Remember the movies? These two films which basically had _nothing_ in common with the books except the names of the places and characters?
As a long-time fan of Rick Riordans books, I was very sceptic when I first heard that Disney+ was planning to take on the Percy Jackson stories, but when I learned it would be a series this time (meaning probably less rushed, more time for world building and character development), and that the author would be heavily involved in the production, I dared to be cautiously-hopeful.
What shall I say? This series is everything we had hoped for and more! This is what "bringing a story to life" means. It is SO true to the books, and the few subtle changes they made are reasonable and even give some scenes more value. It's not a word-for-word copy of the book, which seems to be what some viewers did expect, but that's not how adaptations work. The story does tick off all the important waypoints of the book though and leads to the same status quo in the end.
All actors give their 100%, and some talents blew me away, like what especially Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri, Virginia Kull, and Toby Stephens can convey with facial expression alone, without a single word being spoken? Astounding! The chemistry among the entire cast seems to be fantastic, and it shows. The props and sets are all so beautiful, especially the lighting in every scene, and along with the enchanting soundtrack by Bear McCreary, the whole package is a magical experience which made my little nerdy heart very happy.
Throughout the entire season, the script writers have done a phenomenal job. I've never seen a show before where so many things come full circle at a later point. The writing is so coherent, and you feel like not a single word is placed in the script without being given some thought and value.
Also, I know some people have been complaining about the action scenes being too few and too short, but if you go back and read "The Lighting Thief" novel, you'll notice that book 1 didn't have a lot of action in it to begin with, and I honestly appreciate that this show kept the action sequences short and crispy, which left more room for precious character development and worldbuilding. Plus, by keeping the fights short, the CGI department could give their all and create stunning-looking, almost beautiful monsters.
I wouldn't know what to improve if I had done the show myself except maybe two things: 1. Longer episodes in season 2, please.
2. Where IS the season 2 announcement? Don't let us hang here, Disney Plus, this show SO deserves to be renewed because it's fricking outstanding!
As a long-time fan of Rick Riordans books, I was very sceptic when I first heard that Disney+ was planning to take on the Percy Jackson stories, but when I learned it would be a series this time (meaning probably less rushed, more time for world building and character development), and that the author would be heavily involved in the production, I dared to be cautiously-hopeful.
What shall I say? This series is everything we had hoped for and more! This is what "bringing a story to life" means. It is SO true to the books, and the few subtle changes they made are reasonable and even give some scenes more value. It's not a word-for-word copy of the book, which seems to be what some viewers did expect, but that's not how adaptations work. The story does tick off all the important waypoints of the book though and leads to the same status quo in the end.
All actors give their 100%, and some talents blew me away, like what especially Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri, Virginia Kull, and Toby Stephens can convey with facial expression alone, without a single word being spoken? Astounding! The chemistry among the entire cast seems to be fantastic, and it shows. The props and sets are all so beautiful, especially the lighting in every scene, and along with the enchanting soundtrack by Bear McCreary, the whole package is a magical experience which made my little nerdy heart very happy.
Throughout the entire season, the script writers have done a phenomenal job. I've never seen a show before where so many things come full circle at a later point. The writing is so coherent, and you feel like not a single word is placed in the script without being given some thought and value.
Also, I know some people have been complaining about the action scenes being too few and too short, but if you go back and read "The Lighting Thief" novel, you'll notice that book 1 didn't have a lot of action in it to begin with, and I honestly appreciate that this show kept the action sequences short and crispy, which left more room for precious character development and worldbuilding. Plus, by keeping the fights short, the CGI department could give their all and create stunning-looking, almost beautiful monsters.
I wouldn't know what to improve if I had done the show myself except maybe two things: 1. Longer episodes in season 2, please.
2. Where IS the season 2 announcement? Don't let us hang here, Disney Plus, this show SO deserves to be renewed because it's fricking outstanding!