From Harry Potter to The Hunger Games, movie adaptations of middle-grade and young adult book series have seen great success over the past decades. However, this does not hold true according to many fans of the Percy Jackson book series, who publicly criticized the 2010 and 2013 movie adaptations. As a form of redemption, Riordan jumped at the opportunity to partner with Disney + to adapt his beloved book series into a TV show, providing longtime fans with the adaptation they long deserved. The new adaptation ignited overwhelmingly positive reactions among viewers, raising the question: What makes or breaks a book-to-screen adaptation? Where does the Percy Jackson TV series succeed, and where may it be walking on thin ice?
A contributing factor to the show’s success is its heavy pandering to fan requests. Fans like Alex Garcia (12) have complained that the movies changed the plot for no reason, resulting in an adaptation far from the original book series. Garcia admits that “if the movies didn’t have a source material [that] they were based on, they wouldn’t be terrible.” However, the way the movies deviated from the source material is what led to their failures.
Another reason viewers scorned the movies was because of cuts. Book fans often remember oddly specific lines and hold them close to heart, but when these lines are never mentioned in the movies, viewers question the movies’ connection to the source material (the books). For example, imagine Hermione Granger’s widely-celebrated statement, “Wingardium Leviosa!” from the books, never mentioned in the movies. In a similar vein, removing iconic lines from the Percy Jackson books in the film adaptations alienated viewers who had been waiting eagerly for them. By cutting out lines that have become synonymous with the series to book fans, like “you drool when you sleep,” the movies failed to maintain its connection to the source material, losing audience members that were fans of the original series. Luckily for fans, the television series has not cut any series-defining moments or iconic lines thanks to the author’s direct involvement in production, a plus point for the television series.
Along with the inclusion of iconic lines, fans are also praising the television series’ cast for being accurate in age (at least for the first season) — an aspect the movies failed to emulate. Although the actors will likely be older than their characters by the final season, fans have expressed little to no concern. This acceptance stems from how convincingly the cast embodies their roles, leading viewers to joke that the casting directors shook the books and the characters fell out.
When it comes to adapting a book into an eight-episode television show, some changes have to be made. These changes primarily serve two purposes: to improve pacing and to translate well onto screen television. Hence, the show had to deviate from the source material frequently. But it’s important to note that these changes are not always bad! Sometimes, these changes are useful to keep the audience engaged.
Most of these changes were meant to expand characters’ stories in ways the books could not, since the narrative is limited to Percy’s perspective alone. Although fans have been enjoying seeing more of Luke Castellan and Clarisse De la Rue’s point of view (side characters) this expansion of perspective has its downsides as well. As Luke and Clarisse are characters whose perspectives greatly differ from Percy’s, the expansion of their characters has been satisfying for book fans.
However, the characters’ expansion has not been a flawless addition because the show explicitly displays the characters’ struggles instead of subtly hinting towards them. This has alarmed many book fans who prefer individual interpretation — fans like Garcia who feel that filmmakers are dumbing it down for younger audiences. By spelling everything out for the audience, the audience no longer has to individually read into the characters’ behavior on their own, leading to Garcia’s honest description of the show: “Instead of being made for 7th graders, it felt more made for 5th or 4th graders.”
It was for those reasons, as well as some others, that the second season fell flat for many fans, including Garcia. Another long-time fan of the series, Kaeley Yogi (12), expressed how she would have liked an earlier introduction and backstory for side characters like Ethan Nakamura, who didn’t get much attention in the books.
It felt especially unnecessary when there were plenty of “traitor” characters from the books that could have been further expanded
While the series’ attempt to satisfy fans of the Percy Jackson book series produced mixed results, its commitment to stay faithful to the source material has been widely appreciated, leaving viewers optimistic and eager for upcoming seasons of the show.
