Posted by Regular blog-readers will be familiar with my love for the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Its one of the smartest, funniest series I’ve ever read. It always baffles me why it never achieved the cult status of the Harry Potter series, but then I think maybe that’s understandable given that the main character Artemis Fowl is an antihero and not the conventional hero of most such YA books.
The Artemis Fowl movie, previously scheduled for a worldwide release in theaters in May, got postponed to a 12th June debut on Disney Hotstar+. I spent my Saturday watching it and here are my thoughts.
Many books don’t translate so well to the screen as is, and need changes in the general plotline to draw audiences. Keeping that in mind, there were quite a few scenes where I went “But that’s not how it is in the book!”
The movie features Judi Dench as Commander Root, Colin Farrell as Artemis Fowl Sr. (who doesn’t really pop up much in the books), and a host of lesser-known faces (at least to me) in the primary roles.
The reviews have practically panned the movie, rightly homing in on the fact that it neither adheres to the books to please the fan base nor does it broaden the story enough to rope in viewers unfamiliar with the source material.
Plot elements from the first two books form the storyline in the film. The movie ends on a note that suggests the unraveling of a franchise, and I for one definitely don’t mind more, but I’d wish the filmmakers stick to the books if they want to retain their loyal readership fan base.
Have you seen the movie? What did you think of it? Any other shows you’d recommend while we’re still closeted indoors? Let me know in the comments!
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