Cinderella, But sadly his latest effort for the Mouse House is a strictly by-the-numbers film version of the first couple of books of Irish author Eoin Colfer’sseries. Although the lead character in the books is somewhat edgy and darker than your average YA novel kid, this effort has been Disney-fied to a distressing degree, basically taking all the fun and quirkiness from the tale of a genius 12-year-old who is the latest in a long line of family criminal masterminds.
Plot-wise, Artemis Fowl Sr. , a criminal mastermind par excellence, has been kidnapped by nefarious forces — a development that leads his uber-bright son to set out and rescue him. To do that, he must pay a unique ransom , one that leads him to an ancient underground civilization of fairies led by the no-nonsense Commander Root . Fowl Jr. somehow must get his hands on the Aculos , the fairy world’s most prized possession with its extraordinary powers.
He sets a plan in motion with help from a ragtag group including a giant dwarf named Mulch Diggums , whose own motivations are highly questionable; a shining-star pixie named Holly Short ; and the ever-loyal and imposing Butler and briefly seen Juliet . This all leads to a battle of wits with the fairie clan, and endless EFX sequences that are serviceable at best when they instead should sparkle.
Again, this probably will be just what the doctor ordered for entertainment-starved young ones who have been waiting for a screen version ofone that comes at an especially welcome time for families still stuck largely in quarantine. However, as a launch — of sorts — to large-scale summer tentpole-style movies, it comes as a disappointment to just about anyone else, especially Branagh fans. This one is near the bottom of the pile in an otherwise smart and stylish filmography.
Conor McPherson and Hamish McColl supplied the script and throw in some occasionally wink-wink dialogue and wisecracks , but they do no favors for young Shaw, who doesn’t have the chops to make Artemis come alive onscreen. Veteran pros like Farrell and Dame Dench do what they can, but only Gad seems to have his heart in this. McDonnell does make a charming fairy, and Anozie is a welcome presence during his screen time., but that plan changed for obvious reasons.
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