Artemis Fowl – Movie Reviews by Ry!
Artemis Fowl – Imagination Afoul: Fairies Gone Wild
Fantasy is a means of escape. From the wizarding world of Harry Potter to the journey to destroy the one ring in Lord of the Rings, fantasy can provide memorable tales. For all the excitement, fantasy films don’t always provide that everlasting appeal. From Disney comes an adaptation that is strong with potential, but lacks substance. For all that could have been, Artemis Fowl is a fantasy story that lacks the imagination of a wonderful escape.
When his father goes missing, Artemis Fowl hatches a plan to rescue him from the world below. When the human and fairy worlds collide, will the young mastermind find a way to save his father and the world? The film is a basic outline of fantasy tropes. There is no creative direction, just linearity of predictable story points and forced exposition. The generalization of the world creates a sandbox where colorful pallets are hollow and underdeveloped. The story is driven by the ‘bullet point’ method, leveling out who is Artemis Fowl, the key incident (father’s capture) and fantastical elements. Ferdia Shaw attempts to add some personality to main character, but the generic script prevents any real attachment to the uniqueness of the young boy. All the potential of growing him in this world is drowned out by generic storytelling, stylized CGI and convoluted plot points. There is no backstory to any of the characters or creatures, with the driving factor given through layered narration. This force-fed method prevents a feeling of endearment. There is just a line through for convenient factors to replace any true development.
With no substance, all the interactions between Artemis Fowl and the rest of the cast becomes infected with cheesy one liners, predictable mishaps and terrible acting. The ‘reading of script’ is only meant to incite forward motion from one scene to the next. As the film pushes towards the third act, it becomes a generic ‘us vs. them’ scenario. All the predictable twist, team ups and ultimate triumph tropes found in fantasy are used to fill in for the lack of emotional worth. The climax is typical, leading to an epilogue of the forced lead into a potential sequel. Artemis Fowl is a misfire. All the amazing detail (that could have been) is overshadowed with the inference of ‘creating a franchise’. With everything that could have been, this is one that just doesn’t meet anyone’s standards. Its on Disney Plus, but I would pass this one for better options.
Full Score – 1 out of 5 (Mind Numbing)