When I first saw that another adaptation of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians was headed to Disney Plus, I wasn’t particularly hopeful. In the age of streaming, everything feels like a crapshoot.
Will this be a faithful and loving adaptation of the source material or will it twist the original into something unrecognizable but full of trendy messaging? Will it be a quality series or film with attention to detail, smart casting and a budget, or will it be a cheap cash-grab, quickly cancelled? Toss a coin and find out!
With Disney, my mistrust has only grown over recent years. As a huge fan of the 80s fantasy movie Willow, I was through the roof when I learned of the TV series, especially since Warwick Davis was reprising his titular role. But the show we got felt nothing at all like the movie, and it was not only quickly cancelled, but taken off Disney+ entirely as a tax write-off—banished, Bavmorda-style, to the Netherworld.
A Brief Note On My Approach
Before we go further, I have a confession to make. Despite being an avid reader of YA fantasy my entire life (from Narnia to Prydain to Earthsea to Hogwarts and so many more) I never read any of the Percy Jackson books. Nor did I watch the movies (and so the first time I recall seeing Alexandra Daddario was in White Lotus on HBO). I come to this series blind.
I enjoy reviewing shows and films both ways. For Game Of Thrones, I came in as a book reader and could quickly point out every small change and assess whether or not they worked (and they worked quite well right up until they didn’t).
Forbes VettedFor You
For The Walking Dead, I reviewed every season without ever reading a single comic. I like to mix it up. Sometimes it’s great to be able to compare. Other times, it’s useful to see if a show or film can work for audiences who have never interacted with the source material.
With The Wheel Of Time on Amazon, I’ve read some (but not all) of the books, and so I straddle both sides of the equation. Fundamentally, as a critic I believe two things about adaptations: They should be as faithful as humanly possible to the source material and they should be completely accessible for newcomers. Striking that balance can be challenging and you can’t please everyone.
For Percy Jackson, I come in blind and can only critique the show on its own merits and not based on its fidelity to Riordan’s text. I have heard from many fans of the series, however, that it is a much more faithful adaptation than the films (which the author himself derided back in the day) which is obviously wonderful to hear. The recent trend has been to completely bastardize the source material (ahem, The Witcher) rather than pay tribute to it. Obviously changes from text to screen have to take place, but these should only be when the medium demands it.
Review
Percy Jackson and the Olympians opens with a two-part premiere. "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher" is the clever and descriptive title of the first episode; "I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom" is the second.
In the first episode, the table is set. Percy Jackson, we learn, is no ordinary boy. Jackson, played by Walker Scobell, is supposedly a 12-year-old though he looks, talks and in all ways appears to be a 14-year-old (Scobell’s actual age). This is one of two quibbles I have with the show at this point. As a parent of a 13-year-old boy, the difference between 12 and 14 is actually rather massive, and I’d have just preferred them to take the liberty here and have him be 14.
My second quibble is that the first episode feels rushed. Again, these are minor complaints, not damning critiques. In the first episode, Percy and his class are on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He’s given a pen that’s actually a magical sword called Riptide (the first of several clues as to Percy’s true identity) and soon discovers he also has magical powers, pushing a girl bully into a fountain with some kind of telekinesis. (All the main bullies in this show are girls so far).
Suddenly, the algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds, tackles him to the ground, transforming into a hideous monster—a Fury sent by Hades, and just the first monster to come after the boy—but he manages to free himself with the help of Riptide. Nobody can recall seeing the monster and Percy’s Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner (Glynn Turman) who gave Percy the pen, says that nobody by the name Mrs. Dodds was ever there.
Later, Percy’s best friend, Grover (Aryan Simhadri) throws him under the bus, telling the school administration that Percy attacked the girl, leading to his expulsion from the fancy boarding school.
When he returns home, his mother Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull) realizes what’s happened and takes him on a drive. She reveals his true identity, but he refuses to believe her until Grover shows up—with cloven hooves instead of feet. Grover, we learn, is a satyr and was serving as Percy’s protector. Sally takes them both to a magical boundary, telling Percy that once across he’ll be safe from the monsters. Alas, as he and Grover make their way to safety, a minotaur appears and attacks Sally, though when he “kills” her, she vanishes into some kind of magical particles.
Furious, Percy battles the minotaur, losing his magical sword in the fight. He clambers onto the creature’s back and uses its own horn to stab it through the skull, killing it. He and Grover then cross through the mysterious barrier. On the other side, we hear a familiar voice, but the wheelchair-bound Mr. Brunner is now a centaur we later learn is Chiron.
And so the first episode ends. It’s a lot to cram into just one episode, but overall—despite feeling a bit rushed—it does the trick, introducing us to our chief protagonist and the magical world he lives in. It’s refreshing to see the adults just straight up tell the kids what the magical stakes are right off the bat. In so many YA stories, the kids either can’t tell the adults the truth or simply refuse to, and the grownups are either incompetent, clueless or spiteful.
