I’ve been taken back to several past Lily-eras recently (Hunger Games, Five Nights at Freddy’s, musicals). Most recently, I’ve been taken back to Camp Half-Blood through the new tv-show adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
If you’ve been a fan of the book series at any point in time, you’ll know the infamy of the original 2010 film. If you aren’t familiar, just know that even the author himself (Rick Riordan) isn’t a fan (“my life’s work going through a meat grinder”). Inaccurate casting and overall lack of depth that one would expect from the popular series made the movies, well, flops.
The latest Disney+ series, on the other hand, has given me everything I’d expect from an adaptation and more. The Percy Jackson series is truly too good to have gone not properly utilized on-screen, and I feel that it’s finally getting the justice it deserves.
Let me first address my biggest grievance with the original movie, which has since been rectified through the show: the casting. Don’t get me wrong, the originals were not bad actors, they were just far too old for these parts. In the first book, The Lightning Thief, the main characters are twelve. However, in the first movie, the actor playing Percy was seventeen. How can we watch the characters grow up throughout the series if they are beginning as nearly adults? The ages of the actors in the show are accurate to the book, allowing for all the necessary slight middle school awkwardness.
Besides the age component, the main three are phenomenal in the way they bring out the unique traits and depth of each character. Walker Scobell nails Percy’s signature sarcasm. Aryan Simhadri perfectly embodies Grover’s supportive nature. Though, maybe most of all, Leah Jeffries portrays all of Annabeth’s complexities, from her wisdom to her insecurities.
What makes the Percy Jackson series so unique to me is the way it’s able to incorporate deeper themes into the overall fantasy context. It somehow remains lighthearted, all while not minimizing the struggles the characters go through. Topics like found family, parental struggles, mental health, and finding one’s place in the world are all covered. This adaptation fully conveys that depth. It has its silly moments, but everything ultimately ties back to the core ideas. For this reason, I feel like viewers of any age will get something out of it.
I really do think having involvement from Riordan in this series made all the difference. I can’t wait to see what they do with the series as it progresses (even though I’ll be ancient by the time they reach The Last Olympian; if you know, you know). While I personally became a fan as a kid through the book series, I hope this series is able to bring a new generation to Camp Half-Blood.