Is the second time the charm? Disney+ took another swing at a live adaptation of ’The Lightning Thief’ & fans are loving it. But is it really that good? Or are fans being complacent after the infamous Century Fox adaptation? In my opinion, it’s a little bit of both.
Fans will be happy to learn that, unlike the movie, the tv show is very loyal to the source material. Plus, most of the slight changes result in a better adaptation. That is not to say that there aren’t some changes that I didn’t enjoy, but for the most part, I enjoyed the plot of the show. However, I was not a huge of its pacing. The show has a mostly solid beginning and ending, but a very shaky in between. The lack of urgency may be what kills this show before audiences can see what it can become. The show needs to terrify the audience with what might happen if the characters fail to meet their deadline or survive a monster. If the characters themselves don’t seem afraid, how do they expect the audience to be so?
The best part of the show in my opinion is the casting for the adults. The experience of actors like Jason Mantzoukas, Suzanne Cryer & Adam Copeland give the younger cast members room to grow & mature into amazing actors themselves. I also enjoyed most of the portrayal of the younger characters, especially Aryan. While still green, I saw flashes of what they can become with more experience. However, the creators need to improve on the script and choreography. Excluding episodes 3 & 7, the dialogue was stiff at best & lifeless at worst. The show needed more banter & fun dialogue between the trio and way less info dumping. Plus, I believe that a lot of Percy and Annabeth’s actions were OOC in an effort to move the plot along. They need to figure out a way to reveal the myths by showing the audience instead of telling. Also, despite the actors’ talent, the action sequences left a lot to be desired. They were way too brief, difficult to see and, definitively, limited by the budget. Which makes no sense since the reported budget is $12-$15 million per episode.
Overall, I believe that the show has the potential to become great, as long as the people in charge take steps to improve in all aspects of it. They need better directing, and writing. If changes are not made, then it will just be another fine unremarkable adaptation. They have a solid foundation, and now they just have to improve upon it.
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