Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)

Watchseries; Disappointed.

That's the right word to describe how I'm feeling after watching the first few episodes. I'm a fan of the books. When I was a kid I was more obsessed with Percy Jackson than Harry Potter. I even got to wear an orange shirt and go to "half-blood" meetings in the squares.

1- It sounds silly, but if you read the books and were a fan, you understand why most fans didn't really like the differences in physiognomy of the main characters (mainly Percy and Annabeth). And ignoring the differences in physiognomy, I also didn't like the performance of the actors who play most of the main characters (only Grover saves).

2- It's very childish. I understand that in the first book, Percy is 12 years old, but some scenes that were supposed to convey fear or apprehension were so ridiculous that instead of being apprehensive, I laughed, because they were so ridiculous (for example the scene with the minotaur). Percy Jackson is children's literature, but it is not a cartoon.

3- I was too anxious, and I was disappointed. Before, I hoped the series would last until Heroes of Olympus, but today I don't even know if I'll be able to finish watching the first season...

Note: If you're looking for something to watch with your kids, or if you're under 15, you'll probably like it. Otherwise, probably won't.

Disappointed.

That's the right word to describe how I'm feeling after watching the first few episodes. I'm a fan of the books. When I was a kid I was more obsessed with Percy Jackson than Harry Potter. I even got to wear an orange shirt and go to "half-blood" meetings in the squares.

1- It sounds silly, but if you read the books and were a fan, you understand why most fans didn't really like the differences in physiognomy of the main characters (mainly Percy and Annabeth). And ignoring the differences in physiognomy, I also didn't like the performance of the actors who play most of the main characters (only Grover saves).

2- It's very childish. I understand that in the first book, Percy is 12 years old, but some scenes that were supposed to convey fear or apprehension were so ridiculous that instead of being apprehensive, I laughed, because they were so ridiculous (for example the scene with the minotaur). Percy Jackson is children's literature, but it is not a cartoon.

3- I was too anxious, and I was disappointed. Before, I hoped the series would last until Heroes of Olympus, but today I don't even know if I'll be able to finish watching the first season...

Note: If you're looking for something to watch with your kids, or if you're under 15, you'll probably like it. Otherwise, probably won't.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians watchseries. Let me start off by saying that, as a fan of the books, this adaptation pays homage to the book series in just about every possible way.

It's entertaining, funny, and has a phenomenal soundtrack. The minotaur scene and the capture the flag scene in particular were well adapted to the screen.

Walker Scobell was probably the best possible choice to play Percy Jackson. With him as the lead role, it seems more genuine and we get a level of emotion that was distinctly absent from Logan Lerman's portrayal. Seeing such a young kid play Percy really made me realize that I never saw him as a 12-year-old in my mind. It makes me excited to see how Walker and his costars grow up with their roles.

As for the other actors, I think they were casted phenomenally. Diyonisus and Grover in particular are standouts to me. Each actor is great in their own role, but something about them seems off to me. It's almost like their acting is severely restrained, like they weren't allowed to do anything other than what was written for them. The actors themselves seem stiff, but they knew their characters without adding a lot of emotion.

The set pieces and cinematography are beautiful. The atmosphere of Camp Half Blood is wonderful and the implementation of Greek architecture for the cabins looks stunning.

I will update this review as more episodes release and my mind possibly changes.

I was really looking forward to this show. I read the books as a kid and really enjoyed them and of course like many others, when the movies came out I was disappointed with how they failed to follow the source material and that was the main downfall of the movie adaptation & with this show we were supposed to get a loyal adaptation that goes more in depth because its a TV show & yet its making the exact same mistakes as the movies while somehow feeling MORE rushed than the movie adaptation, which doesn't make sense at all because it's a TV show, they should be able to go more in depth, right?

The breakneck pace of the show felt like they were speed-running through the plot, leaving no time to savor the story's essence. It's like they threw the script together in a rush, resulting in cringeworthy dialogue and performances that made it impossible to take things seriously. If I was a viewer who hadn't read the books, I wouldn't even be able to process what was happening, they do a poor job of explaining the story and the significance of a lot of important things in the plot.

