There was a time not too long ago that a film like Guy Ritchie's Fountain of Youth, now streaming on AppleTV+, would've garnered a major theatrical release, a star-studded premiere and an exhaustive press junket. Based on the casting and the film's action sequences and special effects, the budget is certainly there. But, much to many's dismay, we no longer live in that world and raucous, harmless but ultimately forgettable films like this one are shipped off to streaming services to help retain subscribers and entertain us from our couches.
Written by James Vanderbilt (of the Scream reboots and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise), Fountain of Youth offers a fairly straightforward premise and predictable result, bolstered by a star-studded cast that appears to be having a good time and a filmmaker who reins in his bravado long enough to keep the film engaging rather than chaotic. John Krasinski stars as Luke Purdue, a roguish thief and conman who's been commissioned for what may be the greatest adventure of his life: finding the mythical Fountain of Youth.
After a bit of sleight of hand, he enlists his younger sister, Charlotte (a delightfully relaxed yet committed Natalie Portman), in the quest to chase down where the fountain may actually be located, all funded by dying billionaire Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson, who I'm never sorry to see in a film but feels far too young and unassuming for what this role ultimately turns into). Her art curation background, a team of tricksters who used to work with their legendary father, and her musical prodigy of a son, Thomas (Benjamin Chivers) combine to make a crack team of explorers who might just be able to discover the font of immortality.
Ritchie is never one to skimp on adventure, and there's plenty of it here, from an opening sequence that has Krasinski's Luke zipping through Thailand on a stolen scooter to escape some angry mobsters to an absurdly unbelievable scene of Luke and Charlotte boarding a segment of the sunken Lusitania they've raised to sea level (what?! how?!) to the film's final moments where their quest ends in grand and mystical fashion. Along the way, Vanderbilt's script tries to infuse enough backstory to help us connect with each of the characters, including a subplot of "protectors" assigned to keep the Fountain of Youth from being discovered. Stanley Tucci appears in a brief cameo as their leader, but it's Esme (Eiza González) who is on the team's heals at every turn (and yes, there's a flirtation between her and Luke. Because of course).
Fountain of Youth features impressive set pieces and even elicits a few laughs along the way, but it's ultimately the kind of movie one can check in and out of momentarily and not have missed much plot-wise. Which is to say, while in another time—namely one where we didn't all have little movie theaters in our pockets 24/7—the film would probably have done respectably at the box office, in 2025 it's probably a smart move to put this bit of well-intentioned escapism on a streamer where it can be consumed at one's leisure.
Fountain of Youth is now streaming on AppleTV+.
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