Percy Jackson and The Olympians Review: Walker Scobell's Disney+ Series is a Serviceable Reboot With Promising Character Subplots (LatestLY Exclusive)

Percy Jackson and The Olympians Review: Fair disclaimer - I have never read any of the Percy Jackson books, though I have seen the movie adaptations, which starred Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario. The first one - Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - was a decent film, the sequel - Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters - not so much. Now, the book series is getting the OTT treatment, with what I want to believe is age-appropriate casting (with the hope that they don't look like adults playing teens in future seasons if renewed). I have seen the first couple of episodes of Percy Jackson and The Olympians, and while it gives more of a déjà vu feeling, a promise of expanding character subplots does give hope that the show may get better ahead. Percy Jackson Author Rick Riordan Slams the Film Adaptation by Calling It a ‘Mess’.

For those who are unaware of the plot, young Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) is a demigod, named after Perseus, a mythical demigod in Greek mythology. The thing is, when we meet him, Percy doesn't know he is a demigod yet. He doesn't know his father, and his loving mother (Virginia Kull) regales him with tales of gods and monsters. Percy keeps seeing imaginary creatures, or 'imaginary' is what he is told, which makes him an outcast at school, with only one boy, Grover (Aryan Simhadri), who remains friends with him. However, on a school trip at a museum, Percy not only realises his hallucinations are real but also learns some life-truths about himself, which lands him at Camp Half-Blood, but at a huge cost.

Watch the Trailer of Percy Jackson and The Olympians:

The first episode was pretty decent, nothing new for those who have watched the first Percy Jackson film, except for some minor changes here and there. I did like how they have toned down the character of Grover and made the series include how Percy feels about the 'betrayal' of his friend. And yes, seeing a Minotaur in underwear felt whimsical, which also creates a tonal issue when the sight of the big bull in white undies makes for a funny visual but not in a scene where we should be worried about the characters.

The second episode introduces us to Camp Blood and to other key demigod kids like Luke (Charlie Bushnell) and the third protagonist Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries). Things certainly get a bit more interesting here. The series treatment does allow exploration of more character arcs apart from Percy, which the movies don't have the bandwidth to do (which is why the proposed Harry Potter TV series still feels like an enticing idea if done right).

Be it Grover's Cloven family or the connection between Luke and Annabeth, Percy Jackson and the Olympians establishes interesting subplots with hopefully better payoffs. It's also good that the show has kept away the gods for now, building them up for a hopefully better show-off. 'Hopefully' is the key word. And yes, the kids are alright, each actor looking apt for their role. Percy Jackson Star Logan Lerman Gets Engaged to Long-Term Girlfriend Ana Corrigan, Shares Pics On Instagram.

Yet, it is not easy to dismiss the feeling that Percy Jackson and The Olympians hasn't yet validated its reason for existence, apart from Disney's persistent efforts to expand its existent IP. To depend on the future episodes to pull the hare out of the hat is not exactly a great idea if you want to make a good first impression. Maybe the show would appeal to the younger audiences who haven't watched the movies, and just read the books. This writer is still to be impressed, though.

Final Thoughts

Percy Jackson and The Olympians embarks on a familiar journey for those acquainted with the film adaptations but promises potential improvements and fresh character subplots in the first two episodes. It's more of a wait and watch situation right now, but hopefully, the ride gets better. Percy Jackson and The Olympians is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from December 20, 2023.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 14, 2023 10:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).