Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Movie Tie-In After the sensational hit movie series based from J.K.

Rowlings Harry Potter books, another fantasy-fiction book series turned into movies is making its way into the young adult audiences. Also set in a contemporary world, packed with humorous language and action-based theme with Greek Gods and Goddesses instead of Wizards and Witches, Rick Riordans Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series is sure to catch the huge fan-base of the phenomenal Harry Potter films. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the first movie installment of the book series by Riordan was released in 2010 which gathered a lot of criticisms for not rendering most of the books memorable scenes. And when the next movie installment Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters hit the theaters last August, fans were expecting a more faithful rendition from the book. The story as written by Riordan follows Percy Jackson, the half-god half mortal son of Poseidon, with his friends Grover, a satyr, Annabeth, the daughter of Athena and his half brother Tyson through his adventure into the Sea of Monsters (which was Bermuda Triangle, by the way) to retrieve the golden fleece and save Camp Half-Blood before his friend-turned-to-mortal-enemy Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, destroy the camp and unleash the titan Kronos and rule the world. Percys journey in the Sea of Monsters is patterned from Odysseus venture to his homeland Ithaca, ten years after the capture of Troy. Just like Odysseus, Percy has to battle out monsters like Charybdis and Scylla, pass the islands of Circe and the Sirens, and finally, outwit the Cyclops Polyphemus before he could get the Golden Fleece. The movie as it turned out wasnt all that disappointing compared to its previous installment. In fact, it was pretty jam-packed with actions along with impressive 3D effects that just take you off your seats while watching it. But what really bothered the audience, especially those who have read the book, was that it again did not include some of the scenes prior to the book, like for example, the part when Percy and Annabeth stumbled through the Sirens and Ogygias island where they met Circe and where Percy was transformed into a rodent. While there were scenes from the book which did not happen in the film, there were also some scenes from the film which wasnt part of the book, like when Kronos was resurrected in the end, which did not work out for me. Personally, I wanted it to be faithful to the book because I liked the way how Riordan retold some of Odysseus adventure through the eyes of a new and modern hero Percy Jackson. Anyway, although the film threw some of my expectations in the trash bin, it still did not disappoint me. The humor is definitely not lost and Id have to give credits to the actors who played a part in the film like Stanley Tucci who rocked the role of Mr. D., the god of wine, and Nathan Fillion as Hermes, the god of speed. And what I really loved about the film is that they did not take out the last part of the book where Thalia was resurrected through the help of the Golden Fleece, which made sure that there will be another sequel to the movie. If you havent read the book yet, Id bet that you actually noticed some semblance of its elements to the Harry Potter films. Like for example, the characters of Percy, Grover and Annabeth is very much like Harry, Ron and Hermione and many others like Chiron and Dumbledore, and Snape and Mr. D. Camp Half-Blood is also very much like the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with cabins named after Greek Gods and Goddesses instead of Houses like Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Even the magical taxicab by the Gray Sisters in the film is very much like the Knight Bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But Percy Jackson is far from being a Harry Potter wannabe because the former is actually about the retelling of Greek Mythology with newer heroes in a modern setting and funny portrayal of the Gods and Goddesses which completes the awesomeness of the film. This movie would be perfect for family viewing because it portrays a very dramatic family moral value as given by the god of speed himself, Hermes who said, ...if theres one thing Ive learned over the eons, its that you cant give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.