Artemis Fowl (2020)

July 14, 2020

551 5 minutes read

Film and Plot Synopsis

Artemis Fowl Jr. is an extremely bright but defiant young boy who longs to spend time with his often gone father, Artemis Fowl Sr. However, when his father mysteriously disappears, Artemis Jr. finds that there is a secret world of magic filled with mysterious creatures such as trolls, dwarves, and fairies. When a dangerous figure contacts Artemis Jr. and offers to exchange his father for a magical artifact, Artemis must choose between saving his father and saving humanity.

‘Artemis Fowl’ Movie Summary

The summary below contains spoilers.

A media frenzy develops around Fowl Manor on the coast of Ireland after a stolen collection of world famous relics is linked to wealthy businessman Artemis Fowl Sr. (Colin Farrell). An associate of Artemis, Mulch Diggums (Josh Gad) is arrested at the manor and taken to a secret interrogation center. There, he is interrogated by British Intelligence and claims that his employer has stolen the powerful Aculos. Diggums promises to prove the existence of magic and begins to relay the story of Artemis Fowl Jr. (Ferdia Shaw).

Diggums’ story begins three days earlier. Artemis Jr. is a 12-year-old genius who lives at Fowl Manor with his widowed father Artemis Sr. The father passes on his knowledge of Irish fairy tales to his son, but does not discuss much of his job with his son. Artemis Sr. is a gatherer of antiquities. Artemis Sr. goes missing from his boat, the Fowl Star, and is accused of the theft of several priceless artifacts found aboard. Artemis Jr. receives a call from a hooded figure, who states that he is holding Artemis Sr. captive and demands that Artemis Jr. recover the Aculos, an artifact that the hooded figure claims Artemis Sr. has stolen and hidden. Artemis Jr.’s bodyguard, Domovoi “Dom” Butler (Nonso Anozie) shows his charge a hidden library where generations of Fowls have catalogued the proof of the existence of magical creatures. Artemis Jr. reads his father’s journal which Artemis Jr. uses to decide what to do next.

Meanwhile, deep underground in Haven City, the secret fairy city, Mulch, who is secretly an oversized dwarf thief, encounters Lowers Elements Police reconnaissance (LEPrecon) officer Holly Short (Lara McDonnell) as he is taken into custody for crimes he has committed over hundreds of years. A short time later, Commander Julius Root (Judi Dench) dispatches the LEPrecon force to search for the missing Aculos, their greatest resource.

The LEPrecon’s centaur technical advisor, Foaly (Nikesh Patel), discovers an unauthorized creature has reached the surface. Holly is sent to investigate, despite the fact that her father, Beechwood Short, stole the Aculos and was killed. Root’s decision to send Holly is questioned by Briar Cudgeon (Joshua McGuire), a power hungry lieutenant who looks for any sign of failure by Root. Holly is sent to the surface and arrives in Martina Franca, Italy. Once there, Holly intervenes as a rogue full sized troll attacks a human wedding party. Using a time freeze, LEPrecon subdues the troll and wipes the humans’ memories.

Back at Fowl Manor, Dom’s 12-year-old niece Juliet Butler (Tamara Smart) arrives to help her uncle and Artemis Jr. Artemis learns from his father’s journal that Beechwood brought the Aculos to Artemis Sr. to keep it from the hooded figure, who is revealed to be a powerful fairy named Opai Koboi (Hong Chau). Opai plans to use the Aculos to wipe out humankind. After studying his father’s journal, Artemis Jr. sends Dom to stakeout the Hill of Tara. At the same time, Holly, who is determined to clear her father’s name, disobeys orders and flies to the Hill of Tara, where she finds Beechwood’s ID tag. However, she is shot with a tranquillizer dart by Dom and taken back to Fowl Manor.

Root and an army of LEPrecon form a time freeze around Fowl Manor to cut it off from the outside world in order to free Holly. However, Artemis Jr. and Dom fight them off using Holly’s equipment. Artemis Jr. demands the Aculos in exchange for Holly’s release, and forbids any fairy to enter his home while he is alive. Root is unable to enter the home due to fairy rules and is forced to retrieve Mulch from prison to penetrate Fowl Manor. Root offers Mulch a reduced sentence if he agrees to infiltrate Fowl Manor. Mulch tunnels inside and breaks into Artemis Sr.’s hidden safe. Mulch finds the Aculos while Artemis frees Holly and asks for her help. Holly tells Artemis Jr. that no human can use the Aculos without causing death. Cudgeon, who is working as a spy for Opai, seizes command of LEPrecon and releases the captured troll into the house and jams all magic inside of Fowl Manor.

The troll’s entrance causes Holly to become lodged in a chandelier while Artemis Jr., Juliet and Dom are chased by the troll through the Manor. Mulch swallows the Aculos and runs. Dom saves Artemis Jr. by pushing him out of the way of the falling troll. Dom is mortally wounded, and Holly cannot use her magic to heal him while the magic is jammed. Against Cudgeon’s orders, Holly’s fellow LEPrecon officers unblock her magic, and she revives Dom. The time freeze bubble begins to collapse and Mulch and the LEPrecon army escape.

Artemis Jr. is left with the Aculos, which no human can wield. Artemis Jr. explains to Dom that he will not give the Aculos to Opai since it is such a powerful weapon, but he doesn’t know what he is going to do with it. Holly returns and agrees to use the Aculos to rescue Artemis’ father. In Koboi’s hidden dungeon, Opai realizes that Artemis Jr. has no intention of turning over the Aculos and attempts to kill Artemis Sr. However, Holly’s summons him safely back to his hidden chamber at Fowl Manor.

Artemis Sr. and Artemis Jr. embrace. Artemis Jr. introduces his father to Holly who tells her that her father gave his life to protect the Aculos. Artemis Sr. gives Holly a list of Opai’s accomplices, which she provides to Root back in Haven City. Root tells Holly to investigate the names with her team. Artemis Jr. calls Opai with a promise to come after her, and joins his father and Dom in a helicopter as they head out on their quest.

Back in Mulch’s interrogation, the interrogator offers Mulch a deal for his freedom in exchange for helping the interrogator to capture Artemis Sr. Mulch shrugs off the deal and reveals that Artemis Jr. arranged for his arrest to prove the incident to the authorities, since Mulch is a dwarf with pointed ears. Mulch’s reveal of his ears reveals the existence of magic in the world on camera. The interrogator calls for back up as Mulch reveals that he swallowed a tracker. The roof of the cell is blown off and a rope ladder drops down. Mulch climbs up the ladder to the Fowls’ helicopter, joining the Fowls and Dom. The helicopter flies off to the next adventure with Holly flying by their side.