Artemis Fowl

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date (Streaming): June 12, 2020

2.8	USER SCORE Generally unfavorable reviews based on 167 Ratings

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DubeauJun 12, 2020

Artemis had a promising start but the story was average. The actors were pretty good, even the young ones but the lines they had, were not very good. They often felt disconnected. That broke the logic and brought confusion into the story. TheArtemis had a promising start but the story was average. The actors were pretty good, even the young ones but the lines they had, were not very good. They often felt disconnected. That broke the logic and brought confusion into the story. The narrating didn't work. It was a gimmick to try to clarified the story. The FX are decent. I though the costumes were pretty bad, especially for the fairies. The soundtrack was ok. I give it 52%. I mainly give this score because Lara McDonnell was really good in her role. Quite frankly, she should have been the main lead in this unfocused story.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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VadertimeJun 16, 2020

This was barely a watcheable movie. The only thing interesting were the CGI effects. The story was a bit lame and the characters were paper thin. If you have nothing better to do with 90+ minutes of your life, then watch this. Otherwise,This was barely a watcheable movie. The only thing interesting were the CGI effects. The story was a bit lame and the characters were paper thin. If you have nothing better to do with 90+ minutes of your life, then watch this. Otherwise, catch something better. A lot of the foreign movies on Netflix have better stories than this movie. Ciao.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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Davrosdaleks1Jun 13, 2020

A movie version of the Artemis Fowl book has been in and out of production since '01. We finally get it, and wow, this wasn't worth it. This a very disappointing adaptation. Especially surprising is that this is brought to us from Disney andA movie version of the Artemis Fowl book has been in and out of production since '01. We finally get it, and wow, this wasn't worth it. This a very disappointing adaptation. Especially surprising is that this is brought to us from Disney and director Kenneth Brannagh (Thor, Murder on the Orient Express, Cinderella).

The problem is that this is a bunch of quick short scenes and characters thrown at us one after the other with very little impact. Heck, the character of Artemis' friend Juliet (played by Tamara Smart) feels like an afterthought and barely functioning character, used so sparingly despite being around the main action most of the time.

I think there was a lot of trouble in editing and reshoots. There is one very clear moment of poor dub work.

The barrage of scenes and characters results in a complete and utter lack of being able to become invested or relate to the characters. The only character who feels completely developed is large dwarf Mulch Diggums (Josh Gad). I feel that Disney may have felt he went best with test audiences and pushed all the attention onto him.

The biggest issue is the presentation of Artemis Fowl (Ferdia Shaw) himself. He's a criminal genius in the book, but that isn't well represented here. He's still smart, but the choppy editing doesn't much make it feel like he's a master strategist. He's watered down from an antihero to a more traditional protagonist. It's Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain all over again. The studio feels that an antihero may not sit well with parents and they water the product down. The director and/or studio also tweak Artemis' backstory, which was a mistake. (There are good movie adaptations where they change things. This just isn't one of them). They give a frustratingly basic and uninvolving story for Artemis. The characters' setup scenes are some of the dullest moments. Plus, the backstory pales in comparison to the original. The movie doesn't seem to have much faith in Artemis as he doesn't even seem to the be the main focus. Shaw also gives a rather dull performance.

Last complaint: there are a couple moments that look like they might be death scenes, but I don't think they were supposed to be. It's very poorly handled.

To the movie's credit, there is a good line once in a while. Gad and Judi Dench as an elf commander do a good job. Nonso Anozie as Artemis' bodyguard seemed like fun, but he just wasn't given enough attention. Being a Brannagh movie, it looks nice but it doesn't quite compare to some of his other recent works.

You can avoid this one, especially if you're a fan of the book. It's not painfully bad, just barely functioning.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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The_Man_XXJun 22, 2020

This movie was just strange, when i saw the overwhelmingly negative reviews i thought i would hate this movie when i watched it but i don't. Yes it's a bad movie but almost everything about it was strange.

Let's start of with the good. WellThis movie was just strange, when i saw the overwhelmingly negative reviews i thought i would hate this movie when i watched it but i don't. Yes it's a bad movie but almost everything about it was strange.

