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Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
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Wikipedia article
'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters' (also known as 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters') is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Thor Freudenthal. The sequel to the 2010 film 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' and the second film in the 'Percy Jackson' film series, it is loosely based on the 2006 novel 'The Sea of Monsters' by Rick Riordan. The film was released on August 7, 2013 in North America by 20th Century Fox.
The film continues the adventures of Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) and his friends, as they search for the Golden Fleece at the Sea of Monsters. Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, and Jake Abel reprise their roles from the previous film, while Nathan Fillion and Anthony Head replace Dylan Neal and Pierce Brosnan. New additions to the cast include Leven Rambin, Douglas Smith, and Stanley Tucci. The film was produced by Karen Rosenfelt and Michael Barnathan. Chris Columbus, who directed the first film, serves as executive producer. The plot centers on Percy and his friends as they journey to the eponymous Sea of Monsters to retrieve the Golden Fleece in order to save the tree (barrier) that protects their home.
The film was met with mixed reviews, with praise for its visuals and action, but criticism for its plot and characters. It grossed $200.9 million at the box office worldwide against a production budget of $90 million. The book series consists of five novels; a sequel based on 'The Titan's Curse' was planned, but never produced. Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019, Disney consequently gained the rights to the 'Percy Jackson' novels, upon which Riordan pitched a new adaptation, set to be produced as a TV series for Disney+.
Plot
Percy Jackson recounts the story of Thalia Grace: Pursued by monsters on their way to Camp Half-Blood, a young Thalia sacrificed herself to save her friends, Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan and Grover Underwood. Her father Zeus honored her sacrifice by turning her into a tree, which forms a protective barrier around the camp, keeping everyone within a safe zone. In the present day, Percy's quest for Zeus's bolt has faded in popularity and he is called a one-quest wonder by camp bully Clarisse La Rue, but is still supported by Annabeth and Grover. He is joined at camp by a young cyclops named Tyson, who was thought to be a regular mortal until revealed as a son of Poseidon, and therefore his brother.
After an attack by a Colchis bull, the campers discover Thalia's tree has been poisoned by Luke and the barrier is vulnerable. Percy consults the Oracle, who tells him of a prophecy of a half-blood of the eldest gods either saving or destroying Olympus. Chiron tells Percy that he is the only living, human half-blood of the eldest gods, so the Prophecy may refer to him. Annabeth and Grover learn about the Golden Fleece, which has the power to heal anything, and propose a quest to retrieve the Fleece and use it to heal Thalia's tree. Counsellor Mr. D claims the idea as his and chooses Clarisse to lead the quest.
Percy and Annabeth set off without being chosen, joined by Tyson. They leave camp on the Chariot of Damnation (a New York City cab), where the three drivers (the Graeae) tell Percy more about his prophecy and coordinates for the Sea of Monsters (the Bermuda Triangle). The group are ejected in Washington D.C. for lacking drachmas, where Grover is kidnapped. The others, with the help of Hermes, track him down to Luke's yacht, the 'Andromeda', which they reach riding Hippokamposes. On board, Luke reveals his plan to have Kronos the titan destroy Olympus by reviving him with the fleece and locks the group in the brig, but Percy uses his ability to manipulate water to break them free.
Escaping the yacht, they are consumed by Charybdis, where they discover Clarisse in the monster's stomach. Percy and Clarisse work together to escape Charybdis by shooting a hole through its gut, then chart a course to Circeland, off the coast of Florida. There they discover Polyphemus's lair, where the fleece is kept and Grover is being held captive by the cyclops. They rescue Grover, retrieve the fleece and trap Polyphemus in his cave. Luke ambushes them and shoots at Percy with a crossbow for not handing over the fleece, but Tyson takes the bolt and falls into a roaring stream. Luke takes the fleece and the group hostage
As Luke begins reviving Kronos from his sarcophagus, Annabeth encourages Percy to take leadership. The team escapes captivity and Percy grapples with Luke over the fleece, like the prophecy said they would. Luke gets Percy in submission but he is saved by Tyson, who survived his wound by being healed by the water, as he is Poseidon's son. Kronos rises from the sarcophagus and consumes Luke and Grover before battling Percy. Percy realizes that his sword is the "cursed blade" of the prophecy and slices Kronos into pieces and imprisons the titan in the sarcophagus once again, after regurgitating Grover and Luke, the latter landing in Polyphemus's Lair and is presumably eaten. Annabeth is stabbed in the back by the Manticore and dies in Percy's arms, but is resurrected by the fleece.