In the second episode we’re introduced to Camp Half-Blood, a place where half-blood demigod children of the Greek gods are kept and trained, some of whom are claimed by their deity parents, others who are left orphans and join team Hermes, who takes in strays. This is where Percy lands.
He meets Mr. D, the camp director, who is actually Dionysus (Jason Mantzoukas) and befriends some of the other kids, including Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell) and Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries). He also makes instant enemies, chief among them, Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn) a daughter of Ares convinced that Percy made up the entire minotaur story.
Percy isn’t good at anything at first, though once again this segment feels a bit rushed. You aren’t supposed to be able to shoot a bow that well on your first try, after all. When he’s cornered in a bathroom by Clarisse and her goons, they try to shove him into a toilet when the water drains out of it and shoots back out as three powerful water-beams, knocking the bullies to the ground in drenched heaps. This is yet another clue as to Percy’s true father and identity. So is Luke’s story of ‘Forbidden’ demigods. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades all made a pact to no longer father half-bloods, but clearly they’ve each strayed over the years. Luke met one of Zeus’s children before he made it to the camp.
In any case, if you hadn’t gathered by this point that Percy was a spawn of Poseidon, brush up on your antiquities and Greek mythology. We discover the truth once and for all by the end of the episode, when Percy is revealed as a fierce and capable fighter even without training. He manages to fend off Clarisse and her goons in an action-packed melee during an elaborate game of Capture The Flag. When Team Hermes defeats Team Ares, and Percy manages to fend off his assailants, the mysterious girl, Annabeth—who has been watching Percy since he arrived at camp—removes her magical invisibility baseball cap and shoves Percy into the ocean.
At first he’s miffed, but then his bruises and cuts start to heal and a trident appears above his head.
After, Chiron and Mr. D task Percy with a quest. War is brewing between Zeus and Poseidon. The former has accused the latter of stealing his thunder. Well, his thunderbolt, in any case. But Chiron and Mr. D believe the true thief is Hades. They want Percy and two other demigods to go find it and prevent the war, saving the world in the process. Percy doesn’t want to go until Grover shows up and tells him that Hades almost certainly is holding Percy’s mom prisoner.
And so our quest begins.
Overall, quibbles aside, these were two very enjoyable episodes. I really like the characters and the actors. The story is pretty light and breezy and more than a little predictable, but it’s still charming and fun and filled with magic and great action and special effects. A nice musical score adds to the drama. A part of me wants to make Harry Potter comparisons, while another part thinks that’s a road that leads nowhere (or to too many other stories about Chosen Ones and boy heroes with magical powers).
Mostly, I’m just happy to have another fun fantasy show to watch and one that’s rather more on the wholesome side than the gritty. There are actually not that many family-friendly fantasy shows out there, at least not ones that are all that good, and with such massive disappointments like Willow and The Rings Of Power behind us, it’s refreshing (and more than a little surprising) to get something as fun and well-made as Percy Jackson And The Olympians.
Oh, and perhaps the highest praise I can give it as someone new to the story: It makes me want to read the books. I think I’ll have to do that as soon as I’m done with my current read, the first Cadfael mystery.
Scattered Thoughts
- Timm Sharp as Percy’s stepdad, Gabe, is great. The argument between Sally and Gabe over putting peppers on his sandwich was so funny and great. Honestly one of my favorite moments in the whole show. He’s a deadbeat and a loser, clearly, but their argument—with her not backing down and him repeating “I said please!”—was hilarious. (I know that book-Gabe is far worse and fans have many opinions about this, but I can see why they’d tone him down for a kid show on Disney).
- A lot of shows these days have dark scenes that are hard to see. Even movies seem to have trouble lighting dark scenes. Kudos to Percy Jackson’s production team and cinematographer for getting this right. I like nighttime scenes where I can still see the characters and action.
- When I say this is fun for the whole family, I mean it’s obviously geared toward kids and the YA crowd, but fantasy-loving grownups like me—who haven’t become totally disenchanted and jaded yet—should find lots to enjoy here as well, even if you haven’t read the books.
- Another quibble: The acting, especially for the younger actors, is a bit hit-or-miss, especially in more dramatic moments like when the minotaur kills Sally. Also, it’s kind of weird how quickly everyone seems to just get over that small detail as though grief simply doesn’t exist in this universe. As for the acting, I’m giving it time. Sometimes you have to warm up to a role, and I give kids a bit of an extra allowance in this regard (except for the kids on Fear The Walking Dead).
- I eagerly await the day when Jason Mantzoukas plays some character other than Jason Mantzoukas. That is all.
What did you think of the show so far? Are you new to the story or do you come from the books? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.
