The Percy Jackson films never quite got out of the Sea of Monsters. The Disney+ series promised to be a superior adaptation of the popular book series, but the first season left fans uncertain if the show could live up to the hype. With Season 2 on the way, what lessons does the show need to learn from the first Sea of Monsters adaptation? More importantly, what does Disney need to do to win fans over from the faults of Season 1?
The Percy Jackson Movies
The Percy Jackson movies never did too well with fans, and Sea of Monsters was the last straw. They took some liberties with the story, like having Percy fight the Mad Titan in the finale. In the original version of the story, Kronos needing a body is kind of an important plot. Having him appear stronger than he is in the finale of the series ruins the basic 3 act structure. Not to mention that he was defeated by Percy, making any future struggle for the teen pretty ridiculous. This ruined any set-up for future movies, at least movies that would follow the books.
Percy Jackson adaptations started off on a rocky, but fun, foot.
Of course, it is inevitable that some changes have to be made. That’s why it’s an adaptation, not a copy. No two mediums are the same, so a book can’t perfectly be translated into a movie. However, fans won’t always let that go. Some of the mistakes of the first movie were fixed by the second. Annabeth looked and acted more like herself. It had a higher energy to mirror the attitude of the books. However, it wasn’t enough to get to The Titan’s Curse. Too many things had been changed for fans to identify the story.
So changes, while necessary, are difficult to get right. The choices they made for the movies failed, but at least it laid the foundation for a perfect television show, right?
A Flawed First Season for Percy
The Percy Jackson show lost fans with each new episode. Rick Riordan, author of the book series, was very vocal about how much better the show would be. It would follow the books much closer. The Lotus Casino episode was going to blow the movie sequence out of the water. After all, what could be more egregious than Lady Gaga in the world of New York demigods?
And then the episode aired. A lot of fans made fun of how much hype there was around this episode and how much better it was supposed to be. What fans got was a boring, generic hotel set and Annabeth blurting out from the start, “This is the Lotus Casino!” No mystery, and no fun. Fans were disappointed, and the finale didn’t provide much relief.
Most hotels in Vegas look cooler and more mythical than this.
Luke was hardly a character the entire show, but suddenly, he is a good enough friend with Percy to betray him. For the fans, this was awkward. For people coming into the show with no idea what to expect, this was bizarre. Some background character became one of the series’ main protagonists. The whole point of this change was to make the twist unexpected. How can it be if most people watching already know the story?
The show failed in a different way than the movies. The movies were fun, but a bad adaptation. The Percy Jackson show was boring, and 50% a good adaptation. In some ways, this is a worse way to fail. Fans of the books may not be pleased either way, but at least the movies weren’t forgettable for those who weren’t looking for an adaptation.
Harry Potter vs Percy Jackson
The problems with the movies and first season of Percy Jackson say everything about what Season 2 needs to deliver to be a success: give fans the story they came for. While there will always be nitpicks and controversy around necessary changes, fans can usually get behind an adaptation if it gets the basics right. Match the tone, style, and major story elements, and the audience will follow.
Watching an adaptation is a lot like rereading the books. No one expects a completely different experience. They want to be back in the world of the story. They want to see the characters go on a journey, the journey that got them invested in the first place. It may be bitter to see some story elements or characters cut, but as long as it doesn’t change the story, fans can forgive it.
The original golden trio.
Much like with the Harry Potter series, everyone who read the books just wanted to relive the story. While a lot of fans complain that S.P.E.W. wasn’t in Goblet of Fire, it didn’t stop the production of Order of the Phoenix. The movies did capture the essence of the books, just tailored to fit a movie format.
There is no need to hide Luke or ruin the surprise of the Lotus Casino. Fans want to experience the story as is. That is the whole point. If Disney wants this second sailing into the Sea of Monsters to be a successful quest, then hopefully they learned their lesson. The best thing for this show is to stick to the script and deliver the story everyone knows and loves.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on December 10.
