Percy Jackson TV Review: Fixing Movie Flaws in the Series
The wave of adaptations for young-adult books in Hollywood faced mixed outcomes in the past, producing several lackluster movies that struggled to capture the essence of the original novels. For every successful franchise like Twilight or Harry Potter, there were disappointments such as Eragon and Golden Compass, leaving both casual viewers and devoted book enthusiasts unsatisfied. These film adaptations often failed to replicate the magic of their source material, leading to widespread disappointment among fans, exemplified by the sentiments of Christopher Paolini followers disheartened by the Eragon movie.
However, recent years have witnessed a trend of second chances for these unsuccessful adaptations. Streaming services, eager for fresh content, have revisited these IPs, opting for live-action TV series instead of feature films. Notably, the His Dark Materials TV show marked a significant improvement over the underwhelming 2007 Golden Compass film. Similarly, Disney+ is exploring a live-action Eragon series to overwrite memories of the 2006 movie’s shortcomings. Even Avatar: The Last Airbender is gearing up for redemption with a new live-action show on Netflix in 2024, seeking to rectify the missteps of the notorious 2010 M. Night Shyamalan rendition.
The cyclical nature of content production eventually turned its attention to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a popular middle-grade book series penned by Rick Riordan in 2005. The film adaptations in 2010 and 2013, starring Logan Lerman as the protagonist Percy, failed to resonate, despite Lerman’s commendable performance. The movies faced criticism for deviating from the books, irking devoted fans, and even Riordan disapproved of the adaptations, likening them to seeing his life’s work undergo a disheartening transformation.
Now, the spotlight shifts to Percy Jackson again with an extravagant eight-episode TV series debuting on Disney+ on December 20. Walker Scobell steps into the role of 12-year-old Percy, portrayed as a misfit dealing with dyslexia and ADHD while envisioning mythological creatures in his day-to-day life. His reality takes a turn when an encounter with a disguised winged fury exposes the truth behind his daydreams, thrusting him into a realm teeming with mythic beings like minotaurs and satyrs. At Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigod children, Percy learns his true identity as a demigod, setting off on a quest to clear his name after being falsely accused of stealing Zeus’s powerful lightning bolt. Accompanied by allies Grover and Annabeth, Percy navigates a perilous journey, encountering various mythological challenges along the way.