Parents' Guide to

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Action-packed sequel still doesn't live up to book series.

Movie PG 2013 106 minutes
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 24 parent reviews

Hannagwozdz
Hannagwozdz Parent of 8 and 11-year-old
June 2, 2021
age 10+

This movie is crap!

This movie is a major disappointment. I was hoping for something good and this movie does not live up to the books. Annabeth is not as tough as she could be and Tyson is way better in the book. Read the book, don't watch the movie!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much consumerism
4 people found this helpful.
Chris_Feher
Chris_Feher Adult
April 17, 2020
age 10+

Gods Awful

If you want an accurate and extensive review of this movie, read my review on the first one. The same things apply to the Sea of Monsters as well. The only thing is, add Tyson's cast pick to the list of positives I mentioned. To those of you who will not go and read my other review, here's the gist. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! Trust me, I'm the biggest Percy Jackson book series fan there is. And I, without a doubt, believe this is one of the worst, and most inaccurate book-to-movie adaptations of all time.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
4 people found this helpful.
See all 24 parent reviews

What's the Story?

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS picks up a year after the events of the first movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, with Percy (Logan Lerman) -- Poseidon's half-human, demigod son -- living in Camp Half Blood with his best friends, fellow demigod Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and satyr Grover (Brandon T. Jackson). When a Colchis Bull breaches the protective barrier provided by Thalia's Pine Tree (a gods-created tree that grew from the body of a dead young demigod), the tree starts to decay. Without the tree, anyone could enter Camp Half Blood and kill the demigods, so Percy, Annabeth, and Grover decide they must embark on a dangerous mission to the Sea of Monsters (the Bermuda Triangle) to find the legendary Golden Fleece, which has magical healing properties. But they're not the only ones trying to find the fleece -- the first movie's villain, half-blood Luke (Jake Abel), wants it, too ... to revive the biggest, baddest god of all -- Kronos.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (24):
Kids say (153):

This quest is a rather epic disappointment unworthy of the Percy Jackson name; skip the adaptation and just read the excellent book. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series is beloved by both tentative readers and die-hard book addicts, so it's a shame that the movies based on his richly depicted demigod universe aren't nearly as good as his fantasy novels. It's not the cast, because Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is a terrific young actor -- though at 21 he's too old to play the teenage Percy ever again. That's fine, because it's unlikely the franchise will continue after such a lackluster follow-up to the already less-than-amazing first adaptation.

There's something remarkably telling about checking your watch several times during a movie that's 107 minutes long. To it's credit, there are a couple of bright spots -- like when Nathan Fillion pops up playing Hermes and makes an obvious Firefly joke about brilliant shows that are cancelled too soon, and the inimitable Ron Perlman playing the voice of blind and starving cyclops Polyphemus.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about film adaptations. How does Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters compare to the book it was based on? How about with the first movie? What changes did you like, and which parts of the book do you wish had made it to the big screen?

  • The Percy Jackson books are based on myths. What did you learn about mythological characters and stories? Does the movie make you want to read the books (either for the first time or again) or more about Greek myths?

  • Talk about the scare factor. Did anything make you want to hide under your chair? Which mythological monsters would you least like to see in the real world? Does fantasy violence have the same impact as more realistic violence?

  • Do you think there should be more Percy Jackson movies? What other children's books or series do you wish were turned into movies?

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