“Indiana Jones and the Artifact of Destiny” is the worst and best goodbye. I was crying [RECENZJA]

There was the Ark of the Covenant and there was the Holy Grail that Indiana Jones was snatching from the Nazis at the last minute, we had the mystical Shankara Stones and the murderous cult, and then we were capturing alien crystal skulls from the Communists. Now it’s time for the mysterious “artifact of destiny” and the last duel with the remnants of fascism – on June 30 in Polish cinemas.

“Indiana Jones and the Artifact of Destiny” is the last such tango

The title artifact passed through our hands at the very end of World War II, which we also see in the fast-paced sequence with the digitally rejuvenated Harrison Ford. The effect is rather debatable – it does not hurt the eyes, but it does not knock down the craftsmanship either. However, one has the impression that even such advanced computer graphics do not do justice to the actor’s human facial expressions and charisma. But I also appreciate that the creators decided to outline the plot with action, instead of embedding the whole intrigue in a chatty dialogue in the 20th minute of the film. The main characters of the drama have been introduced, it’s time to return to the present day of the story.

Years pass and here we are in 1969. The Americans have just landed on the moon, and Professor Indiana Jones just so happens to be retiring. He is unexpectedly visited by Helena – his goddaughter, whom he affectionately calls Wombat. They haven’t seen each other in years, and she asks him about that mysterious wartime mission – her father was with him then. Of course, this is only the beginning of the whole brawl and chase literally halfway around the world.

I warn you that in “The Artifact of Destiny” the scriptwriters focused on action scenes rather than plot intrigues and contortions. But we get all the classic elements of the Indiana Jones movies – dangerous opponents, a historical puzzle, a sequence with a dash across the map, spectacular chases and gunfights, a lot of situational humor. There was also a saucy teenage helper and a fantastic and hard to believe puzzle. The script didn’t fly as far as it went previously with the magical alien skulls. Nevertheless, I heard grumblers complaining that again the writers overdid it and went too far with the fantasy. I want to remind you that in The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones saved his father’s life with water from the Holy Grail, which healed the gunshot wound. Do you remember what fell out of the Ark of the Covenant?

Nothing happens twice. New must be different?

I really appreciate how the creators of the new “Indiana Jones” cleverly solved the embarrassing issue of the fact that Shia LaBeouf, burned in Hollywood after a domestic violence scandal, played the son of the main character in “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. The procedure found in “The Artifact of Destiny” sensibly explains the absence of the actor, Jones’s mental condition and the introduction of the character of Helena, played with verve by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She’s also a much better adventure partner than LaBeouf was, and she definitely doesn’t lead her character to be an exact copy of Indiana Jones or to overshadow him on screen. She is, of course, saucy, resourceful, brave and perverse – but she is a character made of different clay, which may not suit many people.

Needless to say, you won’t find another Indiana Jones like this. he’s 80 years old and sure had a blast on the set of “The Artifact of Destiny.” He runs, kicks, jumps, rides a horse, shoots a whip, beats thugs and despite his age still outclasses the competition with cunning and knowledge. But he also doesn’t pretend to be younger than he is.

I have the impression that this is why there is a scene almost at the beginning of the film in which Professor Jones is running around his New York apartment in only boxers. We see him in all his glory – he is still a fit and muscular guy, but you can really see that he has his years. A seemingly small thing, but it helped me feel that we are just setting out for the last time on an adventure together, because as Anna Jantar sang – “nothing can last forever”. A similar reflection arises when John Rhys-Davies, whom viewers remember from the role of Sallah, appears on the screen.

I appreciate that viewers have the opportunity to see people who have been playing this adventure series for 40 years and no one is forcing them to be beautiful. It’s a fairy tale that helps you get used to the passing of time – their, our and beloved entertainment formats. I left the cinema, wiping a tear from my eye and believing that Indiana Jones had said goodbye to us with dignity. I also feel that this goodbye was about reminding us that while adventures are fun and make you feel alive, it’s even more important to have someone in your life with whom you can do it all mention.

Finally, I would like to express my boundless admiration for Mads Mikkelsen, who has become “the bad guy” here. Of course, he coped with this task perfectly. As it was in “Bond”, he did not fall into caricature, and yet he was a bit exaggerated. He was terrifying, of course, but he didn’t evoke comic book madness either. A perfect opponent in such an important – because farewell – mission of Indiana Jones. I admit that I expected a little more from the role of Antonio Banders, who just appears there, but it’s still a nice episode. The team of costume and stage designers also deserves great recognition – our heroes have fantastic costumes, and the interiors of New York apartments and universities look so that there is nothing to envy those Americans from the past.