjoy the movie. Most of these are just minor nitpicky things that someone who wasn't as into the books as I am wouldn't mind. I wish they would've brought Annabeth's  invisibility cap into the story. As well, I think Annabeth in general still needs a bit of work; I did like her better in this movie, but she just isn't quite book-Annabeth enough yet. I wish they would have incorporated more humour into the movie; the books are hilarious and serious at the same time, and I wish the movie had more of that. I thought some moments were pure genius though; Luke's "get off my roof," was a personal favourite of mine. My big issue with the movie was (big spoiler warning here) when Kronos was resurrected. It was a good thing that the theatre was almost empty, because I said quite loudly, "Wait.... THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" It just seemed so utterly wrong. The big battle with Kronos, Percy's ultimate triumph and what the 5 books were building towards, happened. And it wasn't particularly well done either. The special effects were interesting, but I vastly prefer the original ending of the book. The other main issue I had was the makeup on the zombies on Clarisse's ghost ship. It just looked so fake! The main 'zombie' looked just like a normal person who had been painted and had red contacts in. Not ghostly or creepy at all. Just bad. I didn't expect something from The Walking Dead or Zombieland, but I did expect something a little more realistic. 

Percy and Annabeth in the Sea of Monsters

All in all, I loved this movie. It's got to be one of my favourite new movies of the last 12 months. It's funny, suspenseful, and would be enjoyable for both fans of the series and those who have never heard of it. I give it four and a half out of five stars! A must see!

*Of course, I may have to update this as I think of more things I did/didn't like. This movie had so much going on that it's easy to miss things the first time around.




Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIBPpc1cT1E

Anything Goes (August 4th)

Anything Goes!

It was a last minute decision for my family and I to go see Anything Goes; we booked out tickets at 3pm, and the show started at 8pm the same day. The three of us ended up sitting separately, and I was lucky enough to get the seat closest to the front, with an incredible view. 

Anything Goes is the story of the goings on onboard a cruise ship. It is consistently funny, entertaining, and never really stops moving. The only moments I lost interest were during the two big tap numbers; tap dancing is fun for a while, but eventually it becomes repetitive and boring. Aside from that, though, Anything Goes was uproariously entertaining. The jokes are witty, and still understandable decades after they were written. As a younger audience member (who was sitting surrounded by people in their 60s and 70s), a few of the jokes went over my head, but I also found that I was laughing at jokes that the older audience members around me either didn't understand, or didn't find humorous. It was an interesting blend; sometimes the audience reactions are almost as interesting as the on stage performance. 

My favourite cast member by far was Rachel York as Reno Sweeney. While I'm not overly fond of the character herself, Reno provides a much-needed comic reprieve from the sometimes sickeningly melodramatic conversations of Hope and Billy. Moonface Martin was also an essential part of this comic reprieve; Hope and Billy's relationship would've been unbearable without this. Other characters had a similar impact, such as Erma and Lord Evelyn, but Reno Sweeney was certainly the most entertaining and interesting character of the show. Rachel York's portrayal was everything I could've imagined; having not seen this show before, I didn't have any expectations of portrayals, but based on similar characters in other shows, I think Rachel York absolutely nailed Reno's character. She was incredibly entertaining, and obviously an incredibly skilled dancer and singer. I'd love to hear what her voice sounds like in real life, because obviously Reno's voice was an exceptionally well-done 'character voice'.

Most of what I didn't enjoy about this show is easily eclipsed by what I did enjoy. The character of Hope Harcourt is an absolute bore, and by connection, Billy's is as well. Of course, they can't be eliminated from the story as they are the catalysts for everything that happens on board the cruise ship, but I liked it best when neither of them were on the stage. I also thought the tap numbers could've been shortened; you can only watch the same chaine turns and poses so many times before you start to lose interest. I also thought the characters of John and Luke, the two Chinese gamblers brought on board the ship by a reverend, were somewhat unnecessary. They didn't add a whole lot to the story until near the end, and their comic benefits were essentially non existent. Surprisingly, I did enjoy Erma's story line; it was a bit of a welcome distraction from the main plot line, and was crafted such that her little 'moments' fit into the scene that was happening/about to happen/just happened, not detracting or distracting from the main plot. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed Anything Goes. It was an incredibly entertaining show (I overused that word in this review, but it's the best descriptor of the show), and I would recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone.