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A disgraced archaeologist and professional treasure hunter, Luke Purdue (John Krasinski) is determined to find the location of the Fountain of Youth by following a trail of clues. Funding the operation is successful billionaire Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson), who hopes to beat terminal cancer by drinking from the foundation, also recruiting team members Murphy (Laz Alonso) and Deb (Carmen Ejogo) to lend their expertise. By stealing a painting in England, Luke involves his sister, Charlotte (Natalie Portman), a museum curator who loses her job after the heist. With Charlotte going through a difficult time as she battles for custody of her son, Thomas (Benjamin Chivers), she reluctantly joins the team to help by examining the clues as the hunt takes them to Austria and Egypt. Pursuing the team is the mysterious Esme (Eiza González), while a team of Interpol officers led by Inspector Jamal Abbas (Arian Moayed) is also determined to arrest the team before they reach their desired destination.
Ritchie shows off his trademark stylistic choices during the opening title sequence with a retro credit font and a flavoursome, catchy song, while the ensuing chase is exciting, and Luke's behaviour is cheeky. Unfortunately, the rest of the picture lacks such personality, as Fountain of Youth feels generic as hell from a stylistic and aesthetic standpoint. It appears that Apple demanded that Ritchie dial back his recognisable idiosyncrasies to serve as a glorified gun for hire; as a result, the movie's execution mirrors Apple's other original action movies, like The Family Plan and The Instigators. Since Fountain of Youth's target audience is younger than Ritchie's usual output, the director also dials back the violence to maintain a PG-13 rating. Consequently, the action scenes are sufficiently engaging and proficient but lack a visceral punch. Plus, even though the technical presentation is competent and slick, with polished cinematography and top-notch digital effects, Fountain of Youth lacks a defining flavour to distinguish it from other action-adventure films, making it difficult to care about whether or not Apple decides to push ahead with a sequel.
Much like the execution, Fountain of Youth's screenplay is similarly nondescript, from bog-standard genre characters with convenient knowledge of obscure things to witless action movie dialogue. ("Don't you move!") Additionally, Fountain of Youth is too long at over two hours, and the movie's attempts to shoehorn in villains (Esme) and adversaries (Inspector Abbas) only add frustrating roadblocks that slow the pacing. John Krasinski and Natalie Portman are good actors, but they struggle to carve out memorable or endearing characters. Perhaps the most interesting performance here is Domhnall Gleeson, who chews the scenery and leans into villainy during the third act.
Thankfully, Fountain of Youth is not a total bust despite its multiple shortcomings. With Apple presumably splashing out a kingly sum on the production, it looks fantastic, and it is often difficult to discern where the live-action elements end and the CGI begins. Production took place in several countries around the world, with Ritchie shooting sequences on location in Thailand, Austria, Egypt, and England, which gives the picture an impressive sense of scope. One particularly impressive set piece involves Luke's crew raising a piece of the wreck of the RMS Lusitania to recover a lost painting from the Purser's Strongroom. Although the concept strains credulity and might seem in poor taste considering the Lusitania's death toll (1,200 souls died in the sinking), it is a fun sequence, and the recreation of the ship's rusted interiors is incredibly convincing. Ritchie also re-teams with composer Christopher Benstead, and the resulting score thankfully does not amount to hollow noise; instead, the soundtrack is appreciably engaging and unique. Ritchie infuses the movie with other fun touches, including homages to Indiana Jones (Luke and Charlotte's archaeologist father is named Harrison) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but it's not enough to shake the pervasive feeling of familiarity.
Apple is clearly on the hunt for a franchise with Fountain of Youth, priming the team for more treasure hunts and adventures, even closing with a sequel tease. It's disappointing to see Ritchie wasting his time on such formulaic material, especially since sequels to films like The Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. would be far more enticing. Although the movie has its merits, it amounts to another generic Hollywood blockbuster that does nothing to distinguish itself from similar slop, and it's hard to imagine anybody still remembering or rewatching the movie in five or ten years. Those who enjoy these disposable action-adventures might find Fountain of Youth enjoyable enough in the moment, particularly if you like John Krasinski, but more discerning viewers are advised to look elsewhere for their entertainment.
5.6/10
