©Courtesy of Apple TV+
Evidently, Ponce de Leon was wrong. The Fountain of Youth is not in Florida after all—because that would be too easy. Instead, a lot of frequent flyer miles will be generated during the latest globe-trotting search for the fabled spring. The influences are obvious (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Tomb Raider, National Treasure, etc.), but the tone is breezier (and sometimes even jokier) in Guy Ritchie’s The Fountain of Youth, which now streams on Apple TV+.
Luke Purdue and his sister Charlotte used to travel the world in search of antiquities with their late archeologist father. After his death, she accepted a curatorial position and tried to live a responsible life, while he grew increasingly irresponsible. During the prologue, he steals a priceless Old Master from Thai gangsters, but do not worry. They stole it first. Then Esme, a mysterious femme fatale, and her small Templar-like entourage tries to steal it away from Purdue.
Awkwardly, the next painting he purloins happens to be from his sister’s museum. Apparently, clues to the location of the Fountain of Youth were somehow embedded into half a dozen priceless canvases. Naturally, each clue leads to another ancient treasure that holds yet a further clue to the Fountain’s location, each of which requires the combined expertise of Indiana Jones, Lovejoy, and the Professor of Aramaic Fibonacci sequences from the Da Vinci Code books, to decipher.
©Courtesy of Apple TV+
In a case of good news/bad news, Esme, the alluring protector of the Fountain’s secrets, is always hot on their trail. Soon, Interpol Inspector Jamal Abbas joins her in hot pursuit of the Purdues, (although, in reality, Interpol is just a clearinghouse for international arrest warrants, which have been increasingly abused by authoritarian regimes like Russia to harass dissidents). However, Abbas is an honest cop—and a snappy dresser, but this case is a bit out of his depth.
Nevertheless, the constant hopscotching of exotic locales (including Thailand, London, Vienna, the Egyptian Pyramids, and the Celtic Sea) is a good deal of fun. John Krasinski and Natalie Portman nicely combine their super-star charm as the Purdue Siblings, even though nobody would ever mistake them for brother and sister in real life.
Arguably, the sworn protector of the Fountain might be Eiza Gonzalez’s most charismatic big-screen appearance to-date, especially considering her slow-burning chemistry with Krasinski. Arian Moayed is also a good sport as the constantly one-step-behind Inspector Abbas. In contrast, Domhnall Gleason just looks bored as Owen Carver, the dying billionaire funding Luke Purdue’s misadventures.
©Courtesy of Apple TV+
Unfortunately, the humor often aims more for broad, kid-friendly amusement, rather than sly grown-up laughs. Indeed, despite the PG-13 rating, there is little “mature” or objectionable material.
Regardless, James Vanderbilt’s screenplay stretches credibility past all reason when the Purdues let Charlotte’s son Thomas tag-along with them, despite the obvious dangers, even though young Benjamin Chivers’ pleasantly upbeat and earnest screen presence holds up surprisingly well throughout the film. On the other hand, Stanley Tucci hardly has any time to register in viewers’ hippocampi in his brief appearance as Esme’s shadowy boss, the “Elder.”
In terms of pacing and tone, Ritchie’s film is roughly on par with Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle. Frankly, the inventive final action sequence genuinely cries out for a video game adaptation. It is brisk and sometimes silly, but mostly in entertaining ways. Regardless, Ritchie never lets the film stand still for long, so every bit of business that does not completely land quickly disappears in the rearview mirror. Recommended for the clean, retro-style adventure, The Fountain of Youth now streams on Apple TV+.
©Courtesy of Apple TV+
Grade: B-
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Here’s the trailer of the film.