Fountain of Youth review by Bobby Blakey
When done right there is nothing better than a good adventure flick in search of treasure or artifacts. Films like Indiana Jone, National Treasure, Romancing the Stone and even the Mummy franchise did these things well and brought the fun to the adventure. The latest, Fountian of Youth from Snatch, Sherlock Holmes, The Gentleman and more recently The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare director Guy Ritchie looks to do the same thing. The film features a great cast including John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza Gonzalez, and Domhnall Gleeson but does it bring the promised fun and adventure, or will it be a hunt with no treasure?
Fountian of Youth follows two estranged siblings 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.
With this cast and Ritchie at the helm I had high hopes for this film and for the most part was not disappointed. It brings all the right ingredients to the mix that fans hope for in this kind of film. One of the aspects I liked the most was the relationship between Krasinski and Portman being siblings instead of the usual romantic relationship these films usually have. This gave a fun dynamic of both heart and butting heads similar in turn to the buddy action flicks but with the intelligence of the historical journey.
There is plenty of action and fun throughout with the story with most of it staying grounded. With each clue a new mystery occurs that keeps you interested and engaged to see where it is headed next. When hunting for something like the fountain of youth you know that there is likely some other worldly stuff going to happen, but I was hoping that they would go with the less is more ideal. The final
act does go more effect heavy in the final act and while I was hoping for something else it still works. It is a little out of the place, but expected in the direction it was always heading and does work for the payoff.
The film isn’t bringing anything all that new to the genre but still manages to bring something entertaining enough to work. I had a good time with the film and would be lying if I said I wouldn’t enjoy seeing this group on another adventure. It’s a good film for streaming and hopefully does well enough to kick start a new series of treasure hunt features that we just don’t get enough of.
Decide for yourself and check out Fountian of Youth streaming now on Apple TV+.