Let's start of with the good. Well Lara McDonnell gave a decent performance as Holly Short, her character had an underdeveloped plot but i liked her performance in the movie. I know i'm in the minority in this but i mostly liked Josh Gad in this movie, yes the narration was unneeded, the grouchy voice was annoying (it's even addressed in the movie) and some of the scenes involving his CGI use was horrible but i enjoyed the charisma and witt he brought in the movie. He played as a tall dwarf and he looked like the only one having fun in that movie so yeah Josh Gad was a silver lining.

The concept and potential was there and interesting as well, the first act was not that bad as you are introduced to the other worlds of Artemis Fowl like the fairy kingdom was an interesting concept and the CGI was decent early in the movie too but that potential was never realized. Being a Kenneth Branagh movie some shots looked nice and well directed AT TIMES with some decent set pieces here and there.

Now the Bad. Ferdia Shaw who played Artemis Fowl had a hammy performance throughout the movie, at times he seemed too monotone and stoic and the other he seemed to be over-acting, it wasn't a terrible performance as he got a lot better during the third act but that was one of the many problems of the movie. Another problem was how scenes seemed to be stitched together and all over the place. Not to give anything away but the majority of the movie takes place in a House.

The runtime is 1hr 30 minutes and it seems some scenes were removed and the pacing was too fast and dodgy as you're not given time to fully flesh out characters and the runtime is just filled with exposition and world building but you're never given time to care about the characters or the plot. Judy Dench also gave a weird performance with a grouchy voice, The CGI got bad real fast and this is a big budget movie mind you especially with some bad action sequences.

The heist aspect of the movie took a backseat as most of it was explained through narration which took away any thrill or suspense. The villain was awful as he/she has a generic motivation to take over the world and i don't mind that but there is no backstory or any reason to be invested in the villain so it just ends up being generic movie bad guy 101 oh and he/she has a grouchy voice, i have no idea why this movie had an obsession with grouchy voices.

Colin Farrell as Artemis' father had the potential to be an interesting character but as soon as you're introduced to him, he is immediately gone. The adventure aspect is also poorly executed and the way how the main conflict is resolved is just baffling. Like i said the whole movie was strange, Also some scenes drag on and we are talking about a 1hr 30 minute movie here and the story never goes to interesting places and again you never care for the characters. So overall, didn't hate his movie, but it's not a good movie by any means.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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GeraltDaWitcherJul 1, 2020

Very boring movie, Holly was the only interesting character. Thank God is was a short movie

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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ethrikerJun 16, 2020

Having read all of the Artemis Fowl books myself, I will tell you that this movie completely misses the mark in terms of faithfulness to the original series. No longer is Artemis a cold, debonair child prodigy; instead, he comes off as aHaving read all of the Artemis Fowl books myself, I will tell you that this movie completely misses the mark in terms of faithfulness to the original series. No longer is Artemis a cold, debonair child prodigy; instead, he comes off as a scared boy trying to understand what is happening around him. Fans of Eoin Colfer's writing style will almost certainly be disappointed by this adaptation. The plot comes off as basic and the characters shallow and underdeveloped. The few scenes that do stay true to the series seem to have been taken out of the various books published in the Artemis Fowl series and mashed together haphazardly. Despite this, I would say the adaptation is a good way to pass time for young children. It certainly keeps their eyes glued to the screen, as you would expect any fantasy-based film with copious amounts of CGI would. Overall, the movie, while bad, wasn't a complete disaster and had some level of entertainment.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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dr_zoidberg590Jun 17, 2020

Appalling dialogue, patronises the adult audience who are the people who loved the books on release, garish faked Irish accents on all characters, (just employ someone with that accent) THERE MUST BE A SEQUEL - So They can actualise theAppalling dialogue, patronises the adult audience who are the people who loved the books on release, garish faked Irish accents on all characters, (just employ someone with that accent) THERE MUST BE A SEQUEL - So They can actualise the author's intention. Do This Franchise justice and don't back down!
Or is this where Netflix steps in and reboots to save us all?… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Voodoo123Oct 20, 2020

I came in fresh, no knowledge of the book series and have to say I enjoyed myself. Fantastic techno-fantasy action adventure film with a talented cast. While it's certainly not the best in its field, it was executed to a high productionI came in fresh, no knowledge of the book series and have to say I enjoyed myself. Fantastic techno-fantasy action adventure film with a talented cast. While it's certainly not the best in its field, it was executed to a high production standard. Easily worth your time if you enjoy the fantasy / action / adventure genre.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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