Warning: The following article about Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Harry Potter contains spoilers.
Adaptations, there have been so many of them over the years. Like many people, I have a love/hate relationship with them. One of the best modern adaptations for fantasy fans was, of course, the Harry Potter series, which helped bring the Boy Who Lived to the whole world and not just readers. Now, Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, has made his debut on the small screen. And I have to say – I’m feeling that same sense of wonder I had when Warner Bros. first brought Harry to the big screen.
It can be tricky to adapt anything to a new medium, particularly books. After all, books have all the time in the world. This is rarely the case in adaptations. This can be seen as recently as Artemis Fowl and his film debut. Not only did it have a scant relation to the misadventure involving the literary sociopath, but it also wasn’t particularly interesting.
If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try Again
With Percy Jackson, this isn’t even the character’s first rodeo. In 2010, he had his first cinematic outing, and it was charming yet uninspired. The studio was trying so hard to replicate the success of Harry Potter that it hired Chris Columbus to direct it. Percy Jackson then had his second cinematic adventure, and it was a critical and commercial failure.
Now, almost a decade and a half later, Disney has given fans and laymen like myself a story to fall in love with that features interesting and nuanced characters. With these eight episodes, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are given the proper scope for their quest to stop a war between the Gods. Their dynamic is charming, and Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhardi have great energy as a group, just like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint did.
Much like the young cast of Harry Potter, the main trio of Percy Jackson is surrounded by a brilliant supporting cast full of great character actors. This allows the series to focus on the characters instead of recognizable names. Ares, played by Adam Copeland, was omitted from the film, and having now seen him in the series, I am baffled by the decision. Another notable actor in the series is the late Lance Reddick, who portrays Zeus. He is in one scene, and he commands it with the presence of the character he embodies.
Related: Even Percy Jackson Fans Are Shocked By How Much Rick Riordan Dislikes the Movies
A Mythic Adventure for a New Generation
What Percy Jackson and the Olympians pulls off so well is its introduction to this world. There is a lot of care given to shaping this world, and these eight episodes were the perfect home for this story to be told. With all this time available for this iteration, the series capitalizes on relationships that must be fleshed out.
Perhaps the most moving is the relationship between the Gods and their mistreated children. There is a definite tension between the Gods and how they regard their progeny. Whether it be the sense of betrayal between Hermes and Luke, the distance between Athena and Annabeth, or the tragedy of Poseidon and Percy, this series taps into a relatable issue through the use of myths and legends.
All of this makes Percy Jackson and the Olympians an adaptation up there with the likes of Harry Potter and gets me excited for fans of these stories. If the series keeps up this level of quality, we’re all in for one hell of an adventure.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is available to stream on Disney+.
