I’m not going to take aside Fountain Of Youth, the most recent within the 2025 film schedule you can take a look at together with your AppleTV+ subscription. I do assume it’s a enjoyable film, in a “film of the week” form of manner. I like that the film is at the very least attempting to be one thing new and never counting on current IP, one thing Hollywood doesn’t take sufficient probabilities on nowadays. The Man Richie movie delivers in being an fulfilling journey film excellent for a Sunday afternoon. It additionally tries to set itself up for a sequel, or perhaps a franchise, and on that entrance, I’m not so positive it really works.
Fountain Of Youth Appears To Be Inventing The Subsequent Indiana Jones
John Krasinski and Natalie Portman star as brother and sister Luke and Charlotte Purdue, the youngsters of a famed, late archaeologist. Luke is the charming adventurer within the household, going as far as to commit daring artwork heists to seek out the clues he’s searching for to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. Charlotte is the extra pragmatic sibling, working as a curator in an artwork museum that Luke burglarizes.
Luke finally convinces Charlotte to hitch him in his quest, and the journey begins in full. I received’t get into too many spoilers right here, however the film trots alongside at a good clip, with some utterly unrealistic issues taking place to get to the solutions they search, very a lot akin to a few of Indiana Jones’ adventures, particularly from the final couple of films (not a ringing endorsement, I do know). Throw in a splash of The Da Vinci Code’s fake intellectualism, and it appears clear that Richie and Co. are hoping to construct a franchise.
The Ending Of Fountain Of Youth Is Particularly Heavy-Handed
As soon as the journey is over and our heroes have saved the day by making the right ethical choice, and the villain, performed Domhnall Gleeson, who’s given far too little to do right here, is vanquished, Charlotte and Luke have a forwards and backwards that’s about as refined as a misplaced ark to the top.
Charlotte is able to group up together with her brother once more to hunt different misplaced treasures. They commerce pleasant barbs about what they might search for subsequent, whereas giving no solutions (and the forged isn’t letting on, both, a few potential sequel). There are, after all, dozens of potential artifacts or legendary locations to go looking out in a franchise. That doesn’t imply there can be one, although.
Fountain Of Youth Simply Isn’t Sturdy Sufficient To Launch A Franchise
Krasinski is nice within the film, and he’s rather more real looking as a reluctant motion hero than, say, as Jack Ryan within the Amazon present of the identical title, which he starred in. Portman is, as all the time, nice, however one thing doesn’t work right here. The dialogue is a little bit tacky, and the plot, whereas an incredible concept, doesn’t maintain collectively. There is no such thing as a villain that we all know of till the tip, and even that feels compelled, regardless of Charlotte’s foreshadowing.
Then there’s the type of ham-fisted dialogue on the finish, attempting to arrange a sequel. It’s all just a bit too presumptive and, frankly, tacky, the best way they do it. Certain, motion pictures have lengthy arrange franchises and sequels, however normally that’s as soon as they’re established. Fountain of Youth isn’t there but. I’d be all for giving the characters yet one more likelihood, however will audiences and Apple agree? I simply don’t know.