Comics & Literature

Artemis Fowl From Disney Alters The Books

Published

3 years ago

October 19, 2020

Film vs. Book

Artemis Fowl was a big hit back in the early 00s. Many were drawn into the tale of the 12-year-old criminal mastermind. The books were exciting, charismatic, and energetic. Although the series didn’t quite become a global phenomenon like other pre-teen books of its time (here’s looking at you, Rowling). Preteens couldn’t help but find Artemis’ shenanigans endearing. Then this year Disney Plus released an Artemis Fowl adaptation which completely alters the books.

With the first of the books being such a hit back in 2001. It was a given that nostalgic fans would rejoice at Disney’s announcement to adapt the series. That was until the film released earlier this year. The reviews were harsh, but unfortunately not completely uncalled for if you were a Fowl fan.

It’s no shocker that Disney enjoys adding their own spin to originals. It’s what makes them a great contender in the filming business. But, Disney is not immune to the odd movie flop and it appears that Artemis Fowl fell into this category according to reviews.

But why was the movie so poorly received? Although the cinematography was pretty impressive, and big names were cast. It’s the story line that caused an uproar from beloved fans.

Let’s take a look at some key differences between the first two books and the 2020 film.

Becoming a criminal mastermind

In the written series Artemis Fowl is a mini villain who gradually becomes the antihero of the story. Eoin Colfer even described the first instalment as ‘Die Hard with fairies’. Anyone who read the books knows that the twelve-year-old was a criminal genius from the get-go. Absorbed in the family business, he spent years learning how to take over from his father.

But, the film takes a different route. Artemis gets sucked into the crime world only with the disappearance of his father. Artemis Sr. (played by Colin Farrell) is taken by a mysterious hooded figure.

Artemis is also less villainous in the film. Instead, he adopts a softer approach. This does cause some confusion towards the end of the film. He is characterised as a criminal mastermind which doesn’t quite fit the bill.

Artemis is amoral from the start of the book. This makes his transition to anti-heroism that much sweeter.

The film integrates the first two books

The general layout of the film is like the timeline of the books. But it was the second novel The Artic Incident where Artemis’ father vanishes. In the first book of the series, we followed the story of how Artemis kidnapped the fairy Holly Short to steal gold.

The movie seems to incorporate the first two novels, mixing storylines in an attempt to pave a new plot. This includes swapping the villain of the second book with a mysterious figure. This doesn’t cause a harrowing issue, but it is confusing for those who read the original books.

Though, it does pave the way for a sequel.

The backstory of Holly Short

Speaking of Holly Short, Artemis Fowl(2020) has given the fairy a new backstory.

The screen adaptation shows Captain Holly to be the daughter of Beechwood Short. Beechwood is a traitor to the fairy world. Holly seeks to absolve him from blame.

Holly and Artemis’ friendship timeline also differs. The movie shows the two becoming closer as the story progresses. But they did not form a friendship until much further on in the written series.

Unfortunately, due to the changes in central plots. Holly is a less distinguished character in the film as she was in the first novel.

The customary suit outfit

The suit, which plays a huge part in Artemis Fowl’s character, doesn’t make as much of an appearance in the movie. He begins the film wearing a hooded top and jeans, gradually adopting his smarter image.

Ferdia Shaw (Artemis Fowl Jr.) portrays his character as more athletic. The book describes the preteen to be pale and out of shape, he also despises the outdoors. He chooses to spend most of his time at his computer, seeking new criminal ideas.

Perhaps Disney chose to make the lead a more relatable character.

The Aculous

Another of Disney’s new additions to the adaptation. The Aculous did not appear in any aspect of the original saga.

The first book follows the plot of Artemis seeking to steal gold from the fairy world. He kidnaps Holly Short in the hopes of claiming it. Yet, in the film, it is the Aculous which causes sets the premise for the movie plot. The acorn-shaped item is the key which opens a portal to the fairy world. Though, the acorn-esque style could be a discreet nod to the acorn that Holly Short uses to regain her magic.

