Not one of the best times for Disney, and yet, the historic animation giant has decided to try again with a saga that had not seen much success in the past. In fact, it's time for a new attempt with Percy Jackson and the Olympiansa TV series that we are analyzing today in review.
This happens after the first attempts at the cinema a few years ago. The first, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2010 and the second, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters in 2013, they had not enjoyed particular success among audiences and critics, despite the actor's role as Percy Logan Lorman and the production and direction of the first chapter by Chris Columbus (Home Alone, the first two Harry Potter films, and an endless production of films especially for children).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdGKx582v2c
The story of Percy Jackson is based on one saga good five novels by Rick Riordan who, however, has had a lot of success over the years. Precisely for this reason, fans were eagerly awaiting a transposition that could do justice to the writings. A bit like theHBO is trying to delve into the history of Harry Potter re-adapting all the novels using the TV series formatwith a wide scope and length and the only way to remain faithful to the original material, that's it Disney also tries the same thing with Percy Jackson.
On Disney+ Percy Jackson and the Olympians, an eight-episode TV series starring the protagonist, is now available Walker Scobell (The Adam Project), based mainly on the first novel of the saga (The Lightning Thief).
Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy who he feels he is different from his classmates. Not entirely accepted, even bullied by some, he finds himself out of nowhere living an unwitting adventure. Son of Sally Jackson, human mother, he discovers that he is a demigod. His father is a God and his new place is a real one campus where the demigods who frequent it train to become heroes. Here you will find new friendsmentors, but also difficulty which will make him grow and take him on journeys and adventures research of something… or someone.
The strength of young people's acting
Percy Jackson and the Olympiansat least as far as the episodes available and which we have been able to preview are concerned, is one series which of course spare no expense for what concern technical sector. When the product comes from wide-ranging material, therefore novels, and the audience is mainly young, we know that the technical quality can take a back seat to the advantage of the plot.
In these episodes – each lasting about half an hour – the story flows with relative speed and with ease… perhaps too much at times, especially when it would be necessary to delve deeper into issues that concern the psychological sphere of the characters. The protagonist in fact, played by an excellent Walker Scobell (which we have already seen in The Adam Project previously), would have a lot to say if only a little more time had been given to him. A character who suffers from dyslexia, with problems at school and with social life, with a particular family and a total upheaval that he experiences in a handful of hours. He is a smart character, even though he is twelve years old, and strongly sarcastic, thick; However the deepening of suffering is missing both physical and mental.
What Percy experiences starting from the first two episodes is certainly not an everyday thing, but it is presented to the viewer too lightly. A bit is also lost with the Italian dubbing. Walker Scobell is very good and plays a character who is 1 or 2 years younger than him. The original voice, still quite high for his age, would help him, but in the Italian version the task is entrusted to a dubber with an “overgrown” voice.
It emerges anyway good acting power by young people, to the detriment of slightly more experienced actors who perhaps don't find the right value through the writing, which is good but not exceptional. Percy's travel and adventure companions, therefore Annabeth And Grover, defend themselves and gain good credibility, always supported by good acting (but not as good as Scobell's). The general feeling, without being able to spoil events too late in the story, is that the series format is well suited to this saga, certainly more than cinema formats. We could therefore finally give justice to the paper material and inaugurate a new small chapter of Disney+, and more generally of Disney, hoping that in the future everything will not be ruined by haste (since the actors are growing up) or by the need to squeeze out the maximum history.
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