Artemis Fowl Now Streaming On Disney+
The trailer for Artemis Fowl piqued my interest. I knew it was a kids movie, but I was interested nonetheless. The story seemed interesting, and I was particularly looking forward to a spectacular performance from Colin Farrell. I never read the books, so I went in with no preconceived expectations.
Synopsis
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 (Ferdia Shaw). He is the descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds. The story shows Artemis as he seeks to find his father, Artemis Fowl Sr. (Colin Farrell), who has mysteriously disappeared. With the help of his loyal protector, Dom Butler (Nonso Anozie), Artemis sets out to find his father, and in doing so uncovers an ancient, underground civilization — the amazingly advanced world of fairies. Deducing that his father’s disappearance is somehow connected to the secretive, reclusive fairy world, cunning Artemis concocts a dangerous plan — so dangerous that he ultimately finds himself in a perilous war of wits with the all-powerful fairies.
I was immediately taken aback by Josh Gad’s narrating. He is using an intentionally gruff voice which makes sense for his role, but it still sounds unnatural and quickly begins to grate on the ears. The movie starts out well enough providing character background and building the story, but it quickly devolves into a typical, predictable kids action movie. Several side stories seem rushed and irrelevant to the movie’s primary plot. Colin Farrell also has a much smaller role than I anticipated (which I probably would have known had I read the books). The movie did clearly set up for a sequel which I would expect Farrell to play a larger role in. For his part as the main protagonist, I think Ferida Shaw performs very well.
Verdict
It’s a decently fun movie, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are watching with your kids. For the adults, I give this movie a 5/10. That said, I think the kids will thoroughly enjoy it.
Read more spoiler free movie reviews on Nerdtropolis.
Watch Artemis Fowl on Disney+.