Connecting with Percy, our main guy, was a struggle. He felt as bland as unseasoned chicken. There was this void where his personality should've been-nowhere near as charismatic or relatable as he was in the books. It's tough to root for a hero who doesn't make you feel anything.

The whole cast in general, unfortunately, didn't do much to save the day. I was hoping for engaging, funny characters that I could latch onto, but it was like they missed the memo on charm and relatability all the characters have in the books. Clarisse was the lone standout who had a shred of resemblance to her book self, but the rest fell flat. It's disappointing when a show fails to capture the spark that made the source material so beloved. This TV show was supposed to be a better adaptation of the books, but, so far, it's been a worse adaptation than the movies.

My headline pretty much says it. The pacing is too fast honestly (great for kids with short attention spans ig) and the lines seem pretty cliché and cheesy to be frank. The visual effects could also be a bit better. I know the movie wasn't everyone's favorite but I do think they had better visuals in it. The issue with the pacing is that it really isn't giving the audience enough time to create an emotional relationship with Percy that readers might already have. If anything this series is for them and no one else which doesn't make it good television. And I might be in the minority but there is nothing wrong with slowing down and letting your affections for the character grow. Since these are based on books they could've gone even MORE in depth than before but they actually are seeming to go faster through the intro stuff than they really should be. I think the show is overhyped and hope it gets better.

This is my 2 episode review, so take it with a healthy grain of salt. As someone who grew up reading the books, this show has a special place in my heart by default. When it was announced, I was extremely excited. I'm glad to say that it, in some ways, lives up to my expectations. I loved seeing book-accurate Camp Half-Blood and the characters actually act like themselves (unlike in another movie). In other ways, it unfortunately falters, resulting in a less than stellar viewing experience.

The show is very faithful to the books, almost to a fault. The editing is quite choppy, with an uncomfortably long black screen repeatedly indicating a scene shift. This makes the story feel disjointed, to the point that I sometimes felt like I was watching a stage play. Characters would run offscreen when the scene changes and anything not on screen is treated like it doesn't exist by the actors. Of course, this is expected given the younger, more inexperienced cast, though I felt a distinct lack of soul nonetheless. The music is also quite bland, adding very little to the scenes. There are thankfully a few standout performances so far. The first is by Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson, who elevates a lot of the emotional beats of the first episode. Second, Aryan Simhadri makes a very convincing Grover, demonstrating a clear understanding of the nerdier, nervous Grover that we haven't seen yet in live action. The rest of the cast remains unfortunately wooden, which I fear is a result of the poor writing and direction. Walker Scobell has his moments as Percy, but most of the time looks like he doesn't know why he's on set. His delivery is passable, comparable to Daniel Radcliffe's in the first Harry Potter movie. I expect, if the series continues, he'll grow into his role as the titular character. Some scenes from the book that serve to characterize our heroes, such as Luke's duel with Percy or Annabeth giving the tour, are cut, resulting in a less emotionally engaging viewing. CGI and green screen are generously used for the settings and monsters, with varying quality outcomes. The Minotaur looked very good, but the Big House looks like an airbrushed CGI monstrosity. A lot of the sets felt like aircraft hangars, with unconvincing lighting and design. The direction and cinematography made me feel more like I'm watching everything happen from a few feet away than like I'm actually in the story. There's also a distinct lack of scene setting shots. It's just plain ugly to look at too many times for me not to say anything.

In short, I'm excited to see a more faithful adaptation of one of my favorite childhood book series, though I feel like a lot of the technical and directional creative choices are really taking away from that. I remain hopeful that the show will prove itself with some of the more poignant emotional beats later on, but so far it's not great. I'm giving it an optimistic 7/10 now, mostly because I really love the original series, but we'll see what happens next. I hope the next episodes shatter my expectations.

I really enjoyed the first 2 episode's. Tv is my escape from reality so having a show to grasp you and not let go is really hard to find anymore. I loved the books I loved the movies. I'm cool with them going away from the book alittle bit. I feel like sometimes that cld be a good thing. I enjoyed the fact they started the journey from the beginning. The acting isn't bad they are actually doing a great job on that end. The quality is great the scenes and the special effects are awesome. I'll say we're off to a great start. I think this is going to be a great show. Hopefully this show will get a real chance and be able to thrive.