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sarahb256
Reviews
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)
Boring
I swear I tried my best to like this show. I really did want to love it as much as the books and see myself go back in my Percy Jackson phase. But I just... can't.
The Disney adaptation respected the main plot points of the original books, I give them that. But it's not enough. There is no suspense, no build up, nothing! Here's how the storyline of every episode goes: the trio encounters a problem, Annabeth infodumps, they know immediately what to do to get out of said problem, Percy gets his pen out (but makes sure to not open it on screen, the budget doesn't allow that!) and everything gets resolved in seconds.
Let's take the Medusa episode as an example. Annabeth knew IMMIEDATLY what the trio dealt with. Whereas in the books, it took them time to figure out the situation. Not only it builds tension, but it also shows Annabeth is not all-knowing. She's still a kid on her first quest, she can't know everything! Let's remember her fatal flaw is hubris. Letting her make errors, not having a plan to everything would have made her a more relatable, three-dimensional character.
Let's talk about the lotus episode! What an underwhelming one. To summarize it, Hermes tells Percy and Annabeth everything there is to know about the casino. They should have let the trio discover the danger of the lotus casino themselves, just like in the books. It would have left the viewers intrigued, curious. We didn't have the time to feel the weird effect of this place. It was supposed to feel like a fever dream. The movie was able to make that happen.
Maybe the movie missed every plot point possible, but at least the anticipation was there! We felt the danger, the high stakes, the uncertainty! Not to mention action, which the series seriously lack. There is almost no battle that last more than 15 seconds, it gets boring. It's like the characters read the book and knew everything in advance.
Also, we're supposed to discover the demigod world with them, not get told how it works. The info-dumping was so heavy nothing felt magical. The vibes are not the same. Honestly, aside of Camp-Halfblood and occasional monster appearances, it looks like the normal world. Even the gods aren't god-like! I can excuse Ares and Dionysus because their characters were well-played, but Hades? Come on! He looks like your regular sitcom comedic relief. They could of add the laughter sound effect while at it. Charon was supposed to fulfill that role! Hades was supposed to be intimidating, 10 feet tall, his robe made of souls. Percy himself said he was the first god who really felt godly.
To conclude, my main problem with this show is how boring it gets. I did not hate it, but it didn't feel like the books. The actors are perfect for their roles (maybe not Hades), the issue is in the writing.
I really was hyped for the Disney adaptation. I hope the second season gets better. Maybe this season is an opportunity for the producers to learn from its mistakes and improve!