A sea of convoluted mythological mess. After the events of the first film, Percy is now living like any other demigod in Camp Half-Blood. However, nothing stays normal for so long in the world Percy lives in. He finds out he has a cyclops for a half-brother named Tyson, whom he has difficulty accepting at first. But that's the least of his troubles as the camp finds itself vulnerable after the magical tree protecting it has been poisoned. Percy, together with Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson, must embark on a quest to find the Golden Fleece that has the power to heal Thalia's poisoned tree. Along the way, they will cross paths with an old foe and face an ancient enemy that only the gods themselves defeated a long time ago. Those who read the novel will definitely hate this film adaptation. Having read the book as well, I have noticed how the film took a different path in telling the story. To be fair, I understand why the film deviated from the original story since Rick Riordan's novel is not exactly 'film-adaptation-friendly.' The book has too much going on that if the film follows it, it would most probably be five hours long. So the main concern is, how will the writers be able to make the film interesting and somewhat faithful to the story of the novel at the same time? Whatever answer they came up with this question is definitely the wrong one. Sea of Monsters suffers from losing a sense of direction halfway through the movie. It does not know its destination. It's lost in a sea of disoriented and unwanted ideas. It has too much going on that it almost did not make any sense. One difference from the novel and the film is that the former manages to make sense despite having lots of ideas and story arcs. The film tries to incorporate the same technique but it only results to the lack the creativity and depth to entertain the audience. There was nothing mythical and magical about the film and no matter how much CGI they use, it wouldn't save it even if its life depended on it. The ending was very anticlimactic as well, not to mention illogical. How is one demigod supposed to beat an ancient titan that took three Olympian gods to defeat before? But of course, the film finds a way. The characters are not exactly the smartest out there. When faced with a decision to make, they choose the dumbest option which would eventually lead to the dumbest result. The movie is not as funny as it thinks it is. Often times I would just sit with a poker face whenever they would deliver a punch line. The CGI isn't the most impressive either. There is only one scene in the entire movie where I find the use of CGI very effective. It was during the time where the Oracle of Delphi was telling Percy the history of the Titan War. It was presented creatively by using the stained glass as an inspiration. Other than that particular scene, the rest were either mediocre or a failure. In conclusion, the film is one hot mess that will only exhaust and drain your energy until it ends. It may probably entertain a few people below ages 12 but if you're older and you know better, then the film is definitely a disappointment. Rating: 1/5
Blue Sky Studio's latest animated film is sure to bring in not only children but also adults who are kid at hearts as well. Children would most probably enjoy the fantasy animated film while the adults might mostly appreciate the animation.
Epic is about a young teenage girl named M.K. (short for Mary Katherine) who reluctantly spends time with his estranged father who is obsessed with the existence of tiny creatures in the forest. Things between the two of them don't go smoothly as planned which causes M.K. to try leaving him for good, but that plan doesn't go smoothly either since she soon finds herself in the secret world of the leafmen, protectors of the forest. She must now go on an adventure to save the forest from those who try to destroy it while learning valuable lessons along the way.
One aspect of the film worth praising is its great animation. The design and the intricate details make the movie vibrant and pleasing to the eyes without crossing the point of exaggeration and headaches. The setting of the movie would make your imagination go wild of how much possibilities and adventures can be done in a vast forest despite being very tiny.
As for the characters, they are actually quite amusing. Each character has his/her own distinct personality that would make them memorable. However, the characterization is not as perfect as it seems. What makes an animated film successful to both children and adults is how well the character develops. A very common factor in animated films is a protagonist who is barely desirable at the start but would develop throughout the film and come out stronger, more memorable and someone that the kids can actually look up to. The protagonist must grow and must be able to inspire his/her viewers, especially the children. Sadly, the film wasn't able to do so. Two of the protagonist in the movie had very fast transition form their old self to their new one. By the end of the movie, it was as if a change did not happen at all. Other supporting characters were no different and suffered the same fate of the mediocre characterization.
Another miss for the film is the fact that there's too much going on to the point of complexity and plot holes. Not to mention, the fact that you would remind yourself that what you just watched was only a children's movie makes it more frustrating. There are too many ideas floating around that it's a pity that they were ignored and weren't explored further. They should have been better left out or better yet, simplified.
Nonetheless, the film did bring out good laughs from the audience but it could have been funnier. A few lines were a miss but most of them are worth a laugh. The voice acting was well done and mostly believable. There are plenty of famous names who contributed their voice for the movie like Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, and even Beyonce that sometimes, I couldn't take it seriously knowing it's them speaking, but they all did a good job and that's all that matters.
Basically Epic is worth watching but don't expect to be blown away like you would be when watching a Pixar film. If ever they do make a sequel, which I think they will, they should improve on their characters and need to put more inspiration to gain the approval of both children and adults alike.
So I just watched Rise of the Guardians in 3D earlier and to get straight to the point I was not super satisfied. I liked it no doubt but I guess I expected too much again. I've seen the trailer of the movie last month and I told myself I had to see it because it would be awesome. Well, there was some awe but not much.
Let me break it down to you guys why the movie didn't meet my expectations: 1. Unexplored Story line We have a protagonist who has a mysterious past and is reluctant to become a hero but turns out to be the only one who could stop the villain. Heard something like that before? Me too, lots and lots of times. Simple in other words. It didn't give me goosebumps which is what I actually look for in animated movies T_T 2. Villain not evil enough Pitch (the villain's name) is actually scary in some parts but he isn't consistent with what he is showing to the audience. Maybe it was done in purpose but it just didn't work for me. 3. Pacing is a bit complicated First the movie goes to the conflict quite fast not bothering to build tension and when it does, it (tension) fades away quickly. Not to mention, there's too much going on from one scene to another, but this is a more tolerable criticism. 4. Poor Characterization I do appreciate how they redesigned the guardians but the movie didn't seem to give it much importance and instead focused on the animation.
But the movie wasn't all bad, as a matter of fact I might even list down a lot more good comments than the bad ones. 1. Great Family Film Santa, Toothfairy, Easter Bunny, and the Sandman in one movie, how could children not want to watch it? 2. Impressive Visuals The effects and the animation were awesome and this can be seen through out the movie especially whenever the guardians make use of their powers. 3. Creative Redesigning of the Guardians Never would I have thought that Santa is so bad ass, Jack Frost is young and good looking, the Easter Bunny to be surprisingly tall, the Sandman is cute, and the Toothfairy to be super bubbly. 4. Talented Voice Actors and Actresses Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law and others (no offense to them) all did a good job giving life to their characters. 5. Heartwarming Morals Believe in yourself, that's the most important moral that I learned watching the movie. There are a lot more but I think the one I mentioned was the most important.
So would I recommend you guys watching it? Of course I do. I'm pretty sure you'll like it. AGAIN the reason why my review is inclined to the negative side is because I EXPECTED TOO MUCH from it so I got disappointed. Nevertheless, it's actually a good movie. Its funny but not too much, I actually found the trailer to be funnier. -_-
So watch it and leave your insights about the movie below in the comments :)) Rating: 3/5