Overview

All in all, when placed next to the books the film doesn’t quite hit the mark. But, if your childhood was not shaped by the great works of Eoin Colfer. And you are not familiar with the wonderfully-written series, then all is not lost.

As a separate entity to its original literary appearance, Artemis Fowl (2020) from Disney is action-packed. The cinematography is great, and the cast is pretty superb.

CULTURE CROSSING SCORE 3/10

Thanks for reading about how the Disney Artemis Fowl adaptation completely alters the original series. It’s currently streaming on Disney Plus. Do you agree or disagree with our points or have anything to add? If so, leave us a comment below.

Read more of our movie and literature crossovers HERE

Read IMDB information about Artemis Fowl HERE.

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Comics & Literature

DC Fandome 2021 – Revelations, Trailers and the future

Published

2 years ago

October 18, 2021

Sarah Casserley

At the recent virtual DC Fandome 2021 over 66 million fans tuned in across 220 countries. They listened in 12 different languages. All to find out the scoop on what’s to come for the comic book franchise, new DC revelations and even watch trailers of soon to be released films and TV shows.

But, if you weren’t one of the millions to be watching from home, below is the Film, TV and Gaming announcements and revelations that would interest any DC fan.

FILMS

Black Adam

DC Fandome 2021 started with a world exclusive trailer of Black Adam! The man himself Dwayne Johnson. Along with a host of the films other stars including Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo. They introduce themselves and the exclusive trailer.

During the 4-minute intro below, you see Johnson excitably launch his passion project. He explains how much the Black Adam universe means to him. We are also told that the film is currently in post-production with the film being released on the 29th of July 2022.

We don’t get much information or storyline from the trailer. But Dwayne’s enthusiasm for the character and the gritty darkness of what we do get in the trailer is enough, for now, to keep us excited about this Movie.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

During the day’s events, Jason Momoa was on hand to give fans an in-depth dive into the world of Aquaman. Firstly, apologising for the four-year wait. However, Momoa and director James Wan appeased fans with a host of behind-the-scenes clips. Plus a glimpse of some unusual conceptual art. Which included quirky looking desert creatures and giant grasshoppers.

We have also been promised by Wan that we are going to be getting a film that’s more mature, giving the audience something new, exciting and an experience we haven’t seen before. The 2-and-a-half-minute look into the sequel, below, was enough to make any fan excited for its theatrical release in December 2022.

DC’s League of Super-Pets

A fun animated adventure was also announced. DC’s League of Super-Pets will bring super-pets like Krypto and Ace the Bat-Hound to life for the first time.

In an exclusive trailer, fans were introduced to the two pups, voiced by Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, in a light-hearted look into the film. The full movie voice by the comedy pairing along with some other famous names such as Keanu Reeves and Vanessa Bayer is set to be released next November.

The Flash

Another film trailer to hit the DC Fandome 2021 screens was The Flash. Portrayed once again by Ezra Miller and directed by Andy Muschietti. Fans were introduced to the trailer and the concept of the film, where the Flash unlocks the DC cinematic universe. He time hops back to the ’90s where Michael Keaton, reprises his role, he originated in 1989’s ‘Batman’ and 1992’s ‘Batman Returns’.

We’re elated that we get another film with Michael Keaton as Batman. Even if the storyline does sound a little farfetched. We’re sure Muschietti will get the narrative across perfectly and the film will be an instant hit. The film is due to hit cinemas in November 2022.

The Batman

The DC Fandome 2021 team knew exactly what they were doing when they left the release of the second Batman trailer to the very end of the day. Like fans around the world, we also couldn’t wait to see more of Patterson, fully suited up, showcasing his gritty take on the hero. Director Matt Reeves, Robert Pattinson (Batman) and Zoe Kravitz (Selina Kyle/ cat woman) were there to lead the trailers release.

