Artemis Fowl

The source material won’t gain many new fans from the big-screen adaptation of Artemis Fowl, which likely will alienate current devotees of the young-adult book series, too.

This exercise in style over substance from typically reliable director Kenneth Branagh (Thor) is a muddled mess of overwrought visual gimmickry, thinly sketched characters, and a science-fiction fantasy storyline that never gains much emotional traction.

The film opens with an oversized dwarf named Mulch (Josh Gad) being dragged in for questioning by Dublin authorities. They want intel on wealthy antiquities dealer Artemis Fowl Sr. (Colin Farrell) who’s suspected in the theft of some valuable museum relics and has since disappeared.

As Mulch narrates some flashbacks about his acquaintance with the widowed adventurer, we meet someone else who’d like to find the missing suspect — his 12-year-old son, Artemis (Ferdia Shaw). The younger Fowl is a precocious prodigy with superior intelligence whose condescending attitude masks a vulnerability regarding parental acceptance.

At any rate, Artemis discovers clues to his dad’s whereabouts that send him into a magical realm of elves, pixies, centaurs, and other mythical creatures overseen by a stern fairy commander (Judi Dench) who wants to regain control of a secret weapon from Artemis Sr. Fortunately, they have an array of time-freezing devices to ensure they remain hidden from humanity.

All of it funnels toward an inevitable barrage of chaotic action sequences in which our pint-sized protagonist must summon the courage to achieve universal peace.

Despite his cleverness and curiosity, Artemis lacks the charisma to connect on a deeper level with the target demographic. At least Gad provides some comic relief, and Dench growls through her villainous portrayal with scenery-chewing glee.

The screenplay — which abridges primarily the first of several related novels by Irish writer Eoin Colfer — is choppy and uneven, as it struggles to modulate its disparate tones and find any meaningful suspense amid the convoluted mayhem.

There are hints that the concept could work with a firmer narrative grasp and a more grounded coming-of-age framework. Visual flourishes abound between the abundant gadgets and the futuristic landscapes, but they are squandered.

As an awkward attempt to launch a franchise, Artemis Fowl doesn’t provide much incentive for following the titular antihero in future adventures. As these sorts of book-to-screen translations go, it’s indeed pretty foul.

Rated PG, 94 minutes.