The good, bad and ugly from the Disney+ series (Spoiler free!)
With the finale episode of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series releasing at the end of January, I have had the time to process and organize all of my thoughts and feelings about the show. As a huge fan of the books growing up, I had high expectations for the show. Although I was setting the bar high for the Disney adaptation, I was also aware that almost anything was going to be a step up from the original movies.
Although Logan Lerman is fantastic, the movies were not at all true to the original story. When the casting was released for Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri and Leah Jeffries, I felt that the show was already taking an important step in the right direction. As I continue with this review, I would like one thing to be clearly stated: I loved the casting and the acting of the trio throughout the series. This was the best takeaway for me overall.
Now, to get into the bones of it. My biggest and most important issue with the show was a very basic one. They absolutely refused to show and not tell. From the very first episode, dialogue for characters was overwhelmed by explanations of basic plot and mythology that they could have portrayed very easily otherwise. In a fairly large character deviation, Percy seemed to have a massive knowledge of Greek mythology and the villains in the series. Although I did appreciate that this change came from their more complex integration of Sally’s character, I felt it took away from some of the fun and mysterious moments of the book.
This change, paired with tragically short episodes, should have made the show feel quick and rushed. If anything, it did the complete opposite. The pacing was completely bizarre and inconsistent. Although the main characters were on a quest with a deadline, they almost never seemed to be motivated to complete a task. There was very little urgency. Although they stuck mostly to the key elements of the book, this pacing made the show feel drastically different.
Another of my largest issues was the gods. The gods in almost every portrayal did not ring true for me at all. To me, there were barely any scenes in which the gods acted true to their characters as written in the books. They seemed almost timid and not at all to the degree of power in which they were written. This took away from a large amount of the magic and fun that I was anticipating.
All of this negativity being said, the nostalgia alone was enough to compensate for a lot of these issues. Definitely not all of them, but most. In a more positive light, let us move on. Going back to my first comment, I loved the trio. I felt that the casting and chemistry absolutely shone and I loved the characters as much as I did at ten-years-old when first reading The Lightning Thief.
With the recent news of renewal for Season 2, I am so excited to see how the acting grows and develops with the actors and their aging. I feel that they will develop in such a fun and exciting way with the next season. I really enjoyed the way the story was told in such a realistic setting and felt the cinematography and use of CGI was very productive and tangible. I felt connected and grounded by the way a lot of the scenes were shot and constructed.
Overall, although parts of me were disappointed, I’m so excited to see how the show and the cast grow with the making and release of Season 2. These stories are so near and dear to my heart and I will truly be pleased by their reproductions solely because it is so special to see it all come to life.