Percy gives the fleece to Clarisse and they return to Camp Half-Blood, where she places it on Thalia's tree. The next day Thalia is found alive, as the fleece was powerful enough to resurrect and return her to human form. Percy realizes that Thalia, as the daughter of Zeus, is another possible child referred to in the prophecy about Olympus.
Cast
Demigods
* Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.* Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and Percy's secret crush.
** Alisha Newton portrays a younger Annabeth.
* Douglas Smith as Tyson, Percy's Cyclops half-brother.
* Leven Rambin as Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares.
* Brandon T. Jackson as Grover Underwood, a satyr and Percy's best friend and protector.
** Bjorn Yearwood portrays a younger Grover.
* Jake Abel as Luke Castellan, son of Hermes and the main antagonist.
** Samuel Braun portrays a younger Luke.
* Paloma Kwiatkowski as Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus.
** Katelyn Mager portrays a younger Thalia.
* Grey Damon as Chris Rodriguez, a rogue demigod of unknown parentage who joins Luke on his quest to resurrect Kronos.
Gods
* Stanley Tucci as Mr. D / Dionysus, the god of wine, celebrations, ecstasy, and theatre and director of Camp Half-Blood. He was previously played by Luke Camilleri in the first film.* Nathan Fillion as Hermes, Luke's father; the god of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and messenger of the gods of Mount Olympus. He was previously played by Dylan Neal in the first film.
** Octavia Spencer as the voice of Martha, a snake that is in Hermes' caduceus.
** Craig Robinson as the voice of George, a snake that is in Hermes' caduceus.
* Robert Knepper as the voice of Kronos, the King of the Titans, father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, Hera and Chiron, and Luke's master.
Other characters
* Anthony Head as Chiron, the activities director at Camp Half-Blood. Chiron is a centaur and the immortal son of Kronos and brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia and Hera. Chiron was previously played by Pierce Brosnan in 'The Lightning Thief'.* Robert Maillet as Polyphemus
** Ron Perlman as the voice of Polyphemus
* Hunter Platin as Guard, the Cyclops that guards the Golden Fleece.
* Shohreh Aghdashloo as the voice of Oracle of Delphi
* Missi Pyle, Yvette Nicole Brown and Mary Birdsong as the Graeae
* Jordan Weller as Ichneutae, the acolyte of Clarisse.
* Derek Mears and Aleks Paunovic as Cyclopes.
Production
Reports of a second 'Percy Jackson' film first surfaced in March 2011.[http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-sequel-could-be-coming-soon/ 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Sequel Could Be Coming Soon?] First Showing. Retrieved July 31, 2013[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/03/percy-jackson-olympians-sequel-sea-monsters-riordan-logan-lerman.html 'Percy Jackson' sequel could be on its way] 'Los Angeles Times'. Retrieved July 31, 2013 On October 12, 2011, a sequel was officially confirmed by 20th Century Fox.[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-moves-new-die-hard-247435 Fox Moves Ahead With New 'Die Hard' and 'Percy Jackson' Films] 'The Hollywood Reporter'. Retrieved July 31, 2013 Filming for 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters' began on April 16, 2012. The film was originally going to be released on March 15, 2013, but in May 2012, the release date was postponed to August 16, 2013. In April 2013, a final release date was set for August 7, 2013. Filming took place in Robert Burnaby Park in Burnaby, B.C.; however from June 20 to July 22, they filmed in New Orleans for Princess Andromeda scenes, including the former site of Six Flags New Orleans. More filming took place in January 2013. On January 22, 2013, Logan Lerman released a statement on Twitter that read "Last day of shooting on Percy Jackson 2" accompanied by a photo of the shooting.
Development
In February 2011, it was revealed in the online subscription magazine 'Production Weekly' that the film was in production.'Production Weekly' issue 749, February 3, 2011 In another source, the lead cast members from the first movie were expected to return for their roles. Chris Columbus would not be returning as director, though he would be producing the movie together with Karen Rosenfelt (producer of the 'Twilight' movie 'Breaking Dawn'). Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski were hired as the scriptwriters.[http://pagetopremiere.com/2011/03/percy-jackson-sequel-the-sea-of-monsters-hires-screenwriter/ "Percy Jackson Sequel The Sea of Monsters Hires Screenwriters"] PageToPremier.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013. Marc Guggenheim was hired to re-write the screenplay and Alexander and Karaszewski were uncredited. On June 16, 2011, it was announced that Thor Freudenthal would be directing the movie."[https://collider.com/thor-freudenthal-percy-jackson-sequel/ Thor Freudenthal to Direct PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE SEA OF MONSTERS; Logan Lerman Confirmed for Return]" Collider.com. Retrieved September 2013. Shooting began in summer 2012. On October 12, 2011, it was announced that the film would be released on March 26, 2013. On April 6, it was announced that the movie was pushed up to August 7, 2013.[https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=102530 "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Moved up to August 7"] ComingSoon.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013. On May 31, 2012, it was announced that the movie had been pushed back to August 16, 2013.[http://www.hypable.com/2012/05/31/percy-jackson-sea-of-monsters-release-date-pushed-back-several-months/ "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters release date pushed back several months"] Hypable.com. Retrieved September 2013.
