The state of the action-adventure genre is currently in a state of flux. Harrison Ford donned the hat one last time for The Dial of Destiny, and that was a massive disappointment. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was almost unwatchable. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves was fine, but it did flop at the box office for reasons I don’t really know. Meanwhile, in the OTT space, the genre is flourishing. Golden Kamuy was a massive hit. Bandidos was really popular amongst fans of puzzle-solving and heists. Time Bandits was quite fun. And then, of course, there was the live-action iteration of One Piece, which took the world by storm. So, what does that exactly mean? That people are not okay with two-hour-plus globe-trotting adventures but are comfortable with watching the same in an episodic fashion? That they are okay with witnessing exotic locales from the comfort of their home instead of the massive IMAX screen? Whatever the case may be, it seems like Fountain of Youth has come out at an interesting time, as it has the best of both worlds. Is it worth a watch, though? Let’s find out.
Guy Ritchie’s Fountain of Youth, written by James Vanderbilt (who is integrated into the film in a really interesting way), tells the story of Luke Purdue, who is on the run after stealing an important painting from Thailand. Due to his acts of thievery, he is not only being chased by a protector of ancient artifacts, Esme, but also by Interpol’s Inspector Jamal Abbas. However, he manages to give all of them the slip to get to his sister, Charlotte Purdue, and rope her into his mission to get to the titular and mythical spring. This endeavor is being funded by an infamous billionaire named Owen Carver, which is why Luke has gotten to reunite with his dad’s old treasure-hunting team members, Patrick Murphy and Deb McCall. But Luke feels that without Charlotte, this whole operation will be incomplete. Since Charlotte is going through a divorce, she doesn’t want to leave his son, Thomas, behind and go on a trip. Understanding how important Charlotte is to Luke, Owen takes care of that situation, thereby allowing both Charlotte and Thomas to join the rest of the crew. Whether or not they’ll find the item that can help them defeat humanity’s greatest enemy, time, is what forms the crux of the story.
It’ll be an understatement to say that James Vanderbilt’s script is “inspired” by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; it’s essentially a remake of that story that George Lucas and Menno Meyjes came up with. Indy had impeccable chemistry with the antagonist, Dr. Elsa Schneider. Luke is essentially in love with the antagonist, Esme. Last Crusade has two bickering family members, Indy and Henry Jones Sr., and Vanderbilt’s also has two bickering family members, Luke and Charlotte. The Holy Grail will give its drinker immortality, but if you choose the wrong cup, you’ll turn into a corpse before everyone’s eyes. The Fountain of Youth functions on the basis of a similar theory. So, yeah, technically speaking, there’s nothing all that new in here. What kept me hooked all the way to the end was Luke’s internal conflict. Yes, he does come off as a knock-off Indy, but the depiction of the emotional baggage that he’s carrying and how he chooses to mask his self-destructive habits by being charming is what makes him so compelling. In addition to that, the dialogue writing is pretty solid as it strikes a balance between exposition and character building. And, by the end, Vanderbilt manages to send a profound message about how humanity’s constant pursuit to undo the laws of nature will be the reason for our undoing.
Talking about defying the laws of nature, what the hell is Guy Ritchie made of? Between 2024 and5, he has done 2 TV series, The Gentlemen and MobLand, and 2 movies, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Fountain of Youth. A movie called In the Grey is currently in post-production, and he’s filming for another movie titled Wife and Dog. And, trust me when I say this, none of these projects are low-budget, small-scale, and easy. I mean, just look at the topic of today’s discussion. If the script says that a scene is taking place in Thailand, it’s taking place in Thailand instead of a studio set with green-screened set extensions. The same can be said about all the scenes set in Austria, Ireland, and Egypt. The sets that have been built for the sinking ship and the dungeon where the fountain is located are elaborate and so intricately detailed. Hats off to Ritchie, cinematographer Ed Wild, and editor James Herbert for properly capturing the work that’s been done by production designer Martyn John, the art directors, set decorators, and the CGI, SFX, and VFX departments. It’s really impressive. In addition to that, the stunt work, the sound design, and the action sequences are really good. The tone and pacing always keep things exciting. The score is kind of forgettable, though. But I can forgive that when everything else is functioning so seamlessly.
The performances from the cast of Fountain of Youth are great. I happen to have a soft spot for John Krasinski because I have grown up watching him in The Office. So, whenever I see him in these kinds of larger-than-life roles, I feel like I am watching a friend on the screen. And it’s truly wonderful to see him pour his decades of acting experience into a character that would’ve otherwise been written off as a watered-down version of Indiana Jones and Nathan Drake. Natalie Portman is another actor whose work I’ve been watching since I was a kid. I mean, that’s Padme Amidala, man, and it’s really fun to see her in this genre that I love so much. There’s a scene towards the tail end of the film where Portman has to give this cruel look at Krasinski for a decision that he is probably about to make. That expression stays on the screen for a few seconds, but it’s enough to make you go, “That’s why Natalie Portman is one of the best.” Eiza Gonzalez is amazing, as always. She oozes charisma and style, and she’s quite intimidating as well. Domhnall Gleeson’s skills aren’t fully utilized, but he shares a conversation with Benjamin Chivers, which is probably my favorite scene from the whole movie. Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo, Steve Tran, and Stanley Tucci are okay. The rest of the supporting cast is alright, and a massive shout-out should go out to all the stunt actors who have silently given their blood, sweat, and tears to this film.
If it’s not clear already, yes, I really liked Fountain of Youth. I wasn’t really blown away by the trailer. I didn’t go into it expecting to have a fun time, but I did. It’s not as brilliant as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; however, thankfully, it’s not as bad as Dial of Destiny. If that sounds like a recommendation, please, give the film a watch. Now, I’m about to go off on a tangent. So, when I saw the Skydance logo show up at the beginning of this movie, I immediately thought of Tom Cruise, because that’s the studio that has been producing the Mission Impossible movies. And then I remembered that Cruise had tried to revive the action-adventure genre with The Mummy, but that failed horribly. But since Cruise has a tendency to not give up on a genre if it didn’t work out the first time, he essentially turned The Final Reckoning into a treasure hunt, thereby living his dream of being a globe-trotting adventurer. Now, since Skydance has worked with Krasinski on the Jack Ryan series, and since Cruise is probably moving away from stunt-heavy roles, I understand why the former was brought in to work with Ritchie. But, I don’t know, something about The Final Reckoning and Fountain of Youth coming out at the same time made me wonder about the world we’d be living in if Cruise and Ritchie collaborated and made a good Mummy movie. Well, never say never.
