On Dec. 20, 2023, the first two episodes of Disney’s new adaptation of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series aired on both Disney+ and Hulu.
As a big fan of the Percy Jackson books, I was very excited about the release of this show. In the past, there were movie adaptations, but they strayed too far from the original storyline and fell short of the expectations of the series I had grown to love throughout middle school.
The Lighting Thief is the first book of the Percy Jackson series, which tells the story of a young demi-god son of the sea god of Greek mythology, Posideon. Percy is tasked with a quest to find a stolen lightning bolt from Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods while battling the countless mythological monsters with friends and fellow heroes Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood.
As of Jan. 2, 2024, the first four episodes have been released, and they have not disappointed. Each of the episodes is titled after the corresponding book chapter which I believe helps the show display how important the plot of the books is when recreating the stories for television. By choosing to create a series instead of attempting to make another movie adaptation, Rick Riordan, the author of the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series has been very involved in creating the show as the fans of his series wanted to include the most possible detail from the books themselves in the show.
The actors- Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood- perfectly bring to life the characters of this series in the first four episodes as they encounter and fight the monsters from Greek mythology including the Furies, the Minotaur, Medusa, Echidna, and the Chimera. The show does an excellent job showing the characters develop as they become more experienced as heroes in the real world, as well as highlighting the youth and curiosity of the character which made the books so appealing to me and many fans alike.
It was made very public to fans that Riordan would be heavily involved in every aspect of the creation of this series. His input and presence which comes through on the screen as the casting, many of the sets, and the easter eggs show how much fan input was taken to create the series. Riordan promised his fans that this adaptation would be authentic to his stories and to the world he created which is enjoyed by so many young readers.
My only criticism of the show is some slight plot discrepancies between the books and the show where I catch myself remembering certain plot points happening differently in the books than they did in the show. However, the main plot, important quotes, and overall concept are almost a perfect mirror granting me, as a fan, exactly what I had hoped for in this new adaptation of the book series.
Despite this, at the end of every 30 to 40-minute episode, I feel as though the time has flown, and I am left craving the next chapter as soon as the credits roll.
I would rate this show a 9.5 out of 10, as it has exceeded many of my expectations and successfully brought to life some of my favorite characters and stories from the books I loved so much.
As Percy Jackson is a character that returns in nine more of Rick Riordan’s books, I know that I am not the only fan who is hoping that this show and outstanding cast will continue to adapt the series to match all of the books. Until then, I will be waiting for 9 pm every Tuesday for another episode.
