Movie Review: ‘Fountain of Youth’

‘Fountain of Youth’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.

On Apple TV+ on May 23rd is ‘Fountain of Youth,’ a new adventure movie that finds a brother-sister duo seeking the mythological, titular water supply and is directed by Guy Ritchie (‘Aladdin’).

John Krasinski, Natalie Portman and Eiza González star in the new movie alongside Domhnall Gleeson (‘Ex Machina’), Laz Alonso (‘The Boys’), Carmen Ejogo (‘Selma’) and Arian Moayed (‘Succession’).

Related Article: Guy Ritchie to Direct ‘Road House’ Sequel with Jake Gyllenhaal Back

Initial Thoughts

There was a time in the 1990s when big-name actors could be tempted outside their usual attempts to win awards with challenging dramatic work and have some fun appearing in rip-roaring adventures after ancient artifacts, dodging life-threatening peril and trading quips.

And before that, the 1980s brought us all manner of satisfying throwback adventures, led by the immaculately directed delights of the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise. These days, the genre tends to paddle in the shallow end of straight-to-home entertainment releases or, as in the case of ‘Fountain of Youth,’ streaming.

But can this new offering live up to that grand tradition?

Script and Direction

A big issue with the new movie lies in its script. Crafted by James Vanderbilt, whose career has swung wildly between the acclaimed likes of ‘Zodiac,’ the fun action nonsense of ‘White House Down’ and misbegotten misfires including ‘Independence Day: Resurgence,’ this new ‘Fountain’ sputters more than it should.

Vanderbilt cobbles together a blend of the aforementioned Indy franchise entries, the more high-tech and fight-orientated world of ‘Mission: Impossible’ and the “path to something important hidden within esoterica” plot fuel of Dan Brown.

Yet it’s not a mixture that always works. Yes, there are the requisite globe-trotting action sequences, a few moments of entertaining banter for the leads and of course some twists and turns, but it’s all so off the peg, an uncomfortable patchwork of seen-it-before wannabe thrills and lucky escapes.

It’s all very well to try and stand on the shoulders of giants –– we see you, veiled reference to Doctor Jones in the name of Krasinski and Portman’s characters’ name: Harrison Purdue –– but you have to have something innovate in exchange. This new outing doesn’t ever hit that stride.

How many times can our heroes stumble on their latest clue, only to be ambushed by their antagonists, and then turn things around for a lucky (and more than one instance, logic-defying) escape? If the evidence of ‘Fountain of Youth’ is to be believed, it’s many more times than is believable, and indeed it all becomes tiring by the end.

Guy Ritchie, meanwhile, has been a genre-hopping directorial journeyman for some time now, but seems to flourish when he’s given full reign to embrace his violent, jokey style as seen in recent Netflix series ‘The Gentlemen.’

Here, it’s as if he’s working with kid gloves on; while he’s certainly produced effective, family-friendly material in the past, this is a poor example of him toning himself down. A few of the set pieces are solid with some diverting stunts, but all in all, this is a blandly clockwork chore.

Cast and Performances

While you can absolutely imagine John Krasinski seeing this as solid extension to his nice-guy-turned-action-hero brand after years spent playing Jack Ryan, the character of treasure hunter Luke Purdue only sometimes works to his strengths.

Krasinski certainly doesn’t lack for charisma and he sells some of the cheesier lines; he’s also decent when it comes to the action (again, partly thanks to his time as Ryan).

And when he and Natalie Portman are trading sibling barbs, the movie feels like it more lives up to its promise, the pair sharing some entertaining on-screen family chemistry.

Portman is a more surprising performer to show up in a movie like this, though we imagine the appeal of having fun on set with Krasinski and a solid Apple-backed payday is probably more the reason she took the gig rather than something she saw in the script.

As the third main character, Eiza González does just enough to make her relatively stock badass character watchable –– she’s also effective when it comes to the action, but as one of the “protectors” looking to stop Luke on his mission for seemingly noble reasons, it’s not always enough to overcome a generic role.

Likewise Domhnall Gleeson, who has little to do as Owen Carver, the ailing rich mogul bankrolling Luke’s search. Gleeson has a couple of moments, but it’s largely a waste of a decent actor.

Still, he comes off better than Laz Alonso and Carmen Ejogo, who play Murph and Deb, Luke’s support team. They’re mostly there to deliver the exposition, and that’s usually provided in big, ungainly lumps around tables.

Beyond a few memorable moments as driven Interpol agent Abbas, Arian Moayed likewise is given little chance to shine.

Final Thoughts

Does ‘Fountain of Youth’ keep the flame of fun adventure movies from the 1980s and 1990s burning? Not really.

This is a less-than-thrilling example of the genre which certainly starts promisingly and has a few decent lines or moments here and there (fans of ‘Knight Rider’ might be happy at one, and no, we don’t mean The Hoff shows up), but it’s not enough to keep it from feeling stale.

You could certainly watch this. But you’d choose… poorly.

What’s the story of ‘Fountain of Youth’?

The new movie follows two estranged siblings (John Krasinski and Natalie Portman) who partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth.

They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives… and possibly lead to immortality.

Who is in the cast of ‘Fountain of Youth’?

• John Krasinski as Luke Purdue
• Natalie Portman as Charlotte Purdue
• Eiza González as Esme
• Domhnall Gleeson as Owen Carver
• Laz Alonso as Patrick “Murph” Murphy
• Arian Moayed as Inspector Jamal Abbas
• Carmen Ejogo as Deb McCall
• Stanley Tucci as The Elder
• Benjamin Chivers as Thomas

(L to R) Eiza González, John Krasinski and Natalie Portman in ‘Fountain of Youth,’ premiering May 23, 2025 on Apple TV+.

List of Guy Ritchie Movies and TV Shows:

Buy Guy Ritchie Movies On Amazon