Artemis Fowl Review Round-Up: What Did The Critics Think?

Disney is releasing its new sci-fi/adventure film Artemis Fowl on Disney+ this weekend, bypassing the normal theatrical release format. Naturally, there are a lot of eyes on Artemis Fowl – if not on the movie itself, then on how well it will perform with viewers, and what those numbers could mean for the future of the film industry. In that sense, the reviews of Artemis Fowl are going to be more important than usual, as critical reviews and word-of-mouth are both crucial to giving this movie legs on Disney+. So what are critics saying about Artemis Fowl right now? See for yourself, below:

Destined to Stream

Comicbook.com‘s Charlie Ridgely says that Artemis Fowl was never going to be a major player as a theatrical release: “Artemis Fowl is clearly for kids, but that’s not a good enough excuse. Kids deserve better than this mess, and so do the adults who have to suffer through it with them. Artemis may think himself a criminal mastermind, but the only crime in this film is the film itself. Moving it to Disney+ might be the smartest decision the Mouse has made all year.”

Warm and Funny At-Home Entertainment

Richard Roeper says that “though it would have been lovely to take in the lavish set pieces and the cool CGI creations and the whiz-bang action sequences on the big screen, ‘Artemis Fowl’ still plays well as a warm and funny and entertaining at-home family viewing experience.”

Unfortunately, that’s about where the good reviews end… 

Hollow Franchise-Starter

NYT‘s Ben Kenigsberg says “The latest movie, based on a novel in the young-adult series by Eoin Colfer, projects absolutely nothing beyond a desire to kick-start a new hotshot franchise: Coming soon! Seven sequels. Insert original here.“

Not Harry Potter

It was clear that Disney was going for a Harry Potter franchise of its own, but according to Variety, “‘Artemis Fowl’ was supposed to be Disney’s ‘Harry Potter,’… Instead, it arrives 20 years on, a very late addition to an already overcrowded genre, adding little but noise, garish CGI and more convoluted mythology about the supposedly real civilizations of magical folk…that live among us.

Franchise-Killer

THR states that the Artemis Fowl movie may succeed in shrinking the franchise’s popularity (25 million books sold worldwide), rather than growing it: “This long-in-development adaptation, directed with misplaced bravado by Kenneth Branagh, has enough plot for four or five movies, none of which you will want to see. The idea of bringing a popular YA franchise — more than 25 million copies sold worldwide — to the screen is to expand the fan base, not shrink it.”

Not Worth The Cost

Collider says that even though you already have a Disney+ subscription, Artemis Fowl still isn’t worth the cost in time to watch: “I can’t imagine this movie pleasing anyone. It’s drastically different than the book it’s based upon… ‘Artemis Fowl’ struggles to cohere let alone tell an interesting tale. Sure, you can watch it on Disney+, but you could also find countless other ways to better spend 95 minutes of your time.”

Good Bad Guy

Elements of Madness likes how Artemis Fowl makes changes to the titular character, basically making him a villain worth watching: “Fans, take comfort in knowing that while this may not be the exact representation you know, there’s little doubt that Artemis is a different sort of villain to root for.”