Percy Jackson Series Review
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series has sold more than 180 million copies. It was widely popular among middle schoolers when it was published. It was even the novel that sixth graders studied at the beginning of the school year at Darnell-Cookman. Many were excited to watch the movie remake of the series, but it turned out to be a big disappointment for the fans of the series. The movie was like a different story when compared to the books.
After many requests from fans, Disney decided to turn it into a series. The first season, which depicts the first book, Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief, aired on December 20 with a 2-episode premiere and finished its eight episodes in late January. This time the author, Rick Riordan, has taken part in writing the show. Fans were excited to see that it was more accurate to the book than the movies and it incorporated some of their favorite moments from the book.
Plot:
Percy finds out that he is a half-blood/demigod and needs to go on a quest to retrieve the stolen lightning bolt that belongs to Zeus to resolve a feud between Zeus and Poseidon. It is believed that Hades stole it. Percy takes Grover and Annabeth with him on the quest. They encounter many challenges and must overcome them including meeting Ares. They go to the Underworld to retrieve the bolt, but they find out that Hades didn’t steal it and his Helm of Darkness also went missing. They figure out that Ares was the one who stole it. They retrieve both missing items and return them. At the end, Percy learns that Luke and Kronos (the older gods’ father) have been behind the whole thing.
The show covers most of the plot from the books, which is surprising because it can be hard to convert a book into a short show.
Characters:
Percy – He has to go through a lot as the main character of the show. I feel like he perfectly depicts the character of a young boy having to accept a new world so quickly and finally feeling like he belongs.
Grover – He provides humor to the series, emotional support to Percy, and depicts the character from the book perfectly.
Annabeth – Her relationship with Percy does not get better as quickly in the books but I think that is more realistic and adds more to the theme of earning trust, which the show strongly emphasizes. She perfectly depicts the strong and smart character of Annabeth from the books.
Luke – In the beginning, he is one of the first people Percy trusts. This makes the shock of the revelation of him being one of the villains even greater. He perfectly depicts a brotherly figure to Annabeth and Percy.
Sally Jackson and Smelly Gabe – In the book, Sally is in an abusive relationship with Gabe, which made the audience sympathize with her. But in the show, Gabe is not abusive, in fact Sally seems to be the one to have more control in their house. This makes the essential scene for Sally in which she uses the Medusa head to turn him into stone not as satisfying. It is also not mentioned that Sally was with him for Percy’s sake.
The Gods – They are more included in the show than the books and it takes longer for Percy to finally accept and trust them. Again, this is more realistic and adds more to the theme of earning trust, which the show strongly emphasizes.
The monsters/villains – The CGI was good for fictional monsters and the villains were developed well throughout the show.
From the Book to the Screen:
The action scenes in the show are not as exciting as they should be.
Some of the essential scenes that develop characters in the book seem rushed.
In the book, when Percy faces challenges the audience also unravels the mysteries and traps with him, but in the show the characters all seem like they are aware of the traps, which removes most of the suspense from the show.
Although remakes of books are never accurate and truly satisfying, this series gave new perspectives that weren’t in the book while including the most memorable and enjoyable scenes from the book.
Is it worth watching?
Overall, it seems like a good show for younger kids and maybe pre-teens who’ve read the books. Watching this show brings the same feelings as reading books. Turning this into a show allows a newer generation to be introduced to this story. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was renewed to cover the whole book series.
If you enjoyed reading the books, then you will enjoy watching the show. The show simplifies the book so younger kids can enjoy it, so I can’t see middle schoolers and teens watching this show and enjoying it without already reading the books.
