Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Disney Plus original adapts the famous book series of the same name, following Percy and his companions as they search for Zeus’ missing Master Bolt. For this review, I will judge how the show stands on its own, not how well it was adapted.

The series looks and sounds terrific with amazing production design and CGI, which is expected with a budget reportedly between $12 Million and $15 million per episode.

However, the pace and plot are rushed, hurting my investment. The show would have benefited greatly from taking its time in the first few episodes, instead of rushing to the quest. Despite the quick pace, the action feels slow. This causes enemies throughout to come off as non-threatening. Examples of this are Mrs. Dobbs, Alecto, and the Chimera, who all love to take their time and walk towards our heroes.

A strong point of the show is the interactions between the main characters. As they adventure, the trio bonds together well, which informs the decisions they make later in the show.

Performances from the main characters— Percy, Annabeth, and Grover— played by Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri, respectively, are competent but nothing special. However, Virginia Kull gives a standout performance playing Percy’s mom, Sally Jackson. The best scenes in the show are flashbacks to Sally struggling to raise Percy on her own.

I had fun with the show and look forward to season two, but I worry if this is the best product they can deliver.