The original book is all about Artemis Fowl kidnapping faeries in an attempt to to extort their gold.
While the movie is apparently telling us that Artemis’ family only appears evil to the outside world, in the book, the family is truly a line of master criminals.
In the first novel especially, Artemis Fowl is, what’s the word…evil.
It’s an interesting premise, not a bad idea for a movie.