When we last left Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), he had rescued his mother from the clutches of Hades and returned Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt to Mount Olympus. It was an epic quest, one that brought him and his friends Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) across the United States, down to the Underworld, and up to Mount Olympus. Now he was ready to face life as a half-mortal, son of Poseidon.
Unfortunately, since that epic quest, Percy has been having a bit of a hard time. He is constantly being beaten at events at Camp Half-Blood by newcomer Clarisse (Leven Rambin – she was Glimmer in “The Hunger Games”). Clarisse is a mean girl, but she is a good competitor. She takes great pride in always one-upping Percy and his friends.
Also new to this installment is Mr. D (or Dionysus) (Stanley Tucci – awesome, as always. He was in “The Hunger Games” too!!). Chiron is back, but instead of being played by Pierce Brosnan, he is played by Anthony Head (Giles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). Mr. D and Chiron are the voices of wisdom for the half-mortals at Camp Half-Blood.
We learn via flashbacks the origin of the magical barrier that encloses Camp Half-Blood and protects the half-mortals and their mentors. Surprisingly, one creature is able to penetrate the barrier – a Cyclops named Tyson (Douglas Smith). It turns out that Tyson is Percy’s half-brother, as he is also a son of Poseidon. Until this point, Percy thought he was the only son of Poseidon, but it seems that Poseidon had a dalliance with a wood nymph, and thus came Tyson. Tyson is a nice Cyclops. He always means well, but he’s kind of a clutz. He’s thrilled to meet Percy, but the feeling isn’t exactly mutual. Percy isn’t outright mean to Tyson, but he’s also not very brotherly.
When a giant mythological mechanical bull breaks through the protective barrier and basically wrecks the camp, it’s revealed that Luke (Jake Abel) is behind the destruction. He’s also recruited other fellow half-mortals to join his evil group. Since the barrier is dying, Annabeth discovers that there exists a magical golden fleece, which has the power to heal anything. Mr. D selects Clarisse for the quest, and she is off with another satyr to save the day.
Of course, Percy can’t just sit still, knowing that Luke is out there being evil. He also learns of a prophecy that may or may not involve him either saving or destroying Mount Olympus. So he, along with Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson set off on their own quest to find the golden fleece. Annabeth summons transportation, courtesy of the Gray Sisters (Mary Birdsong, Yvette Nicole Brown, Missi Pyle), who all share one eyeball and know about the future. After a crazy taxi ride, reminiscent of the Knight Bus from the third “Harry Potter” film, the group arrives in Washington D.C. Grover is then promptly captured by some of Luke’s goons, making this quest even more important. It seems that Luke knows where Percy and his crew are heading, and he wants the golden fleece to resurrect Kronos.
The trio then head to UPS, where Luke’s father Hermes (Nathan Fillion) is genuinely concerned for his son. He gives the group a few magical objects to help with their quest, and then they are on their way to the sea of monsters. Along the way, of course craziness ensues. It was definitely a fun ride. When the group finally makes it to the abandoned amusement park where Circe, the Cyclops who has the golden fleece, lives, things get a lot hairier.
I thought the filmmakers did a fantastic job blending ancient Greek mythology with modern times. The use of Fall Out Boy’s song “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” while the half-mortals participated in a physical endurance competition was a good choice. “Percy Jackson” is a solid fantasy flick, along the lines of the “Harry Potter” series. Since this one left it wide open, I really hope this series continues!!
