Film

Artemis Fowl

Name: Artemis Fowl
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Family
Released: 2020
Cast: Ferdia Shaw, Colin Farrell, Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, Tamara Smart

A 12-year-old criminal prodigy squares off against underground fairies in a globe-trotting adventure that swings wildly between whimsical and serious. It's got charm and spectacle but moves in fits and starts, never quite settling into what it wants to be. For kids who love fast plots and magical heists, and parents willing to roll with it.

TMDb rating

2.8

If you liked this

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A young outsider discovers hidden abilities and forms an unlikely bond with a magical creature. Gorgeously animated, genuinely funny, and emotionally earned—everything Artemis Fowl reaches for but misses.

But If you want something darker or more complex, this lands squarely in family-film comfort zone. Its sincerity might feel slight after Artemis.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief2010

Another young genius hero discovering his place in a hidden magical world, with globe-trotting adventure and mythology as the engine. It has the same DNA and pulls it off with more warmth and humor.

But The effects have aged noticeably, and the tone wobbles between comedy and peril in ways that feel clumsy now. Not as polished as you might want.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief poster

The Golden Compass2007

A child protagonist navigates a richly imagined fantasy world full of strange creatures and high stakes. Visually ambitious and genuinely strange—it commits to its oddness in a way Artemis Fowl admires but can't quite manage.

But It's dark and sometimes genuinely unsettling. The plot races and the ending feels abrupt because the studio lost faith in it.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Artemis Fowl

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves2023

Both center on a young protagonist with special abilities assembling a ragtag team to pull off an impossible plan. D&D succeeds by making the team matter; that's what Artemis Fowl is missing.

A heist built on friendship and found family rather than brilliance alone. It's goofy and earnest and actually understands adventure better than most. The ensemble clicks in a way that proves camaraderie matters more than spectacle.

But The reviews were brutal and audiences stayed away. It looks like a Saturday morning cartoon with a Hollywood budget. If you need something cool or prestigious, keep looking.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves poster

Spy Kids2001

Young heroes outsmarting adults with gadgetry and charm, globe-trotting adventure, and a willingness to be completely bonkers. Robert Rodriguez made something that understood its own silliness without ever winking.

But The aesthetic is aggressively early-2000s, and the romance subplot is cringe-inducing even by that era's standards. It has not aged gracefully.

Tristan & Isolde2006

Gorgeous fantasy adventure that takes itself seriously without becoming ponderous. The action sequences are clear and exciting, and it builds genuine emotional stakes beneath the spectacle.

But It's a legend you may know already, and the film adds little new insight to it. Some of the supporting performances feel undercooked.

A Monster Calls2016

A young boy deals with real grief through conversations with a magical creature. It's serious and imaginative without ever becoming heavy-handed, and it trusts its audience's intelligence completely.

But There's minimal action and almost no spectacle. If you want plot momentum and adventure, this is contemplative and quiet by comparison.

Stardust2007

A fairy-tale adventure that's whimsical, romantic, and genuinely funny. Neil Gaiman's script understands adventure movies—it moves, it surprises, and it has real heart underneath the magic.

But The romance angle might feel slow if you're looking for constant action. Some of the theatrical choices haven't aged perfectly.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe2005

Children stumble into a magical realm and become heroes. The production design is stunning, the battles are genuinely exciting, and it balances wonder with genuine peril.

But It's been adapted dozens of times, so you might feel like you've seen this story already. The pacing occasionally drags in the second act.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe poster

The NeverEnding Story1984

A young reader gets pulled into a magical book where his imagination literally shapes events. It's weird and earnest and visually stunning in ways that feel timeless. The creatures are genuinely inspired.

But The effects are practical and dated-looking by modern standards. The story meanders deliberately, which demands patience you might not have.

The Spiderwick Chronicles2008

Both adapt beloved children's fantasy books about young protagonists discovering hidden magical worlds. Spiderwick commits to the architecture of its source material; Artemis Fowl abandons the book's DNA too easily.

Two kids discover a magical field guide and find themselves pursued by creatures they never knew existed. It's genuinely spooky without being frightening, grounded in real sibling dynamics, and moves with confident purpose.

But It's based on a book series and assumes some familiarity with the world. The climax rushes after building carefully, which feels unsatisfying.

Vox Lux2018

Colin Farrell appears in both, but this is the actual film he's in. More importantly, it shows what happens when a film trusts its own vision completely rather than hedging bets. Farrell's performance here has conviction; in Artemis Fowl, even he seems uncertain about the tone.

Natalie Portman plays a woman reflecting on her rise to fame through a life-altering trauma. It's hypnotic, dark, and genuinely strange—a meditation on ambition and reinvention that builds its own logic.

But It has almost nothing to do with what Artemis Fowl is doing. It's for adults, deeply weird, and Colin Farrell here plays something entirely different. Also it's deliberately alienating.