PLOT:
Disney’s “Artemis Fowl,” based on the beloved book by Eoin Colfer, is a fantastical, spellbinding adventure that follows the journey of 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl, a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds, as he desperately tries to save his father who has been kidnapped. In order to pay his ransom, Artemis must infiltrate an ancient, underground civilization—the amazingly advanced world of fairies—and bring the kidnapper the Aculos, the fairies’ most powerful and coveted magical device. To locate the elusive object, cunning Artemis concocts a dangerous plan—so dangerous that he ultimately finds himself in a perilous war of wits with the all-powerful fairies.
REVIEW:
What did I like?
Creatures great and small. This is a film that deals with the world of fantasy. We’re talking elves, dwarves, giants, trolls, etc. There has been a trend in the last, say 20 yrs or so to make said creatures nightmarish looking or, at least, not the bubble gum happy creatures we read about as kids, excluding the Trolls movies, of course. Much has been about this film, good and bad, but one thing that cannot be chided is character design. Much care was taken to make these creatures fit an aesthetic and not look like they are fake. I won’t mention how one set of creatures look like Kreacher from the Harry Potter movies. That is a topic for another time.
Grand Dame. Judi Dench plays the chief of the faeries, who appear to be a sort of police force. At 85 yrs old, she is showing her age, sadly. I think in all of her scenes she stood in one place and barked her lines, but she did so with the eloquence we have come to know her for over the years. Sure, a younger actress who could have gotten in on some of the action would have been more exciting, but sometimes you just have to learn from the masters.
Keep up the pace. Films that drag on are a pet peeve of mine, especially if they are sci-fi/action flicks. There is some lull in this picture, particularly when we are allegedly getting to know our titular character, if that’s what they want to call the little time we spend with him, but for the most part thing move along at a fast enough pace that interest isn’t lost. Now, whether said interest is actually there, is something totally different.
What didn’t I like?
Still not Harry Potter. For the last 20 yrs, give or take, there has been a vested interest in launching YA franchises. 3 have been successful, Harry Potter, Twilight (pains me to say that), and The Hunger Games. Percy Jackson, Divergent, and The Chronicles of Narnia had limited success, but neither is looked at in the light they were meant to and there are countless other failures that have just plain been forgotten. Anyone remember Stardust? What about The Golden Compass? Due to the fact that this film is such a deviation from the source material, and not in a good way, as well as the reception it seems to have been getting, it seems as if this will be one of those forgotten YA attempts. Such a shame, as this could have been something.
Deviations from the book. Until the first trailer for this film was released, I had never heard of this book series. I still haven’t read it, but I do know that there are some major deviations from the source material. Most notably of those is that Artemis is supposed to be the villain, rather than the hero. This was probably changed because sensitive American audiences can’t handle a villainous kid, as opposed to the asshole, entitled kids we get in every other movie. It is my understanding that Artemis Sr is a crime boss, the faerie Holly Smart is actually the protagonist of the series, the film’s villain Opal is more powerful than we see in the few scenes it has. All of this is to say, perhaps they should have left things as they were meant to be, because the changes have not been well received.
That’s entertainment? I’ll be real with you. There was a struggle to keep awake. Had it not been for the climactic showdown at Fowl Manor, i probably would have fallen asleep. Now, this may be the result of watching this on a computer screen rather than the big screen, as this was originally intended (despite the constant delays). Apparently entertainment these days involves a snooty kid, a precocious faerie, and lots of CG.
Final verdict:
The first trailer for Artemis Fowl had me excited. That was until a friend told to me read up on the book, watch it again, and notice the differences. Perhaps had I not done that, I’d probably have had a more entertaining experience. As it is, though, that ruined it for me. That said, this not a horrible film. There is obvious care taken care, particularly with the creatures. The script could use some work and the casting isn’t particularly the best, but this is a film that…exists. Do I recommend it? No, but it is out there if you want to check it out. I probably won’t be doing this again, though.
2 3/4 out of 5 stars
Mystery Man's Musings 