"For nearly twenty years now, the character of Percy Jackson has been prominent in the world of middle-grade literature." -- Alex Stullman, 8th Grade
For nearly twenty years now, the character of Percy Jackson has been prominent in the world of middle-grade literature. In 2010, he joined the flopped film industry with the box-office disappointment, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and finally, is coming back to screens in the triumphant Disney+ series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, starring Walker Scobell as the iconic demigod.
This series was extremely anticipated, as the original Percy Jackson book series sold reportedly over 180 million copies worldwide, and has had an impact close to even Harry Potter. The basic premise of the first book (which is what the first season of the series is based on, as well as the first film) is about Percy Jackson, a twelve year old boy who finds out he is what is called a half-blood, as his father is the Greek God Poseidon. In this fantasy world, being a half-blood, or demigod, is very dangerous, as frightening monsters will sniff you out and come and try to kill you. If you’re a demigod of Hades, Zeus, or Poseidon, (the most powerful gods) the more powerful you are, and the more monsters want you dead. For his own safety, Percy’s mom sends him to Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigods, with a magical barrier to keep monsters out.
Though he is safe in Camp Half-Blood, Percy’s troubles are far from over. Zeus, the king of the gods, has accused him of stealing his all-powerful Master Bolt, and to prove his innocence, Percy must venture on an epic quest to find the Bolt and return it, all within ten days. He is accompanied on his journey by his friends: the witty daughter of Athena, Annabeth; and Grover the satyr. On the road to California from Long Island, the trio encounter many familiar monsters from Greek mythology, including Medusa, the Chimera, and the Furies, to name a few.
This series was extremely anticipated, as the original Percy Jackson book series sold reportedly over 180 million copies worldwide, and has had an impact close to even Harry Potter. The basic premise of the first book (which is what the first season of the series is based on, as well as the first film) is about Percy Jackson, a twelve year old boy who finds out he is what is called a half-blood, as his father is the Greek God Poseidon. In this fantasy world, being a half-blood, or demigod, is very dangerous, as frightening monsters will sniff you out and come and try to kill you. If you’re a demigod of Hades, Zeus, or Poseidon, (the most powerful gods) the more powerful you are, and the more monsters want you dead. For his own safety, Percy’s mom sends him to Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigods, with a magical barrier to keep monsters out.
Though he is safe in Camp Half-Blood, Percy’s troubles are far from over. Zeus, the king of the gods, has accused him of stealing his all-powerful Master Bolt, and to prove his innocence, Percy must venture on an epic quest to find the Bolt and return it, all within ten days. He is accompanied on his journey by his friends: the witty daughter of Athena, Annabeth; and Grover the satyr. On the road to California from Long Island, the trio encounter many familiar monsters from Greek mythology, including Medusa, the Chimera, and the Furies, to name a few.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows this basic plotline, but the show made a few changes that had some mixed reviews from longtime fans. First off, the changes in characters. When young actress Leah Sava Jeffries was cast as Annabeth Chase, many fans on the internet retaliated, and it’s only for the stupidest reason. Jeffries is a black girl, and in the books, Annabeth is a blonde white girl. Before the show was actually streaming, and it was only the cast announced, Jeffries was the target of some pretty brutal online criticism, besides the fact that no one had even seen her in the role yet. An original book “fan” (who would rather their identity remain secret) defended this with the cover of “I don’t know, I’ve just known these books for so long… Annabeth has been one of my role models growing up and to see her so different… it just doesn’t feel right.” (What?)
When the show came out, and all these critics actually saw Jeffries as Annabeth, most of them shut up pretty quickly. The young actress is extremely talented, and brings the character to life in a way no one has before. Strangely, fans didn’t rise up so much when the actor Walker Scobell, who is blonde, was up to play the title character, Percy Jackson, who has dark hair in the books. Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan, who casted the trio himself, made it very clear that the goal with casting the characters was to find someone who embodied their spirit, versus looking like them. Ultimately, he made the right decision, seeing as all three stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri portray their characters in such organic ways, and turn a mostly plot driven story into that with interesting characters who the audience cares about.
The show itself was overall amazing, however. Though Disney often likes to turn beloved franchises into cheap cash-grabs, Riordan made sure they didn’t mess with his twenty-year passion project. The set of Camp Half-Blood, set in a real forest, was extremely detailed, similar to many of the other sets, most of which took place in Disney’s giant immersive screenstage. What viewers were most annoyed by in the show was that the episodes were too short. The show put the audience in such an interesting and fun environment, full of monsters and magic and random U.S. landmarks—and then the episode was over.
What’s more, the episodes moved fast. Anyone watching who hadn’t read the book would have been able to follow along, but just barely. Besides that, it was an incredible show. Amazing fight choreography, writing, and overall cinematography that just felt so immersive—like the audience was right there in the show, seeing everything unfold. Bonus: the CGI was half-decent, something unexpected from Disney.
When the show came out, and all these critics actually saw Jeffries as Annabeth, most of them shut up pretty quickly. The young actress is extremely talented, and brings the character to life in a way no one has before. Strangely, fans didn’t rise up so much when the actor Walker Scobell, who is blonde, was up to play the title character, Percy Jackson, who has dark hair in the books. Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan, who casted the trio himself, made it very clear that the goal with casting the characters was to find someone who embodied their spirit, versus looking like them. Ultimately, he made the right decision, seeing as all three stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri portray their characters in such organic ways, and turn a mostly plot driven story into that with interesting characters who the audience cares about.
The show itself was overall amazing, however. Though Disney often likes to turn beloved franchises into cheap cash-grabs, Riordan made sure they didn’t mess with his twenty-year passion project. The set of Camp Half-Blood, set in a real forest, was extremely detailed, similar to many of the other sets, most of which took place in Disney’s giant immersive screenstage. What viewers were most annoyed by in the show was that the episodes were too short. The show put the audience in such an interesting and fun environment, full of monsters and magic and random U.S. landmarks—and then the episode was over.
What’s more, the episodes moved fast. Anyone watching who hadn’t read the book would have been able to follow along, but just barely. Besides that, it was an incredible show. Amazing fight choreography, writing, and overall cinematography that just felt so immersive—like the audience was right there in the show, seeing everything unfold. Bonus: the CGI was half-decent, something unexpected from Disney.
