FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
Starring: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, and Stanley Tucci
Director: Guy Ritchie
ADRIANO
For a filmmaker like Guy Ritchie, who is full of style and juice, Fountain of Youth is depressingly lacking any of those hallmarks. It's the most Netflix movie imaginable, except this one happens to be on Apple. Personally, I don't believe John Krasinski has movie-star charm, and the movie lacks a lot because of it. The story is fine, the action is fine, and there is nothing inherently offensive here, but it's sad to see Ritchie direct something so flat and empty in a style that is far too passing to be fun.
QUENTIN
As a fan of globe-trotting treasure hunt movies like National Treasure, Indiana Jones, and even the less-than-stellar Sahara, Fountain of Youth scratches an itch that has long needed scratching despite lazily ripping off all the aforementioned titles. Sadly, the “been there, done that” of this particular story saps the cool wonder these types of movies usually elicit, not to mention that it rarely feels like a Guy Ritchie movie, which, as a fan, is disappointing. However, John Krasinski's playfully roguish charm and my admitted genre bias do more than enough to kickstart a franchise I’d gladly continue watching, especially if National Treasure 3 isn’t happening.
BODE
Watching Fountain of Youth, you can tell that director Guy Ritchie and screenwriter James Vanderbilt have played Uncharted because it arguably captures the spirit of that video game better than its own movie adaptation at times, especially visually. It proves that shooting these globe-trotting blockbusters on location matters, even if they bypass a theatrical release like this one. It’s just a shame that, despite some fun bits, the film never rises above average, seemingly settling on predictability. It doesn’t help that John Krasinski and Natalie Portman never fully gel as siblings. It’s definitely not incompetent. It’s just forgettable.
NICK
Had Fountain of Youth come out in the early 2000s, I may not have enjoyed it as much; however, as movies like this are far rarer nowadays, it was a nice treat. A throwback adventure title, it evokes memories of films like The Mummy and National Treasure with John Krasinski in the Brendan Fraser/Nicolas Cage role. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, and I caution any expectation of a “Guy Ritchie film” as his trademark style is missing in action, but it’s a nice comfort watch from a neglected genre. Sometimes that’s all you need.
