Note: This review is based on the first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
A new adaptation of Rick Riordan's popular YA fantasy series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, is here. Disney+ will premiere the first two episodes on December 20.
But is it better than the 2010 and 2013 adaptations with Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, and Brandon T. Jackson? In many ways, yes. The new, younger cast including Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, respectively, are an endearing bunch that all play the parts well.
Those films did have their flaws — I doubt many remember the Sea of Monsters film — but that cast means a lot to fans of the films. It remains to be seen if Skobell, Jeffries, and Simhadri will be able to capture that magic again. Perhaps those films were lightning in a bottle, at least in that regard.
But the transition from a feature film model (which gives you around 120 minutes to adapt a novel) to a TV series (which gives you several episodes) generally does wonders for the latest Riordan adaptation. It's not without its faults, as the first couple of episodes take some time to find their footing, but sets up a promising subsequent six episodes in the process.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Episodes 1 & 2 review
We know that Percy is not like other kids. He's bullied in school and seen as an outsider. Upon a trip to the Met, Percy is expelled for a strange incident and his mother attempts to take him upstate. For the sake of spoilers, I'll keep it brief. If you are a fan of the book, you're likely aware of where this heads.
He eventually arrives at Camp Half-Blood where he meets others just like him. This change still throws challenges at Percy, as not everyone is the biggest fan of him.
The new cast
As noted, Scobell leads the way as Percy Jackson. He first showed off his acting chops in The Adam Project when he starred alongside big hitters like Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Garner, and Mark Ruffalo. He steps up to the plate in Percy Jackson and is a rootable hero — which is what you expect from the role.
We don't get as much of Jeffries and Simhadri in the premiere episodes, but the limited screen time they share does promise good things are yet to come.
And yet, there is something missing from this new Percy Jackson series. They decided to cast younger actors to fit the ages of the characters more appropriately and give the show longevity, which is fair, but the cast from the films had an undeniable charm. Perhaps as the first season goes on the new group will come into their own in the same way.
I think that the first two episodes are just limiting, especially given that the first episode largely stays in New York — something the film only spends about 15 minutes on at most.
A faithful adaptation
The same goes for the story. Once again, it was a great idea to split the Lightning Thief into a full season. This allows for a full exploration of the source material. It also keeps viewers wanting more after each episode ends.
And to be fair, from what the now-22-year-old me remembers of The Lightning Thief's story, Disney+'s series is mostly faithful. It hits the same beats that I remember reading in my early pre-teen years and is clearly taking its time getting to the meat and potatoes of the story.
A lot of groundwork is established in the premiere episodes. It's a blessing and a curse. Yes, it allows viewers to become accustomed to this version of Percy Jackson. At the same point, the lack of Camp Half-Blood and its campers leaves the first couple of episodes a bit flat.
Because the reality of it is: people care about Percy's journey. The capture the flag sequence in the film was a lone highlight in an otherwise trashy film (in hindsight). Even when at the camp, there is an eerie emptiness that even the films handled better.
And overall, the aesthetic of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a bit off. There's no pop or pizzazz in its color palette. It's a rather bland-looking show for the most part, with some sequences at Camp Half-Blood being an exception. But even then, it's widely held back with darker tones that make the show look as bland as those newly remodeled fast-food chains that turn to grey colors.
But once the action does begin going down, capture the flag does eventually happen, and credit should be given to the stunt coordinators. The sword fights are a little over-edited, as expected with most blockbuster projects these days, but the choreography is great. Actors like Scobell and Dior Goodjohn — who plays Clarisse — hold their own in these sequences.
Should you stream Percy Jackson and the Olympians?
There's a lot to like about Disney+'s adaptation. The first two episodes are a bit uneven — the first episode is a bit of a chore — but the new cast does a nice job in their roles. It provides a spark that you can only hope turns into a full fire in future episodes.
The real meat of The Lightning Thief's story is yet to come. So the premiere episodes did what they set out to do: set up the rest of the story.
But there are still six episodes to go. We'll see if they can bring this Percy Jackson story home or if The Lightning Thief film caught lightning in a bottle over a decade ago.
Grade: B-
Percy Jackson and the Olympians will premiere on December 20 on Disney+.
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