It took 20 years for an “Artemis Fowl” movie to come out, adapted from Irish author Eoin Colfer’s beloved fantasy series.

The best-selling series’ many readers, most of whom have long since aged out of the demographic for this movie, know that Artemis Fowl is a “12-year-old criminal mastermind.” But Disney has seen fit to turn the infamous young antihero into a precocious do-gooder, scrubbing the character of precisely the elements that made him so intriguing: Just think of the brilliantly villainous schemes you could pull off if you started planning before getting your first pimple!

The Artemis we meet in the movie doesn’t have much personality. Actor Ferdia Shaw is “Jaws” star Robert Shaw’s grandson, appearing in black-and-white suits and reflective sunglasses. He could be the kid-size version of the Men in Black, guarding the human realm from rogue fairies (the movie never adequately explains the “LEPrecon” rebellion that upsets their otherwise peaceful ranks). In the book, Artemis just wants their gold.

Feeling long at just 93 minutes, the movie plows through heaps of exposition, putting the hefty job of establishing Artemis’ character on the shoulders of a dwarf named Mulch Diggums (Josh Gad). An avid eater of dirt, Mulch is central to Artemis’ plan to locate the Aculos — a giant acorn-shaped MacGuffin with magical powers - and rescue his father (Colin Farrell) from the movie’s faceless villain.

The way the dwarf spins it, young “Arty” was shocked to discover that his dad might be responsible for some of the world’s most notorious heists. But that’s not the only revelation in store for Artemis, who also learns that the fairy tales his father told him as a kid, but later insisted were false, are true after all.

“Artemis Fowl” does that a lot, establishing key information one moment, only to twist it in the very next scene - as when butler/bodyguard Domovoi Butler (Nonso Anozie) is described as the ultimate tough guy merely so that we might be surprised when he proves to be a big softie, quick to cry. Along the same lines, the movie concocts a set-piece in which LEPrecon operative Holly Short (Lara McDonnell) uses something called a “time-stop” to capture a giant troll mid-attack. But then, the device malfunctions when used on Fowl Manor. Failing that, the fairies send in Mulch (dwarfs are good for digging) and the pesky troll, who does a thorough job of destroying Fowl Manor.

Once the dust has settled, director Kenneth Branagh gives us a gratuitous tracking shot in which the camera follows Artemis as he stumbles through the ruins of that amazing set. Amid the swooping cameras and soaring music cues, however, the showdown is impossible to follow.

The endings suggest we’ve just watched the origin story for a character we’ll never hear from again.

(SD-Agencies)