Although the Percy Jackson and the Olympians movies that were released in the 2010s had their fair share of issues, they weren’t without redeeming qualities. Ten years ago the Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters movie was released. Last year to commemorate the ninth anniversary we broke down 5 Times The Sea of Monsters Movie Stayed True to the Book. This time to spin things around, we will discuss six times the movie surprised us. Whether it be true to the book or not, there are many moments in this movie I look forward to with every rewatch.
Opening Sequence – Fall Out Boy
While not accurate to how The Sea of Monsters book beings, the movie starts with a kind of rock climbing competition where the first camper to reach the top and grab the flag wins. At this point, Percy is already at camp instead of at his new school. While not anything like the book, we are finally introduced to Clarisse La Rue in this scene, someone who becomes very integral to this story as well as the rest of the series. This action-packed scene combined with the fact that Fall Out Boy’s My Songs Know What You Did in The Dark playing in the background, makes it one of the most enjoyable and rewatchable moments in the entire movie.
Percy and Tyson
Something I have always loved about The Sea of Monsters is Percy and his relationship with his newfound half-brother Tyson. Siblings in the world of Camp Half-blood are often a big deal, with children of the same god often seeing each other as true family despite there being many of them. So when Percy, who thought he was the only living child of Posiden, finds he has a brother, he is standoffish at first. But by the end of the story, he feels like any other demigod and comes to think of Tyson as a brother, something that never changes throughout all of the Percy Jackson Universe works. The movie does a wonderful job of conveying this with actors Logan Lerman and Douglas Smith.
The Hippocampus
In the book, Posiden, Percy and Tyson’s father send them two Hippocampi, half-horse half-fish, to take them across the water to Luke’s ship. In the book, Tyson befriends one of them and names it Rainbow. In the movie, only one hippocampus is sent, and unfortunately, while Tyson still befriends him, he is never given a name. Despite this, in the movie, the creature is colorful, holographic, and a great representation of how we visualize it in the book. It’s a very magical moment in both the book and the movie.
Don’t Walk On My Roof
Both Percy Jackson movies have a spot-on sense of humor. My favorite scene from the whole second film is while escaping Lukes’s ship, Princess Andromeda, Percy ends up on the roof of the ship. For a moment, the fast-paced music stops, and we get a zoom-in on Luke where he says very dryly, “What are you doing? Don’t walk on my roof.” I find his very matter-of-fact tone and how the entire battle paused for this, to be a very amusing and welcome interruption from all the action going on in this scene.
Grover Pretending to be a Cyclops
Another very funny aspect of both the film and the book is when Grover is held hostage by the Cyclops Polyphemus. Polyphemus, however, is partially blind, so to hide in plain sight, Grover is able to disguise himself as a female Cyclops. When the group finally finds him, he is wearing a single fake eye as well as a wedding dress. To an audience of kids, this was something that was very amusing and lighthearted, which made the film all the more enjoyable.
Stained Glass Prophecy
Another moment from The Sea of Monsters movie that I love is when the prophecy is finally presented to Percy by the oracle of Delphi. Delphi narrates the story of Kronos and his three sons, while visually, the story is told with animated stained glass. It is very reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, when the story of The Tale of the Three Brothers is told through shadow art and narrated by Hermione. For a moment, we are pulled away from the main story to be told a different short story using a new medium. Eventually, you forget about the original story until you are brought back into it.
While both Percy Jackson movies are a far cry from book accurate, as stand-alone films they are very well done. The story they chose to tell is enjoyable. It has good relationships, characters, humor, action, and visuals and I always appreciate watching them more than I think I will. I can’t say I’m not looking forward to the Disney+ TV series soon to hit our screens but I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for the film adaptations.
To read our favorite moments from The Lightning Theif film, click here!