Now and again, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” appears to be tiptoeing in direction of having some spikier humorousness at its core. The episode titles appear playful and unexpectedly deadpan, resembling “I Turn out to be Supreme Lord of the Rest room” and “We Go to the Backyard Gnome Emporium.” And the actual fact that folk like Mantzoukas or Mullally have been solid in recurring roles implies a need for this present to not really feel stultifying or turgid. However the humor comes sparingly, as when Grover tries to placate Annabeth and Percy in a single episode with a goofy track or when one of many aforementioned grownup performers is launched by buzzing alongside to the theme from the Dudley Moore comedy “Arthur.” These transient moments really feel like oases in a desert, sadly.
The present surrounding these bits is reasonably involving, however by no means fairly so well-paced accurately. (Particularly because the first 4 episodes vary between simply 33 and 43 minutes lengthy, together with finish credit.) “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” needs to construction its episodes round Percy attending to encounter one god after one other, resembling Echidna or Medusa, however centering every installment on these action-packed conferences signifies that there’s gradual motion in the beginning and finish. It is also tough — even for these of us who solely know the world of Percy Jackson from the Fox movies of the 2010s — to not watch this present and marvel how a lot additional floor really wanted to be lined by having a TV adaptation. It is not that this present is dangerous per se, as a lot because it appears like a remake of one thing {that a}) did not want to be remade and b) does not appear to be doing issues that a lot otherwise on the small display screen.
When “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief” opened in 2010, it was straightforward for non-readers to have a look at the movie as a “Harry Potter” retread. As a TV adaptation, the similarities are actually rather a lot much less notable. Now, as a Disney+ sequence, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is sort of a preview of what a possible “Harry Potter” TV sequence, as threatened by David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, might appear like. It is true that books typically find yourself being trimmed to the bone when tailored for the large display screen. But when this present is any proof, it is maybe true that trimming a bigger story right down to its most vital components is the suitable option to go. This present might but win an viewers, however appears like a considerably uninteresting echo of the movie that preceded it by a decade.
/Movie Score: 5 out of 10
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” premieres December 20, 2023 on Disney+.