2023 has clearly been the year of adaptations, from great to terrible, we had lots of books and games that were adapted into movies/shows. We had the year started with the amazing The Last Of Us, and since then, more bangers just keep coming up, such as The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, Twisted Metal, Poor Things, Leave The World Behind, All Of Us Strangers, The Color Purple, A Haunting In Venice, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nimona and much more! We also had some controversial ones like Five Nights At Freddy’s that might have disappointed movie fans but at least it was a treat for the fans of the games. And now, we are about to end the year with Percy Jackson And The Olympians, we’ve seen this before but in a feature film format. Would this work as a show? Let’s get deep into that.
This show is based on the novel series of the same name by Rick Riordan. The show follows the adventures of 12-year-old Percy Jackson, a modern demigod who is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Percy discovers that he has supernatural powers and that the Greek gods and monsters are real and still exist in the world. He also learns that he is accused by Zeus, the king of the gods, of stealing his master lightning bolt, which could spark a war among the gods. Percy must embark on a quest across America with his friends Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, and Grover Underwood, a satyr, to find the missing bolt and prove his innocence. Along the way, he faces many dangers and challenges from mythical creatures and evil forces.
I want to start this by saying that what I really loved about this is how this show actually felt like a TV series and not a movie that was cut in pieces like some Disney+ shows felt like… But don’t worry, Percy Jackson And The Olympians nails in everything its trying to do, it’s exciting, visually gorgeous, the sounds are great and the cast is so adorable and perfect, each character nailed with their performance but I must confess I did have my complains in some acting moments, but we’ll get there.
The characters is what I must start with, Walker Scobell delivers an incredible performance as Percy Jackson and I just know this actor has such a great future awaiting for him. He’s charismatic and will win people over easily. My only complain about Scobell, based on the first 2 episodes, was the way he reacts to someone’s major death (if you read the books, the. you know what death I’m talking about but I won’t mention here to avoid spoilers for newcomers). He just seemed to not care or get over so easily, I’d be desperate if I was him, specially in that age, I’d just be sobbing. Aryan Simhadri embodies Grove perfectly, he is (by far) my favorite character so far, from the acting to the well scripted development and personality. Aryan nailed it. We don’t get to see a lot of Leah Jeffries’ Annabeth but as of right now I’m loving her character too.
It’s impossible to not mention the amazing, incredible, jaw-dropping cinematography and CGI this series has. It feels so refreshing specially when comparing the CGI of some other higher budgeted TV series… Just trust me, if you’re a fan of Percy Jackson, this is the best treat you could ever get and if you never heard of the character, well then you’re about to start loving a new franchise.
The series does not escape from having issues, the way Percy reacts to a major death had a big negative impact on my review but it didn’t change the fact that I loved this show. The soundtrack is amusing yet not innovative. Another thing that bothered me was how they introduced so much details so quickly, don’t get me wrong, fans of the books don’t even need that information but I think that people that never watched or read anything from this story will be overwhelmed with so many information they try to throw at you all at once during the first episode. I feel like this show has so much potential and this first 2 episodes is just a little glimpse of what’s to come. Make sure to read Christopher Mills’ review for Episode 3 coming soon!
We can definitely say that we’re ending the year with a bang! Percy Jackson And The Olympians absolutely captures the essence of the books. It’s a show that truly excels with its incredible cast and stunning cinematography that will leave you in awe. It’s an absolute treat for both longtime fans and those new to the series.
Percy Jackson And The Olympians premieres on Disney+ on December 20
