Tolu Awobiyi’s The Artifact comes with an ambitious promise: to be Nigeria’s answer to Indiana Jones. With a pan-African vision, a youthful cast, and a treasure-hunt plot stretching across seven Nigerian states, it aims to break new ground in Nollywood.

Despite having all the right pieces: a mysterious relic, hidden clues, competing forces, and a reluctant hero, the film settles into a mid-tier experience. It’s not a failure. But it never quite becomes the edge-of-your-seat thrill ride it wants to be.

A Strong Setup That Doesn’t Soar

The plot centres on Jayjay (Adeoluwa Akintoba), a young man who couldn’t care less about his father’s obsession with ancient relics, until his father, Professor Jang, is killed, and Jayjay becomes the only person who can decipher a trail of cryptic messages linked to the missing stones of the Fatima.

With his three friends: Zara, Chidinma, and Tunde, Jayjay embarks on a quest across Nigeria, unaware they’re being manipulated by unseen forces. The adventure puts them in the crosshairs of a corrupt ex-senator, an international art thief known as The Mist (played by Kunle Remi), and the African Art Recovery Agency on their tails.

On paper, this is solid. It’s got the mystery, the personal stakes, and the looming danger. But in execution, the tension feels too flat. The dangers, while present, are rarely felt. And for a supposed life-or-death quest, the stakes are curiously tame.

Performances: Adequate but Uneven

Adeoluwa Akintoba holds the centre as Jayjay, the disinterested son turned accidental adventurer. He does a decent job of carrying the film, with clear motivations and a consistent emotional tone. But while we understand his character’s arc on paper, we don’t feel it. His performance gives us the surface—grief, resistance, resolve—but not the depth. We know what’s driving him, but we’re never really drawn into his internal conflict.

Tunde, played by Ovy Godwin, is the group’s loudmouth and supposed comic relief. He’s a caricature through and through: constantly complaining when things get hard, instantly on board when money is mentioned, and unable to keep quiet in tense situations. It’s clear his role is to inject humour.

Then there’s Zara (Miracle Inyanda), who ends up being both Jayjay’s love interest and the daughter of the ex-senator entangled in the artifact conspiracy. It’s a level of plot convenience that cheapens both relationships and makes her character feel more like a narrative shortcut than a person.

The script has a habit of stating the obvious. In one moment, a character surveys a ransacked room and says, “This place looks like it’s been turned upside down.” It has. We just saw it. These moments pile up, making the dialogue feel like narration instead of conversation.

Rather than allowing silence, glances, or tension to build scenes, characters keep explaining what the audience can already see. This robs the film of nuance and weakens its emotional beats.

The rest of the cast including Gabriel Afolayan as Abdullahi, Bimbo Manuel as Prof. Jang, Wendy Lawal as Agent Emma, Kunle Remi as The Mist, Shola Fosudo as the Senator, and Sharon Rotimi as Chidinma, do a good job.

Visuals and Production: Nigeria on Display

Visually, the film is one of its better aspects. The locations, ranging from Erin Ijesa in Osun to the rocky beauty of Assop Falls in Plateau, are stunning. The cinematography makes the most of natural landscapes, giving The Artifact a visual freshness.

There’s also commendable effort in costumes, set design, and pacing. You can feel that a lot of care went into planning the journey, from the look of the “clue sites” to the travel transitions. The film is definitely trying to do something different.

Final Thoughts: A Noble Effort That Falls Short

The Artifact is a well-intentioned, visually engaging adventure with moments of potential. It breaks from the mystical Nollywood epic to try something fresh.

Verdict

The Artifact brings ambition, beautiful locations, and a refreshing genre twist to Nollywood. But it’s let down by flat performances, dialogue that over-explains, and a lack of real emotional or narrative tension. A noble effort, but more lukewarm than legendary.

Rating: 3/5