Fountain of Youth

Not so long ago, a film like Fountain of Youth, with its prestigious cast, spectacular scenes shot around the world, and mythical promise of eternal life, would have seen its name displayed in bright letters on multiplex marquees and been greeted with champagne and spotlights at its premiere. But this is 2025, not 2005, and instead of conquering the big screen, Guy Ritchie's latest adventure makes its lackluster debut on Apple TV+, another pawn in the increasingly ruthless game of the streaming wars. That's not to say Fountain of Youth is without merit, far from it. It delivers on its nostalgic promises: exotic escapades, perilous puzzles, and a magnetic cast that throws itself headfirst into cinematic archetypes. But as exhilarating as it is at times, it's also painfully derivative and often disconcertingly vacuous, raising the question of whether Ritchie really had his heart in the treasure hunt.

At the center of this cinematic carousel is John Krasinski, who steps into the worn boots of Luke Purdue, a lone adventurer whose charisma flickers like a candle in the wind. John Krasinski plays a man chasing the echo of his father's footsteps, a compulsive dreamer drawn to chaos, who begins the film dodging thugs in the humid hubbub of Bangkok and ends it pondering the moral price of immortality. Natalie Portman plays Charlotte, Luke's estranged sister, a museum curator caught up in a battle for custody of her child and unwittingly drawn into her brother's quest to find the mythical fountain. They are joined by Charlotte's precocious son Thomas (Benjamin Chivers), a dying billionaire named Owen Carver (a cruelly underused Domhnall Gleeson), and a gallery of colorful characters, including Esme, the formidable protector played by Eiza González, and the charming and exasperated Interpol agent played by Arian Moayed.

At its best, Fountain of Youth feels like a nostalgic remix of The Mummy, National Treasure, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, with a plot combining coded paintings, elaborate heists, clues scattered around the world, and ancient myths. The outdoor shots in Thailand, Vienna, and Egypt lend authenticity to the spectacle, and the sequences shot aboard the recovered Lusitania or in the winding corridors beneath the pyramids of Giza demonstrate cinematic ambition. Guy Ritchie, in collaboration with director of photography Ed Wild and editor James Herbert, orchestrates the chaos with seasoned precision, often referencing the brash energy of his early work. Yet he always seems to be holding back, perhaps held back by studio notes or algorithmic predictions, like a conductor asked never to go above volume 6.

Much of the film's narrative feels borrowed or reused, from the family dynamics to the mythological MacGuffin. James Vanderbilt's screenplay, despite a few flashes of wit and occasional nods to his own family history (his great-grandfather perished on the Lusitania, a fact awkwardly incorporated into the film), suffers from excessive exposition and underdeveloped characters. Charlotte is a potentially fascinating character—a mother, academic, and skeptic—but Natalie Portman is left on the surface, undermined by clumsy dialogue and a development that feels obligatory rather than earned. Eiza González, on the other hand, almost steals the show. As Esme, she brings a powerful blend of charm and menace, and her chemistry with Krasinski is electric, unlike her scenes with Portman.

In one of the film's most revealing sequences, Thomas asks billionaire Carver, “Are you satisfied?” It's a moment of poignant surprise, suggesting a deeper theme about the price of ambition, the temptation to cheat time, and the legacy we leave behind. Unfortunately, this depth is never fully explored. The film raises profound questions: Is immortality a gift or a curse? What does it mean to earn a legacy rather than receive it? But it always pulls back just as it starts to say something important. Like a museum visit that ignores the explanatory panels, it evokes ideas without ever delving into them.

There are still some enjoyable moments, though. The early action scenes, particularly a chase through Bangkok that flirts happily with the absurd, are brilliantly shot, and Guy Ritchie's few stylistic flourishes (slow-motion jokes, panoramic reveals) remind us of the director of Snatch and Sherlock Holmes. There's even a car chase through Vienna that flirts with his signature rhythm, briefly freeing the film from its algorithmic grip. And despite all its flaws, the film exudes a tangible pleasure that is increasingly rare in the modern Hollywood machine, which is focused on intellectual property. Fountain of Youth is the kind of film that could have found its place in a successful VHS double feature with The Rocketeer or The Shadow, a return to a time when films could have flaws but still be endearing.

Fountain of Youth is a film at odds with itself, a relic of a bygone era of adventure cinema, trapped in the sleek and forgettable packaging of streaming-era content. It wants to be big and serious, funny and sincere, global and intimate, and while it manages to strike a certain balance, it never quite manages to recreate the magic of the classics it so clearly idolizes. It's a film that wants to be loved, but rarely deserves your affection. Nevertheless, for two hours, it offers an acceptable escape, and perhaps that's all it was ever meant to be. It may not leave a lasting impression, but it makes you long for a future where such adventures can once again unfold on the big screen they deserve.

Fountain of Youth
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Written by James Vanderbilt
Produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Tripp Vinson, William Sherak, Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, Jake Myers
Starring John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, Stanley Tucci
Cinematography: Ed Wild
Edited by James Herbert
Music by Christopher Benstead
Production companies: Apple Studios, Skydance Media, Vinson Films, Toff Guy Films, Project X Entertainment, Radio Silence Productions
Distributed by Apple TV+
Release date: May 23, 2025 (United States)
Running time: 125 minutes

Seen on May 23, 2025 (AppleTV+)

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