Granted the jury is still out if Patterson can pull of the dark knight or not but we have to admit we are excited to see him in action. We also have a sneaky suspicion that for the first time in a film setting since Michelle Pfeifferthey may have nailed the casting for Selina Kyle with Zoe Kravitz. We don’t have long left to find all this out though, as after a few Covid related interruptions Batman is now set to be released in theatres on March 4th, 2022.

Injustice and Catwoman: Hunted

If some of these DC film releases seem a little far away, fear not because we were also made aware that two animated films will be released quite soon. With Injustice’s release this October and an anime-inspired animated DC offering in the form of Catwoman on February the 8th 2022, both the feature-length animations will be available on digital, 4K and Blu-ray. To take a sneak peak of Catwoman: Hunted you can watch the trailer below.

RETURNING TV

When it came to the TV side of the DC world there were a lot of announcements and trailers mainly around continuing shows such as, Titans, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Stargirl along with the more anticipated trailers for:

Batwoman

Has been renewed for another season, despite the departure of Ruby Rose. The new trailer showcased its new Batwoman – Ryan Wilder played by Javicia Leslie.

Doom Patrol

Is set to be returning for a fourth season. During the announcement followers of the show were treated to a wonderfully odd and endearing mid-season trailer.

The Flash

Is set for yet another inter-universe team up as The Flash team takes on a deadly mission against the ‘Armageddon’ villains. Which could decide the fate of humankind. The villainous gang is headed up by Tony Cuttan as Despero, Arrowverse’s Tom Cavanagh as Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash and Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk.

NEW TV

Peacemaker

First seen in this summer’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ Movie, John Cena’s comedic take of the Peacemaker is set to have its own HBO Max show. The fun and quirky trailer to the first series premiered at the event. Along with a behind the scenes look at the making of the series. It shows that director James Gunn is staying true to his unique, comedic style. The Trailer also shows the other great actors involved in the series including the hilarious ‘Orange is the New Black’ star Danielle Brooks, Christopher Heyerdahl, Robert Patrick and Jennifer Holland. This eight-episode series is set to be released on 13 January.

The Sandman

Viewers of the event didn’t find out much about this Netflix offering. But we did get glimpses of Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar. Wwhich let’s be honest along with the announcement that this is actually happening, is enough to get most of us DC fans excited about its release. There is no release date yet but I’m sure over the coming months there will be more announcements about this extraordinarily dark and forbidding series.

NAOMI

Based on the comic book series of the same name created by Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker and Jamal Campbell. The TV adaptation of the story was announced with a one-minute ten-second trailer. This superhero drama is based around a comic book-loving teenager who discovers she has superpowers. Her curiosity leads her onto a journey into the Multiverse in search of answers. We haven’t got a definitive release date yet, but we have been promised it will be in 2022.

GAMES

Suicide squad: Kill the Justice League

Since the announcement of this game at last year’s Fandome we haven’t had much information or even any gameplay footage. However, at this year’s event, we did get quite an in-depth trailer and a little look at the storyline. In this game, the player gets a choice of playing Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang or Deadshot. As they take on a new mission against an alien threat that has brainwashed the Justice League. There is still no hint to a release date or even a gameplay trailer, but we have been assured 2022 will be full of hints about the game and hopefully a conclusive release date.

Gotham Knights

Another game trailer that was released at the Fandome, that excited fans across the world was Gotham Knights. Continuing its Arkham-style adventures, Games Montreal has been working hard on the narrative and gameplay functions of this game. This game, in particular, was supposed to be released sometime in 2021 but it was delayed and we have now got a 2022 release time frame.

In this game you get to play a number of characters including Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin, and Red Hood in an open-world action online RPG in order to uncover secrets and take down the Court of Owls.

So there you have it, some of the top DC new from the Fandome 2021. What do you think about all the new announcements? What are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below..

Read our review of DC’s The Suicide Squad HERE.