By: Kavodi Kulunumini
January 21, Colombo (LNW): As a die-hard fan of the novel it feels like a crime if the new series is left unviewed and unwatched. And this is the review.
First of all this is not the first silver screen adaptation done of the famous ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ series; the New York Times bestselling fiction. The first adaptation with Logan Lerman portraying ‘Percy Jackson’, Alexandra Daddario playing ‘Annabeth Chase’ and Brandon T. Jackson taking on the role of ‘Grover Underwood’, the series was anticipated but at the same time criticized as the original hero is only 12 years of age in the actual fiction. But still with Chris Columbus partnering with Direction of the movie, it had a semblance of hope.
Nonetheless of the stellar cast and direction, the movies, both of them, the first one (2010) based loosely on (and using the term ‘loosely’ very lightly here) The Lighting Thief, the first book of the series and the second one (2013) based again loosely on ‘The Sea of Monsters’, the audience had inherently negative reaction which largely transpired due to how unfaithful the adaptation was to the adored fiction.
As a fan myself the movies despite some iconic moments and potential chemistry was disappointing. The mass audience reaction was much the same rating far less than average, even half of the supposed reception, the first one scoring 49% and the second one scoring 42% on Rotten Tomatoes after viewer’s voting and 47 and 39 on Metacritic respectively. It is safe to say the adaptation was not well received. Even the author of the series, Rick Riordan referred to as ‘Uncle Rick’ by the fandom unanimously has expressed his displeasure and disappointment of the adaptations on how they have deviated from the books specially in the second adaptation where they have ‘loosely’ merged the plots of the second and the fifth books and introducing the main villain way earlier than the actual fictional account. He also criticized how the production didn’t take much care for his role as the author of the series and how his opinions were largely limited and the input was not received. All in all the films despite the passable acting and special features were flops.
Thus, when this new anticipation of the ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ TV series hosted by Disney Plus and having Rick Riordan in the writing unit, the fandom was in cahoots. Although the initial casting received some backslash on how the characters haven’t stayed true to their specific racial identities it was soon subdued by the hype and the excitement.
The new series has casted Walker Scobell who rose to fame with ‘Adam Project’ starring side by side Ryan Reynolds in the titular role of ‘Percy Jackson’, Leah Sava Jefferies as ‘Annabeth Chase’ and Aryan Simhadri as ‘Grover Underwood’. After special cast interviews the fandom collectively lost their minds at how similar the trio were to their characters’ personalities.
The initial backlash was also soon forgotten and the first two episodes of the series titled “I Accidentally vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher” and “I become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom” was met with such massive hype after its premiere on 19th of December 2023. Especially given the fact that the episodes even stayed true to the chapter names in the actual fiction.
The trio of main cast were also avid fans of the book series and were true to the ages of the characters they portray which probably helped the production to be as accurate and authentic as it could possibly be minus few changes.
The entirety of the first season based on the first book of the novel consists of 08 episodes, 06 of which is already aired and received positive reviews from critics, who largely praised its faithfulness to the source material, the worldbuilding and the performances of the cast. Especially how young the main cast is they have managed to keep the viewers on their toes and gained the adoration of the most of the fandom at how they could act miles among big names such as Jessica Parker, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullaby, Glynn Turmann, Virginia Kull, Suzanne Cryer, Adam Copeland and Lin Manuel Miranda. The stellar supporting cast as well as the brilliant new talents introduced such as Dior Goodjohn and Charlie Bushnell among the campers of ‘Camp Half Blood’ the series was definitely off to a successful start.
As of now, the TV series maintains a faithful viewer base and 96% rating in Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 7.4/10. Within the first six days alone, the series had 13.3 million viewers on Disney and Hulu platforms.
As a viewer, the series has an exceptional cast, each tapping into their characters with almost flawless accuracy, and phenomenal worldbuilding. The much fantasized places in the series, especially Camp Half-Blood was given the attention and accuracy of every readers’ imagination. Although it does at sometimes varies slightly from the book, the plot remains in a consistent arc of going higher and higher. The changes that had been made had not taken anything from the story that is being narrated but had instead add on to specific themes that TV series is actively promoting and the new changes had been exciting so far. But simultaneously the show still retain the spirit and the core essentials of the fiction. The heart of the PJO universe is very much intact.
Another thing that stood out was how the journey of Percy is shown in the show. To read it and imagine it within 377 pages is comparatively easier than putting it on screen for less than an hour per eight episodes. Each element can’t obviously be included. But the show has given such a thriving storytelling where the most anticipated moments and more is given in perfection. The character building is also quite fantastic in the show, perhaps if I dare say better than the book itself in some aspects. Especially in the case of Grover who inhibits the typical role of the best friend. The show has added more depth and analysis to the already awesomely written character and Aryan plays it like a professional.
Considering Percy and Annabeth as well, their dynamic is something that is infamous within the fandom and perhaps one of the most needed aspects of the book for the viewing audience. Walker and Leah although young retain their hilarious, heart-touching dynamic and their potentiality of a future together in a magnificent way.
All in all the new series so far is crushing it out there giving the fandom what they wanted for over a decade in its accuracy and glory. Given the positive reception it is easier to say that the series is worth the watch and as a fan myself I will say that you will not be disappointed.
