Streaming Service: Disney+
Movie Name/Year: Artemis
Fowl (2020)
Genre:
Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Length:
95 minutes
Rating: PG
Production/Distribution: Walt
Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Tribeca Productions, Marzano Films, Disney+
Director: Kenneth
Branagh
Writers: Conor
McPherson, Hamish McColl, Eoin Colfer
Actors: Josh
Gad, Judi Dench, Colin Farrell, Ferdia Shaw, Nonso Anozie, Lara McDonnell,
Tamara Smart, Nikesh Patel, Adrian Scarborough, Jake Davies, William Moseley,
Sally Messham, Grace Molony, Molly Harris, Matt Jessup, Joshua McGuire, Michael
Abubakar, Arian Nik
Blurb from IMDb: Artemis
Fowl, a young criminal prodigy, hunts down a secret society of fairies to find
his missing father.
Cat’s Point of View:
I feel I must open my review with the disclosure that I have
not yet read the Artemis Fowl book
series. My love of the fantastical and all things Irish pulls me towards
the books; however, my to-read list grows by the day. What a problem to have,
though, right? I digress.
The general consensus I’ve noticed from far and wide is that
if you love the books, you might not enjoy the movie quite so much. There were
evidently some big changes. From what I’ve gathered through various online
sources and even IMDb’s Trivia section for the film, I can’t say that I blame
fans for being a bit miffed.
The movie rights were gained before the books hit the
shelves, however, and it’s been knocking about development hell since 2001; so
one could generally expect a few hiccups along the way. Then you add into
consideration Sir Kenneth Branagh (Jack
Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Cinderella, All Is True) at the helm, directing, and
you get a little inkling of where things went a hair sideways.
Branagh’s work is known for being visually stunning and
cinematically complicated – if a bit eccentric. One example of his hand in some
of the changes that likely have die-hard fans up in arms is the casting of Nonso
Anozie (Zoo, 7 Days in Entebbe, The
Laundromat) in the role of Dom Butler. Apparently, the character in the
books is supposed to be of an ethnicity where it’s hard to determine where he’s
from and thus makes it easier for him to blend in. Anozie is certainly not
someone that blends in easily. Added to that, there were some rather
interesting aesthetics used for his character in the movie that would make it
even harder to do so.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of Anozie’s work and I loved
him in this role. He’s just not likely who anyone was expecting.
Considering the series author, Eoin Colfer (Prodigy, Half Moon Investigations, Poison
Pen), took an active role in the film, quite literally, as a cameo
character; one would think he was on board with this vision of his work. He’s
stated in interviews that he found watching the film surreal due to the amalgamation of his imagination and Branagh’s, but that he was ultimately happy
to be involved with the project.
Aside from those issues, the film had an unbelievably
talented cast, for the most part. Dame Judi Dench (Skyfall, Tulip Fever, Red Joan) was outstanding in her role as
Commander Root, delivering the serious and gruff, but motherly, touch harkening
back to her role as M in the Bond movies. Colin Farrell (Widows, Dumbo, The Gentlemen), who is known for being a little
eccentric with his own movie choices, knocked the role of Artemis, Sr. out of
the park – even though he didn’t get nearly as much screen time as I would have
liked.
Josh Gad (Beauty and
the Beast, Murder on the Orient Express, Little Monsters) was probably my
favorite of all with his character’s wit and sleight of hand mastery. Even
relative newcomer, Lara McDonnell (Love
Rosie, Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters, The Delinquent Season) gave a
rousing performance. I completely bought into her character’s inner conflict
and desire to clear her father’s name.
Of course, we have to address the elephant in the room – the
fact that this movie simply didn’t live up to its potential.
My heart soared with the lilting Irish whistle in the film's score. The effects and costumes for the fairies and their kin were also well done. Some of the scenes, however, were a bit frenetic – having a few too
many bells and whistles when something a little simpler would have been fine.
Instead, it felt a bit like Branagh had borrowed a few notes from Michael Bay (Armageddon, Transformers, Pain & Gain).
That, by itself, wouldn’t be enough to steer me away from
the movie. When you add it to a lackluster performance from the movie’s main
and title character, however, there’s something amiss in Denmark.
To be fair, this is Ferdia Shaw’s first and only acting
credit in IMDb. He’s got raw talent that he likely hasn’t had a chance to tap
into yet, much less refine. In time, I’d like to see where his career takes him
– but for now, this wasn’t entirely the part for him. Visually, he was
believable as the young Artemis. He hit all the right points aesthetically.
Unfortunately, he lost me in his rather wooden delivery of the dialogue.
I wanted this movie to be good. It was at the top of our
lists for this month. It’s not horrible, though. The good elements certainly
outweigh the iffy ones. If only those same iffy bits weren’t glaringly front
and center. All told, I’d say this was generally at or below par for a standard
Disney Channel movie. The fact that it premiered on Disney+ rather than the
global box-office likely worked in the film’s favor. If you have kids to
entertain on a summer day, this movie wouldn't be a bad choice.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score –
10%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –
21%
Metascore –
31/100
Metacritic User Score –
3.2/10
IMDB Score –
4.0/10
CinemaScore –
None
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating –
3/5
Movie Trailer:
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