I hope the next episodes shatter my expectations. I'm giving it an optimistic 7/10 now, mostly because I really love the original series, but we'll see what happens next. I remain hopeful that the show will prove itself with some of the more poignant emotional beats later on, but so far it's not great. In short, I'm excited to see a more faithful adaptation of one of my favorite childhood book series, though I feel like a lot of the technical and directional creative choices are really taking away from that. It's just plain ugly to look at too many times for me not to say anything. There's also a distinct lack of scene setting shots. The direction and cinematography made me feel more like I'm watching everything happen from a few feet away than like I'm actually in the story. A lot of the sets felt like aircraft hangars, with unconvincing lighting and design. The Minotaur looked very good, but the Big House looks like an airbrushed CGI monstrosity. CGI and green screen are generously used for the settings and monsters, with varying quality outcomes. Some scenes from the book that serve to characterize our heroes, such as Luke's duel with Percy or Annabeth giving the tour, are cut, resulting in a less emotionally engaging viewing. I expect, if the series continues, he'll grow into his role as the titular character. His delivery is passable, comparable to Daniel Radcliffe's in the first Harry Potter movie. Walker Scobell has his moments as Percy, but most of the time looks like he doesn't know why he's on set. The rest of the cast remains unfortunately wooden, which I fear is a result of the poor writing and direction. Second, Aryan Simhadri makes a very convincing Grover, demonstrating a clear understanding of the nerdier, nervous Grover that we haven't seen yet in live action. The first is by Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson, who elevates a lot of the emotional beats of the first episode. There are thankfully a few standout performances so far. The music is also quite bland, adding very little to the scenes. Of course, this is expected given the younger, more inexperienced cast, though I felt a distinct lack of soul nonetheless. Characters would run offscreen when the scene changes and anything not on screen is treated like it doesn't exist by the actors. This makes the story feel disjointed, to the point that I sometimes felt like I was watching a stage play. The editing is quite choppy, with an uncomfortably long black screen repeatedly indicating a scene shift. The show is very faithful to the books, almost to a fault. In other ways, it unfortunately falters, resulting in a less than stellar viewing experience. I loved seeing book-accurate Camp Half-Blood and the characters actually act like themselves (unlike in another movie). The film follows sixteen-year-old Percy Jackson as he attends Camp Half-Blood, a school for demigods. I'm glad to say that it, in some ways, lives up to my expectations. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) The 2005 novel The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan served as the inspiration for the first film in the Percy Jackson film series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. When it was announced, I was extremely excited. As someone who grew up reading the books, this show has a special place in my heart by default. This is my 2 episode review, so take it with a healthy grain of salt.
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