Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
2010
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Dec 14, 2023 · Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the new live-action television series based on Rick Riordan‘s popular young adult book series, tells the story of Percy (Walker Scobell), a young boy who...
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By Tyler Robertson
Updated: Dec 14, 2023 5:14 pm
Posted: Dec 14, 2023 5:00 pm
This is a spoiler-free review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which debuts on Disney+ with two episodes on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, followed by one new episode weekly.
When Disney announced it was taking a second crack at the Percy Jackson novels, fans were rightly skeptical. Riding the wave of YA-inspired features that dominated theaters in the wake of Harry Potter and Twilight, two severely abridged films based on Rick Riordan’s novels chronicling the modern-day adventures of Greek gods and demigods were released to lukewarm reception in the 2010s. (IGN’s own review of the first, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, called it “a poor-man’s Potter clone.”) But as more information about the new Disney+ Percy Jackson series came out, and with Riordan heavily involved (he’s credited as writer, creator, and executive producer alongside Jon Steinberg), hope began to muster. Having seen the first half of the first season, I’d say those hopes were warranted.
A long-form TV series allows Riordan and his collaborators to both honor the spirit and the minutiae of the novels, while adding fresh elements only this new medium could afford. The new Percy Jackson and the Olympians takes advantage of its extra runtime as best it can; eight episodes averaging around 40 minutes each lets the story of The Lightning Thief breathe, giving us time to develop relationships with the more minor characters, while also letting the audience sit with some pretty heavy themes of power, justice, and belonging. The premiere in particular does an efficient, tactful job of giving us everything we need to know about Percy (Walker Scobell), his status at school, his friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri), and his home life, before thrusting them all into a world of myth and monsters.
Titled “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher,” the premiere also establishes a visual tone that stands out throughout the first four episodes. It looks amazing: Muppets Most Wanted director James Bobin uses dramatic lighting juxtaposed against harsh shadows and a predominantly gold and blue color palette in the first episode to give the show a unique and dreamlike look that exceeds expectations set by previous Disney+ programming. Some of that is lost in subsequent episodes, but the CG, of which there is quite a bit thanks to all the magical creatures, is well done throughout. It’s only in the one-per-episode dream sequences where the use of LED-screen backdrops – the so-called Volume popularized by The Mandalorian – is glaringly obvious and brings the quality down.
As much as they are an improvement over their big-screen predecessors, these episodes don’t come away without their own pacing issues. Episode 2 attempts to fit a meaty training sequence from the book into its runtime, a decision that makes sense within the scope of the show, but one that forces a few elements to the sidelines. Characters like Chiron (Glynn Turman) and Dionysus (Jason Mantzoukas) don’t get the spotlight they deserve. Rather than playing the Obi-Wans to Percy’s Luke, the duo (who seem to be the only adults running a camp full of super-powered orphans) become afterthoughts whose sole purpose is to guide the plot to its next step.
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Percy Jackson and the Olympians uses its first four episodes wisely, adapting Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief as accurately as possible. At times it feels like an overcorrection, cramming in as many details from the book as it can to the detriment of the series’ pacing. But at it’s best, it reimagines the story for a modern audience – and lookin...
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 Review
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Season Finale Review
IGN praises the new TV series based on Rick Riordan's novels for its accuracy, visual style, and characterization. However, it also criticizes the pacing and the use of LED-screen backdrops in some episodes.
Dec 20, 2023 · Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a family-friendly fantasy that should please newcomers and book readers alike, and one of the best shows on Disney+.
Dec 19, 2023 · Walker Scobell plays Percy Jackson, 12-year-old admitted “troubled kid.” Percy gets bad grades, has discipline problems and occasionally sees fantastical creatures that nobody else can spot.
Feb 1, 2024 · Percy Jackson and the Olympians adds itself to the pantheon of YA adaptations with a competent yet bumpy first season of television that succeeds in both fan service and welcoming new...
Jan 31, 2024 · Disney Plus’ Percy Jackson series spent a lot of time telling the audience stuff instead of showing. But season 1 had moments of real greatness — our review.
