Touted as a potential “Harry Potter”-sized Young Adult franchise, “Percy Jackson &the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” opened in 2010 to middling business.
Many are called, but few are Harry Potter, and it seemed this series might join the likes of “The Golden Compass” and “The Host” (this year’s flubbed Stephenie Meyer offering) on the list of book cycles that become nonstarters on screen.
But — by the beard of Zeus! — here’s a sequel. “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” picks up the story with a shorter title and fewer brand-name guest stars, but with just enough cheerful attitude to suggest a continuation of the saga.
Percy (played by Logan Lerman, late of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) is the son of Poseidon and a human woman, and thus part of the Half-Breed camp where the children of the Olympians frolic.
He sets out to retrieve the famed Golden Fleece, for only its magical powers can restore the invisible forcefield that surrounds Camp Half-Blood.
Yeah — it’s that kind of movie. Lacking Argonauts, Percy treks off with quasi-girlfriend Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and his cyclops half-brother Tyson (Douglas Smith), while his rival Clarisse (spirited Leven Rambin) tries to beat him to the Fleece.
The script, drawn from the book series by Rick Riordan, is full of the expected teenage relationship woes and supernatural doings.
I am a little unclear on the extent of Percy’s demigod powers (some of them are water-related, given his parentage), and so the film has its share of moments where you wonder why this superhuman kid doesn’t just let loose a typhoon or something and settle the issue.
There’s no getting around such story problems in “Sea of Monsters,” or the cut-rate budget that clearly limits the big moments — cut-rate compared to the average outlay for a big special-effects picture, that is. The aim here is modest.
But give director Thor Freudenthal, who did the first “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movie, credit for a good attitude. “Sea of Monsters” is energetic and humorous at regular intervals, and Stanley Tucci and Nathan Fillion are around to provide a little tongue-in-cheek kidding at the right moments.
Will Percy and his demigod pals be around for another installment? And if they move along at this uncertain pace, how old will they be by the time they wrap up Riordan’s literary cycle? Only the titans know for sure.
“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” (2 stars)
A rather tardy followup to the 2010 “Lightning Thief,” this cut-rate sequel attempts to continue the movie adaptations of the book series by Rick Riordan. Percy (Logan Lerman) is a youthful demigod, off on an adventure to capture the Golden Fleece, with the help of his teen pals. Despite the limitations, the movie’s got a spirited attitude and some funny moments.
Rated: PG for violence.
Showing: Alderwood 7, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marsyville, Stanwood, Pacific Place, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Blue Fox, Cascade Mall.
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