Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review: The Adaptation the Gods Intended

For fans of Rick Riordan’s beloved Percy Jackson series of novels, the Disney+ adaptation has been a long time coming. While the story of the titular demigod and his adventures was adapted to film — Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and 2020 and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in 2013 — fans of the beloved series have long hoped for a fresh adaptation of the work, one that was closer to Riordan’s story. Such an adaptation is what Riordan himself promised when the Disney+ adaptation was first announced and now, with Percy Jackson and the Olympians set to arrive on December 20th, it’s clear that Riordan is making good on that promise. The new series is everything Percy Jackson fans could want and more.

From the first episode, “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher,” the Disney+ series makes it clear that the series is staying true to the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief, quickly getting down to the business of introducing viewers to Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and laying the groundwork for the rest of the season (ComicBook.com was given the first four episodes of the season’s overall eight for review): Percy is a demigod —half human, half god-child —and that makes the world not exactly a safe place for him, prompting him to be sent off to Camp Half Blood with other demigods. From there, and in subsequent episodes, more of Percy’s story is revealed, as well as an important quest he ends up going on alongside fellow demigod Annabeth Chase (Leah Jeffries) and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri), Percy’s best friend who just so happens to be a satyr.

For those familiar with the book, the episodes unfold very much like reading the book itself, but for those who aren’t familiar, it’s not a detriment. Instead, this structure lays things out beautifully for viewers of all levels of familiarity with the series and, for the most part, paces things well. There are no boring moments in the first four episodes of Percy Jackson and, as is the case with any good story, each reveal builds upon the next. The series does a fantastic job of breaking down the individual story beats for each episode so that they feel perfectly contained, but also give the viewer just enough to make them eager for the next chapter — or, in this case, episode. The first two episodes do move a little quickly and compress a good bit of information into their run times, but once things move past the information dump, things even out. There are also some subtle changes from the books that longtime fans will notice, but they are just that, subtle, and end up serving to somehow make the books themselves better in how it all ties together.

Outside of its faithfulness to its source material and well-considered structure per episode, Percy Jackson and the Olympians excels in terms of its performances. This is a series that is expertly cast and every single actor is perfectly fit to the role they inhabit. Scobell’s Percy is relatable, a little frustrating, and endlessly root-for-able. Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus/Mr. D is an absolute gift, despite being in relatively few scenes. Both Aryan Simhadri and Charlie Bushnell turn in fantastic and quite heartfelt performances as Grover and Luke, respectively, and Jessica Parker Kennedy’s Medusa will make you see that character in a completely different light. The real standout in terms of the series’ performances, though, belongs to Jeffries’ Annabeth Chase. Jeffries doesn’t simply portray Annabeth; she inhabits her. Jeffries gives Annabeth’s attitude, intellect, and quiet strength and vulnerability a realism that makes the viewer, at times, forget they’re watching an actor play a role. The entire series is perfectly cast, but Jeffries even more so.

The series also excels on a technical level, with its effects — both in terms of creating the mythical creatures that are part of the world as well as some of the more intricate details of various mythical creatures’ physical appearances — being very well done. Nothing here looks cheap or cheesy. Megan Mullally’s Alecto is chilling in full Fury form while the very snakes that make up Medusa’s hair are simple, but they just work. There’s also a fantastic bit of interplay between the real-world locations in the film and the more mythical and magical elements from the series that lends to an overall feeling of both realism and wonderment.

A faithful, and truly excellent Percy Jackson adaptation may have felt like a near-impossible quest, but Percy Jackson and the Olympians has pulled it off. Between an obvious love and reverence for the source material and its devoted fans, some of the best casting you’ll ever find in a television series, fantastic performances, and even the magic of the visuals and world-building itself, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is about as perfect a television adaptation as you can get, almost as though it’s been favored by the gods themselves.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Percy Jackson and the Olympians debuts Wednesday, December 20th on Disney+.