Filming
On January 13, 2012, a brand new production list was released and stated that filming would take place between April 26, 2012 and July 11, 2012. It was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans serving as the filming location for the island of Polyphemus. Filming wrapped up in July 2012, with reshoots taking place in January 2013.Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 42% based on reviews from 118 critics, with an average rating of 5.20/10. The website's consensus reads, "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." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 39 based on 33 collected reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on a scale from A+ to F, the same grade earned by the previous film.Jim Vejvoda of IGN rated the movie a six out of ten: "There are worse sequels than the CG-heavy 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters', but it's just such overly familiar territory." Gary Goldstein of the 'Los Angeles Times' gave the film a positive review, saying that "tweens and young teens should be sufficiently distracted by the movie's brisk pace and heroic mayhem if they're not too unnerved by its at times nightmarish imagery". James Rocchi of ScreenCrush wrote that the film "is hardly the stuff of legend, but by keeping the plot straightforward and the storytelling clean, it's an odyssey the intended young audience will be glad to take." Marsha McCreadie on RogerEbert.com rated the film two and a half stars out of four, calling it "a gentler-spirited, less flashy enterprise, though it still presents a natural world that can morph at the whim of a god."
Andy Webster of 'The New York Times' commented: "'Sea of Monsters' is diverting enough the director, Thor Freudenthal ... is savvy with effects and keeps his young cast on point but it doesnt begin to approach the biting adolescent tension of the 'Harry Potter' movies." However, Michael Rechtshaffen of 'The Hollywood Reporter' criticized the film as "lack[ing] the energetic zip of its predecessor," while Bruce Ingram of 'Chicago Sun-Times' opined that "faithful fans of the novels will be unhappy with the liberties taken with the adaptation like they were with the first film." Connie Ogle of 'The Miami Herald' wrote, "[Are] these characters merely prisoners much like the audience of a script so uninspired that it demands their stupidity?" Josh Bell of 'Las Vegas Weekly' lambasted the series as a whole as "a thoroughly second-rate franchise ... with movies like 'Sea of Monsters', it can probably continue in acceptable mediocrity for years to come".
Box office
'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters' grossed $68,559,554 in North America and $133,688,197 internationally for a worldwide total of $202,247,751.The film grossed $5.4 million on its opening day, taking the number No. 2 spot at the domestic box office. During its extended five-day opening weekend the film debuted at the No. 4 spot and grossed $23,258,113.
Accolades
Katelyn Mager was nominated for her performance at the 2014 Young Artist Award as Best Supporting Young Actress in a Feature Film.Soundtrack
The film's score was composed by Andrew Lockington. "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" by Fall Out Boy and "Cameo Lover" by Kimbra were featured in the movie but are unavailable on the soundtrack.
Home media
The film was released on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 17, 2013. The film was additionally released for Digital HD download on December 3.
Future
Cancelled sequel
On March 25, 2014, Lerman stated that a sequel to 'Sea of Monsters' would not be made. However, six days later, another report stated "Logan Lerman has said 'Percy Jackson 3' could still go ahead" and that the previous report "was taken out of context". At the 2015 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Lerman said that while he finds the 'Percy Jackson' films fun to make, he has not heard anything about the production of a third film and expressed concern that he and his co-stars were growing too old for their parts.Disney+ reboot series
The Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox in March 2019, allowing it to hold the rights to the 'Percy Jackson' novels, upon which Riordan pitched a new adaptation in September of that year. On May 14, 2020, a Disney+ series separate from the film franchise was announced on Riordan's Twitter account, where he stated that he and his wife Becky would be involved in the production of the series. Each season of the series will adapt one installment of the book series, with the first season being an adaptation of 'The Lightning Thief'. On January 25, 2022, Riordan announced that Disney+ had officially ordered the series, with the pilot being written by him and Jonathan E. Steinberg. The series began production in June 2022 in Vancouver, Canada. Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri will respectively portray the three main characters Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood.
References
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