My take on PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS from 20th Century Fox. Stars Logan Lerman as the titular Percy Jackson.
There's a lot of great things noteworthy for SEA OF MONSTERS. It's a new PERCY JACKSON adaptation which is always fun. We have to thank of course Rick Riordan and his YA book series for the source material and plot. There's also the great screenplay by Marc Guggenheim together with a fresh new vision from director Thor Freudenthal. Most if not all of the cast members from the first movie have also reprised their roles. There are also a lot of fresh faces for the series like Stanley Tucci who plays the role of Dionysus. There's also a brief but sweet nonetheless appearance by Captain Mal himself, Nathan Fillion who plays Hermes, series antagonist's father. Oh and there's Douglas Smith who really looks like Brendan Fraser, as Percy's cyclopean, half brother Tyson.
Gotta hand it to the visual effects team for creating astoundingly great looking mythical creatures. We've all seen the Hippocamp from the trailer as well as Charybdis and that mean looking Colchis Bull (yeah, singular, while the book had Colchis BULLS). Let's admit it, the first Percy Jackson though fun, was a letdown. It didn't know what it was frankly because it was released around the time when the Harry Potter films where hitting the climax point. So it was quite possible that it was trying to follow the HP formula while trying to look hip and modern and different. SEA OF MONSTERS took a different approach. It took the title of a Riordan book, gathered most of the characters, created a fresh take on the story without sacrificing the real plot of the series and took risks and certain liberties as well and made something out of it.
Just to set expectations, Percy Jackson felt and looked like it was designed for tweens and teens. Don't expect an Oscar winning performance from lead Logan Lerman as you'd definitely be disappointed. Expect a bit of grimness and darker themes here though. Action is another thing you get in droves here as the first 20 minutes you'll already see Percy bruised and bloodied. Which is good actually since it raises the odds. Another great thing here was the animation effects that they used for introducing viewers to the mythical world of gods and demigods. We've seen it before in movies like HARRY POTTER and HELLBOY: GOLDEN ARMY but it works here. It's also practical since it saves much time.
Mind you though, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters if far from perfect. There's actually quite a few gripes here and there such as the amount of liberties they've taken from the book. There's a lot of plot holes here and there that never gets resolved (or is brushed under the rug, maybe as part of the next movie adaptation). Also the acting can be a bit dry once in awhile.
Regardless, I really think that this is an enjoyable flick. It's got this something that will mystify (no pun intended) Pinoy audience which I'm going to say is one of the easiest people to please when it comes to movies (I'm a testament to that). PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS is Now Showing in all theaters nationwide. It's also distributed by 20TH CENTURY FOX. Like their Facebook Fanpage to get the last trailers, news and tidbits (LIKE HERE)
Reviewing Monsters University courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Philippines. Opens June 29 and featuring the voices of Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sully respectively.
It's a return engagement to the world of Sully and Mike Wozawski this time however, we take a step back to that time before the events of Monsters Inc. to find out the origin of Mike and Sully's friendship as well as how they actually got to where they are. In the grand scheme of things, Monsters University is the first daring risk that Walt Disney and Pixar has taken. They've always been known for making sequels but never a prequel. Did they pass the mark? Did they actually do good in this type of feature film story telling? The answer is yes.
There's a lot of cute moments here in Monsters U that will appeal to folks of different ages. It's also chock full of meta stuff, which is amusing considering that all that plus more is wrapped in such a movie. Still after all these years, I'm also still impressed with how Disney managed to cast it's traditional magic in this new movie. The characters are also evenly matched to their voices; Serenity's Nathan Fillion comes into the film as Johnny the Jaw, Sean Hayes [of Will and Grace] as Terri, Charlie Day as Art and Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble all fit the characters to the T.
Being that it's a prequel, nothing earth-shattering or career ending happens here. No villain dies and Randell Boggs [played by Steve Buscemi] is still alive and still the laughing stock in one form or another. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of metas that come into play in this movie. One of the most recurring ones happen to revolve around Mike and how he pines to be a scarer, no, the top scarer for Monsters Inc. Of course that doesn't happen in the first movie as its actually Sully who becomes that. While Toy Story delved around friendship and acceptance of what you are, Monsters University focuses more on friendship and growing up together. It's an evolving friendship as seen in the relationship between the two main characters.
Another great thing about Monsters University is the gags. It starts slow but by the time we get to see the big scare fest, you'll be chuckling not only at the antics of Mike and Sully but also with the other OK (Oozma Kappa) members such as Art and Terri & Terry.
Major props to the production crew for giving us a couple of easter eggs in the movie. Oh and to answer your question, YES, THERE IS ANOTHER POST-CREDIT SCENE and you do not want to miss that.
Overall, Monsters University is a great movie to catch this weekend. Be sure to bring the kids and make it a family bonding moment. Oh and I also advice you to watch it in 3D as it gives more life to the already lively gang of would-be scary monsters. Special thanks once again to Walt Disney Studios Philippines. Catch Monsters University as it is released today (June 26).
DC Comics is already preparing everything for their next animated release after Superman Unbound entitled the Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox.
Newsarama also managed to sneak in a bit of advance info regarding this animated adaptation of the story Flashpoint written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert; which also served as the beginning of the New 52 continuity.
So who are the voices that'll be heard in this upcoming animated feature? Here's the list lifted from Comicbookmovie:
