Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters, Why the Movie Is Bad_Jordan

(SMALL SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE BOOK AND MOVIE)

 

Image supplied from Barnes and Nobles

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sea-of-monsters-rick-riordan/1100327442 

Alright, I know what you’re thinking: Jordan, this is your third blog talking about the difference between a book and its movie. Will you ever let it rest? Now, the answer to that question would be yes, but with me finally finishing the second book in the Percy Jackson series and hearing so much about how bad this movie would be if I watched it, I was curious. And boy should I have stayed curious. From the moment the movie started I immediately knew that the writers had taken creative liberties, and not in a good way. The first thing I noticed was the fact that there were so many moments that were cut out of the movie that simplified extremely complex situations and/or characters. For some scenes I would understand taking out for time's sake but there were some moments that I think just made the movie less impactful because of their absence. Overall, the movie production of Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters was disrespectful not only to the book but also towards the characters.

Let's start with a fan favorite: Annabeth. Throughout all the books (at least the ones I’ve read so far) Annabeth has been portrayed as this extremely wise and quick-thinking girl who almost always has a plan regardless of the situation. Which would make sense as she is the daughter of the goddess Athena. But in the movies, she’s heavily washed out and barely has any of these attributes. For example, in the movie it always felt like she was looking at Percy to see what the next step was instead of thinking of it herself. Not to mention that her internal battle with Luke being the antagonist of the story is extremely watered down. In the book there is a whole chapter where Annabeth is tricked by the sirens and sees her wants and desires: a place that she’d rebuilt with Luke, her mother, and father by her side as they share a tender moment away from all the pressures of life. This alone gives the reader so much information about Annabeth’s character and the internal battles she’s going through while seeing Luke turn more maddened by rage. You’d think such a pivotal moment of a character's life would be added to the movie rendition but no, it was swept under the rug and simply never mentioned. 

Another character I’d like to talk about would be the one that is newly introduced in this book/movie: Tyson. Tyson is Percy’s cyclops half-brother who has a heart of gold and everyone else’s wellbeing on his mind. In the book, he’s introduced in the first chapter as this homeless kid who attends the same school as Percy as a charity case. Because they’re both neglected by the other kids, they find solace in each other and, since the beginning, Percy could always tell that Tyson was a little bit different. As time goes on and Tyson’s identity is revealed Percy, in the beginning, is embarrassed that Tyson is his brother but still treats him fairly and as though he matters. (That doesn’t mean he was a stellar brother though.) Though later on he tends to truly be proud of and really care about Tyson to the point he proudly calls him his brother. In the movie, it’s completely different. Tyson just sort of shows up at camp and immediately tells Percy that they’re related. And throughout the movie Tyson is portrayed as this kind of dumb kid who brings more problems than he’s worth. It's so bad to the point where I wonder why he was even added to the movie if he didn’t do any of the heroic and impactful things he did in the book. Not to mention that Percy was treating him poorly the entire time in the movie to the point where the scene he calls Tyson his brother feels more fabricated than genuine. 

    Overall, The Sea of Monsters was a horrible movie rendition that was so bad that Rick Riordan even made fun of it online complaining on how poorly they remade his books. Every single important scene in the book was either cut out or heavily washed out throughout the movie to the point where it was painful to watch. There were so many plot holes and completely unnecessary bits that were more trouble than they were worth being put into this movie. All the characters and their personalities were so different compared to the books making the movie not only unenjoyable but also hard to call a Percy Jackson movie. Honestly, I really hope that the new series on Disney + will put back some honor to the Percy Jackson franchise.