Artemis Fowl - Film Review

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The 2020 film Artemis Fowl, directed by Kenneth Branagh and produced by Disney, is an adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s beloved book series of the same name. The film, originally intended to launch a franchise, was widely criticized for its deviations from the source material, lacklustre storytelling, and inconsistent world-building.

The film follows Artemis Fowl II (Ferdia Shaw), a 12-year-old genius and the son of Artemis Fowl Sr. (Colin Farrell), a wealthy businessman with alleged ties to the criminal underworld. When his father mysteriously disappears, Artemis discovers that his family has secretly been dealing with an underground world of fairies. With the help of his bodyguard Domovoi Butler (Nonso Anozie), his niece Juliet Butler (Tamara Smart), and a captive fairy named Holly Short (Lara McDonnell), Artemis embarks on a mission to retrieve a powerful magical artefact called the Aculos. He must do this before the villain Opal Koboi, an unseen dark force, gains control over it.

The movie takes significant liberties with the source material. Unlike the book, where Artemis is a cunning antihero who kidnaps a fairy to extort gold, the film rebrands him as a "heroic" boy trying to save his father. This fundamental shift in character dynamics weakens the narrative, removing the morally complex nature of the protagonist that made the original story compelling.

In the books, Artemis is an antihero with a brilliant yet morally ambiguous mind, slowly developing into a more ethical person over time. The film, however, presents him as an already noble protagonist, stripping away his defining character arc.

The film introduces the Aculos, a completely new artefact that doesn’t exist in the books. This addition streamlines the story into a more generic "find the powerful object" narrative, which is common in many fantasy and superhero films. Opal Koboi, a major villain in the books, is introduced but remains unseen and undeveloped, reducing the tension and stakes.

In the book, Juliet is Butler’s younger sister with minimal involvement in major events. The film expands her role but doesn’t give her meaningful development.

Artemis Fowl II (Ferdia Shaw): Ferdia Shaw’s performance as Artemis Fowl was met with criticism, largely due to the writing rather than his acting ability. Artemis lacks the intelligence, charm, and moral ambiguity that define him in the books. His dialogue often feels forced, and he rarely displays the level of strategic thinking expected from a "criminal mastermind." His transformation from an antihero into a generic "chosen one" weakens the film’s emotional core.

Holly Short (Lara McDonnell): Holly, a fairy officer in the Lower Elements Police (LEP), is one of the more faithful adaptations in the movie. However, the film rushes her relationship with Artemis, failing to capture the tension and eventual camaraderie that develops in the book. Lara McDonnell delivers a competent performance but is hindered by poor dialogue and rushed character development.



Domovoi Butler (Nonso Anozie): In the books, Butler is a formidable, highly trained bodyguard with deep loyalty to Artemis. The film attempts to showcase his protective nature but makes unnecessary changes, such as giving him a niece (Juliet) as a secondary character. The controversy surrounding Butler’s race change was also poorly handled, with many fans feeling that his characterization was diminished rather than enhanced.

Mulch Diggums (Josh Gad): Josh Gad’s portrayal of Mulch Diggums, a giant dwarf thief, serves as the film’s narrator. His character, which should have been a comedic sidekick, is overused and given an unnecessary backstory as a giant dwarf. The decision to make him the film’s narrator also weakens the storytelling, as it relies heavily on exposition rather than organic world-building.

Opal Koboi (Unseen Antagonist): The film fails to establish Opal as a credible threat. In the books, Opal is a brilliant and dangerous fairy scientist. In the movie, she is merely a shadowy figure issuing threats, making her forgettable and ineffective as the primary antagonist.

Artemis Fowl Sr. (Colin Farrell): The movie significantly increases Artemis Fowl Sr.'s presence, which is not in the first book. While Colin Farrell delivers a solid performance, his expanded role shifts the focus away from Artemis Jr.'s independent character development.

The most significant issue with the film is its oversimplification of morality. The book’s strength was its morally ambiguous protagonist, who slowly develops empathy. The film, however, paints Artemis as a "chosen hero," making his journey far less interesting.

The Artemis Fowl books contain a richly detailed underground fairy world, with advanced technology, bureaucracy, and societal divisions. The movie fails to capture this, presenting a generic fantasy setting without depth. The LEP, for instance, is introduced but never properly explored.

Instead of showing the audience how the world works, the movie relies heavily on narration from Mulch Diggums, making the storytelling feel lazy and uninspired.

The father-son relationship is meant to be a driving force, but because Artemis Sr. spends most of the movie missing, there is little emotional weight behind Artemis Jr.'s journey. The friendships Artemis forms with Holly and Butler also feel rushed and underdeveloped.

Kenneth Branagh is known for his grand visual storytelling, but Artemis Fowl lacks a distinctive cinematic style. The camera work is competent but uninspired, failing to capture the sense of wonder and danger present in the books.

The CGI is inconsistent, with some well-executed scenes (such as the time-stop sequence) but also many underwhelming ones. The fairy world, in particular, looks generic compared to other fantasy films. Patrick Doyle’s score is serviceable but forgettable. Unlike iconic fantasy film scores (such as Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings), the music in Artemis Fowl does not leave a lasting impression.

Artemis Fowl received overwhelmingly negative reviews. It holds a low rating on Rotten Tomatoes (9% from critics), with critics citing poor writing, lacklustre characters, and deviations from the source material as primary flaws.

Initially slated for a theatrical release, the film was instead released on Disney+ due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision likely saved Disney from an even greater financial loss, as the film would have struggled at the box office.

Longtime fans of the book series were particularly disappointed, as the movie failed to capture the essence of the source material. Many compared it to other failed adaptations like Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010).

Artemis Fowl had the potential to launch a successful fantasy franchise, but poor writing choices, lacklustre world-building, and weak character development ultimately doomed the film. By stripping away the complexity of Artemis Fowl's character and replacing it with a generic hero’s journey, Disney alienated both fans and new audiences.

A more faithful adaptation—focusing on Artemis as an antihero, properly developing his relationships, and expanding the underground fairy world—could have resulted in a compelling franchise. As it stands, Artemis Fowl remains one of Disney’s most disappointing live-action films, serving as a cautionary tale for future book-to-film adaptations.

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