The “Artemis Fowl” book series by Eoin Colfer was first published in 2001. The series follows the tale of a 12 yr old criminal mastermind who delves into the world of fairies and goblins. Built more for juvenile fiction, the series is both whimsical and clever. However, as Disney + recently revealed its movie version of Artemis Fowl, past fans were unsure what to expect. Although, if you have not read the series then it is easy not to have any real expectations at all! For a straight to Disney + release I think it is a great choice for a family movie night! Definitely not crazy action-packed for older kids, but if you have a wide age range, then it is still pretty captivating for ages 5-12.
While there are many things about the movie that I would improve upon (in terms of making it flow a little better and not be as cheesy), the casting of Josh Gad, Collin Farrell, and Judi Dench definitely lent some star power to its release. Although Judi Dench was poorly cast for the role of Commander Root, as she is nothing like the character in the books, it’s hard not to love her in whatever she does! I mean come on, she is Judi Dench! The movie would have been much different however with a proper casting of Commander Root and I kind of wish they had gone that route just for authenticity sake. It was a different role for Josh Gad as well, and his portrayal I actually loved. Normally Gad chooses roles that are comical, but also sweet and kind of fluffy. In Artemis Fowl, Gad still has a comical role, but it is much more raw and gritty and honestly kind of disgusting. He plays the character of Mulch Diggums, who is both gross and endearing at the same time. Its a clever role for him and I liked his performance–definitely one that makes little kids laugh.
As a starter movie, it has potential. Im really hoping it’s not one and done kind of thing, because then the movie will be kind of lame. Similar to how the Percy Jackson series started off and made two okayish movies and then just faded away, making the original movies obsolete. Had they kept going and improving the movies to follow along with the series it could have been so much better!! That was a tragedy, as Percy Jackson is one of the best YA fictions series in a long time, and now people only know it for two lame movies. The “Artemis Fowl’ Book Series might suffer a similar fate if they don’t keep going! With this new straight to streaming movie service that so many are doing right now, it would be a good idea for Artemis Fowl to become a series and keep adding to it with good actors and even better plot sequence and action. Only time will tell! But I did love it as an option for wholesome action and entertainment for younger kids (my 14yr old was bored and my 13yr old was irritated it didn’t follow along with the book, can’t please everyone!) It’s definitely for a younger crowd, and I wouldn’t have paid to see it in the theater, but as part of a streaming service–heck ya!
