Many have come to acknowledge Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians as one of the most iconic young-adult literary series of the past two decades. Accordingly, the release of the long-anticipated Disney+ series adaptation had gargantuan boots to fill.
The series follows Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), Annabeth Chase (Leah Jeffries) and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri) on their urgent quest to return the lightning bolt of Zeus, the Greek god of the sky, while overcoming numerous trials and encounters with mythical creatures.
12-year-old Percy Jackson, the protagonist of the story, finds out he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon after he is attacked by his algebra teacher, who is a disguised Fury, a Greek goddess of vengeance. The show uses plotlines and characters from Greek mythology and incorporates them into a modern setting.
A common issue that arises with film adaptations is their integrity to the novels. Due to Riordan’s involvement with production, the series has mostly stayed true to its source, but fans are still quick to point out any differences.
For example, unlike in the book series, the show eliminates the scene where Grover sacrifices himself to save Percy’s mom. Ryan Unsworth (V) explains why this change is a missed opportunity, saying, “It gives us a lot about Grover’s character and helps us get more attached to him.”
Despite these changes, many aspects of the original book have remained intact. Drawing comparisons with the 2010 movie Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the first adaptation of the books, some feel the show did a much better job at maintaining certain parts of the original storyline. “It has a lot more accuracy,” Luna Aguirre (VI) finds, “It has more of the smaller details from the book.”
Although the audience’s responses have been fairly positive, it’s clear that one of the most prominent flaws of the show is the pacing. Of course, it’s important to note that fitting a nearly 400-page book into just eight episodes, each under 50 minutes, is an enormous task. Still, the show could have incorporated more plot and character development.
Mack Losi (V) comments, “I feel like they are hurrying a lot of [the plot] and not stretching it as much as it should be. It feels as if the characters aren’t as fleshed out as [they are] in the books.”
Some online community discussions of the series have had conversations on the casting for the character Annabeth Chase, who is an African American in the TV series, but described as a Caucasian in the books. Fans of Percy Jackson hold divided opinions on this departure from the books. Some have taken to the internet to express their dislike of the change, sending hate towards the actress. Despite this, many fans have welcomed the casting decision, and admire the actress for her incredible performance in the show.
Boston Latin School Latin teacher Ms. Elizabeth Moguel says, “I think [Leah Jeffries] is great. I think they’ve characterized her really well and that that actress is doing a great job, [portraying] her intelligence and battle strategy.”
In many ways, the show has proven to be worth the wait. Percy Jackson, despite its minor inaccuracies and deviations, is filled with many humorous scenes, references to Greek mythology and interesting special effects. It is an all-around entertaining film and is highly recommended for both dedicated fans and first-time viewers. In our books, this adaptation was a success.