Indiana Jones and the Artifact of Destiny. Ancient adventure cinema of more than 300 bubbles [RECENZJA] Make a CD

Although not completely. After all, there’s a stunning opening scene on a bullet train that takes us back to the times of World War II, and the digitally remastered Indiana once again has the opportunity to play the Führer’s henchmen on their noses. In this well-made introduction, an artifact is also introduced, the work of Archimedes himself, so we know from the very beginning what is at stake.

Aging is not fun

The next scene fantastically contrasts with the first, when we see the hero aged in years, slightly hunched over, sprinkled with gray and simply angry. His private life has collapsed, the university has sent him to retire, and he will find a reason to grumble literally everywhere, even behind the wall, when the neighbors are playing music a little too loud. I’m not going to lie, it’s not the Jones I want to be remembered for. To me, he’s a totally iconic character, but for the younger generation who haven’t caught up with the old trilogy, he might just be a bitter but harmless grandfather at this point.

Indiana Jones and the Artifact of Destiny. Source: press materials

Behind the camera, James Mangold can strike a reflective chord (remember Logan: Wolverine? Of course you do!). in his latest movie He tells a story about the passage of time and constantly escapes into the past. Indy finds it hard to find himself in the current reality, and the success of the Apollo mission, enjoyed by the entire country, was acknowledged with grunts and disregard. Space conquest does not interest him, after all his passion is history and discovering the past. The older and more valuable the better. His new old enemy, Jürgen Völler (played by Mads Mikkelsen), also clings to the past and seeks Archimedes’ invention to influence the past and thus shape the present according to his evil plans.

The last adventure

That being said, Indiana retires professionally. However, when he is visited by his long-seen love Helena (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, alongside Ford, the film’s strongest pillar), the past reminds us of itself and gets our heroes into even more trouble. It’s good that the writers didn’t try to wipe the girl with Jones in a skirt, opening the door to a possible sequel, this time with Helena in the lead role. For, although she does not lack charisma and intelligence, she is driven by completely different motives – she is of the nature of a cynical thief, not an explorer and researcher, and would rather sell acquired things on the black market than give voluntarily to some museum.

Indiana Jones and the Artifact of Destiny. Source: press materials

Being so different, they complement each other perfectly on screen and it’s nice to watch this duo in action. The young adventurer and ancient archaeologist don’t shy away from biting and cutting remarks, and each of their scenes together is blown away by the chemistry between them.
The characters from the original trilogy fare much worse. It’s incidental and doesn’t add up to much. They only appear as carriers of nostalgia, not story patterns, without which the story could take a completely different path.

The events are written according to the timeless plot set over 40 years ago in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The heroes visit several picturesque corners of the globe and, in recesses from sweeping cobwebs from forgotten tombs, fight some obligatory duels and complete a series of daring chases that defy the laws of physics and common sense. In fact, there was a classic version with a map symbolizing the next stops on the journey.

Indiana Jones and the Artifact of Destiny. Source: press materials

Old school spirit

So it’s a safe movie, without experimental quirks like the flying saucer from “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” but at the same time not without supernatural elements. Their presence should not be surprising, since they have accompanied the series from the very beginning. Another thing is that this topic is a bit overdone – “Trace of Fate” goes too far in my opinion, and even with disbelief it was hard for me to swallow the plot at the end.

Indiana Jones and the Artifact of Destiny. Source: press materials

New Indiana looks good, but I realize I was primarily driven by a fuel called passion.

When your favorite childhood hero returns to the screens after so many years, that same child inside you wakes up and you are able to turn a blind eye to various shortcuts and idiosyncrasies. Younger viewers, who don’t quite tease this character too much, may view Mangold’s portrayal as a well-made movie, but wholly unnecessary. I also get the impression that New Adventure Cinema’s formula, defined years ago by Steven Spielberg with George Lucas, is starting to eat its own tail and simply exhaust itself. Like Indiana herself, she deserved a peaceful retirement.