Two estranged siblings partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an adventure that will change their lives and possibly lead to immortality.
Cast: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, Stanley Tucci, Benjamin Chivers, Michael Epp.
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
Metacritic: 42/100
Some Reviews:
As a spirited time-filler, “Fountain of Youth” gets the job done, but anyone looking for a deeper exploration of the search for eternal life may find this little more insightful than a stopped clock.
The Hollywood Reporter - Frank Scheck
It’s all as predictable as you’d expect, with the screenplay by James Vanderbilt failing to provide the wit necessary to make the film stand out in any way. (One exception, an exchange between young Thomas and billionaire Owen about what it’s like to be obscenely rich, stands out). By the time it concludes with the inevitable hinting at potential sequels, Fountain of Youth just seems desperate in its attempt to launch a viable film franchise for its streaming host.
It would be nice to report that “Fountain of Youth” is harmless fluff, a brisk escapist adventure with a game cast and a few fun set pieces. And I suppose it may be mostly harmless, unless you count wasting your time as a “harm” (and I wouldn’t fight you on that). But it’s annoying fluff. It’s tedious fluff. The only thing I wanted to escape was the movie itself. The cast is either trying too hard or not enough, and none of the action sequences blew me away. There’s a bit on a boat that was probably expensive. There’s a fight in a library that’s competent. There’s a shootout at the pyramids between characters we don’t know or give a damn about. There’s a big difference between “fluffy” and “empty.” “Fountain of Youth” seems to have found it.
The Daily Beast - Nick Schager
No matter his gifts for tales about motley crews, this sub-Spielbergian venture isn’t in his rough-and-tumble wheelhouse, the result being a clunky farce that never escapes its ancestors’ shadow.
Guardian - Ryan Gilbey - 2/5
A movie as derivative and uninspired as this will always be surplus to requirements so long as the first three Indiana Jones movies remain in circulation. As the family name Purdue suggests, Luke and Charlotte’s father believed that some things should remain lost. Would that this had been the fate of the film.