We have all at least heard of the thrill-seeking saga of Percy Jackson, by Rick Riordan. The incredible story is about the boy Percy Jackson who finds out he is a ‘half-blood’, or a child who was born between a human and a Demigod. The son of Poseidon goes on this incredible adventure with his friends to return Zeus’s bolt, which has magically disappeared. There are monsters, battles, soul-searching, and finding belonging in this book.

Film producers have tried to develop this amazing story for the silver screen, but it wasn’t very memorable. The movies only got a 49% on rotten tomatoes and the critics are nothing to write home about. The movies seemed rushed and some major plot holes made viewers either confused or outraged. The Percy Jackson community was a little hesitant when the new series was remade by Disney, but wasn’t disappointed

Disney did a few things differently than the movie producers for the 2013 production. They added Rick Riordan to the casting calls to get his input on how he imagined the characters in real life. I appreciated how they didn’t try to adapt the characters by looks but by feeling. Walker Scobell was their first pick to play Percy and they made the right call. Even though this boy doesn’t have black hair and brown eyes like the character in the book, he is exactly what readers imagined him as.

Scobell’s personality and silliness shined in this role and I think the most important element is, that he is a kid. The Percy Jackson movies cast older kids who didn’t have the heart or the imagination for Rick’s fictional world he created. Annabeth, who was played by Leah Jeffries, and Grover, who was played by Aryan Simhadri, also had this element of wonder in their portrayal of these beloved characters as well.

The team of Percy Jackson (2023) has been working for three years to get this series correct. They used special effects stunting and 3D elements as well. What interested me was their greenscreen room. It is a room with greenscreens all around to show the background of where it takes place, this made it so the team didn’t have to travel.

It is surreal that we have the technology at this time to create these beautiful scenes with just a click of a button. They animated monsters like the Minotaur and added elements of computer creation in Mrs. Dodd’s. I am impressed with the actors who are so young and were able to make this world a reality and show us the fun and pressure when needed.

There were some plot holes in this show as well that only readers could point out. For example, Percy Jackson didn’t fall into the river when he was hanging off of the Saint Louis Arch, he jumped. Percy Jackson was also never poisoned by the Echidna, he was just fighting it without Annabeth or Grover there to help.

Those little nit-picky things about the show didn’t take away from the story. Viewers who have never heard the story and avid Percy Jackson readers have something to enjoy in this series. This show has scored 92% on rotten tomatoes and I feel it is well-earned.

I think we are all patiently waiting for the next season to see what they do next.