| Fountain of Youth | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Release poster | |
| Directed by | Guy Ritchie |
| Written by | James Vanderbilt |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ed Wild |
| Edited by | James Herbert |
| Music by | Christopher Benstead |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Apple TV+ |
Release date |
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Running time | 125 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $180 million[2] |
Fountain of Youth is a 2025 Americanheistactionadventure film directed byGuy Ritchie and written byJames Vanderbilt. It starsJohn Krasinski,Natalie Portman,Eiza González, andDomhnall Gleeson, withArian Moayed,Laz Alonso,Carmen Ejogo, andStanley Tucci in supporting roles. Krasinski and Portman play estranged siblings who team up to embark on a journey to find the famedFountain of Youth.
Fountain of Youth was released May 23, 2025, onApple TV+, and received mixed reviews from critics.
Disgracedarchaeologist Luke Purdue steals a painting from criminals inThailand and foils the mysterious Esme and her henchmen, who attempt to seize the painting themselves. InLondon, Luke surprises his sister Charlotte, a museum curator who is divorcing her unfaithful husband Harold. Stealing another painting from the museum, Luke baits Charlotte into fleeing with him and his partners Murphy and Deb, revealing that he has continued their late father's legacy of treasure-hunting.
Questioned byInterpol Inspector Jamal Abbas, Charlotte is fired and confronts Luke at his hideout, where she is introduced to Owen Carver, a wealthycorporate raider with terminal cancer who is financing Luke and his team's search for the fabledFountain of Youth. Owen entices Charlotte to join the team with the promise of giving her a powerful lawyer to gain custody of her son. Their father's notes reveal that asecret society known as the "Protectors of the Path" has concealed the Fountain for centuries, but a faction who disagreed with the Path's mission hid clues in six historic paintings Luke has stolen, includingRembrandt'sHead of Christ from the museum. Charlotte admits that theHead of Christ is a duplicate, and reluctantly joins her brother's quest.
The real painting was lost in the sinking of theLusitania, and the team raises the first-class section of the ship to the surface. Recovering the painting fromAlfred Gwynne Vanderbilt's safe, Luke and Charlotte are held at gunpoint by Esme and her fellow Protectors, but escape the sinking wreckage with the painting. The team returns to London and the paintings' clues point them to theWicked Bible, but their hideout is raided by Abbas before they are all ambushed by the Thai gangsters. Provoking a shootout, Luke escapes with his team.
Harold accepts a job overseas, leading Charlotte to bring their son Thomas with the team toVienna. Examining the Wicked Bible at theAustrian National Library, Luke is again ambushed by Esme, who warns that the Fountain hides a terrible power he does not understand. He and his team steal the Bible, but Charlotte refuses to further endanger her son and storms off. Thomas convinces her to return, having deduced that the code hidden in the Bible is musical notes, which the team identify as an ancient song honoring theSeven Wonders and realize the Fountain is located in a newly discovered secret passage beneath theGreat Pyramid of Giza thanks tomuography.
Esme meets with the Elder of the Protectors of the Path, who reminds her that she must do whatever is necessary to keep the Fountain from being unearthed, for humanity's own protection. InCairo, Carver secures the pyramid with his heavily armed mercenaries, forcing Luke, Charlotte, and Thomas to unlock the secret passage. Abbas arrives with a convoy of Interpol agents, only to be outgunned by the mercenaries, and Deb is wounded as she and Murphy try to intervene. Esme and her fellow Protectors overpower Carver's men, and she and Abbas join forces, pursuing the others into the passage.
In the depths of the pyramid, Luke and the others discover the Fountain. Charlotte realizes Carver is not sick and simply wants to hoard the Fountain's power for himself, but Carver shoots Luke in the arm, demanding he drink from the Fountain to test its effects. A drop of Luke's blood causes the mystical waters to tempt him with a vision of eternal life, at the cost of Charlotte and Thomas' own lives, and he realizes the curse of the Fountain: whatever energy he is granted will be transferred from those he loves most. Luke refuses to drink, and his wounds are instantly healed.
Abbas and Esme reach the chamber just as Carver drinks the water but, as he cares only about himself, he is drained of his own life force. Esme uses a key from the Elder to seal the chamber, trapping the rapidly aging Carver inside as the others escape. Charlotte convinces Abbas to blame Carver for their crimes, and Esme kisses Luke, warning that their paths will cross again if he continues to search for forbidden treasures. Luke reunites with his team, and Charlotte and Thomas suggest their next adventure.
It was announced in March 2023 thatDexter Fletcher was set to direct the film, with a screenplay byJames Vanderbilt.[4]
In January 2024, Fletcher had since departed the project, withGuy Ritchie now set to direct, withJohn Krasinski andNatalie Portman cast to star.Principal photography was expected to begin in early 2024.[5]Domhnall Gleeson andEiza González also joined the cast that month,[6][7] withLaz Alonso joining in February.[8]Arian Moayed andCarmen Ejogo would be added in March.[9]
Filming took place atWarner Bros. Studios, Leavesden inHertfordshire, England. It began inBangkok in February 2024, followed byVienna in March, andLiverpool in May,[10][11][12] and finally inCairo in July 2024.[13][14] The movie was officiallywrapped in October 2024.[15]
Fountain of Youth released on Apple TV+ on May 23, 2025.[16][17][18]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 35% of 112 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Despite its glossy production and some impressive set pieces,Fountain of Youth can't overcome a derivative and uninspired story that fails to capture the creativity of the countless action-adventure flicks it cribs from."[19]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 41 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[20]
Reviewing the film forThe Guardian, Ryan Gibley awarded it two stars out of a possible five, describing it as a "soulless business-class yarn" and a "hodgepodge of plundered elements (which) adds up to nothing more thanIndianaBourne and theThomas CrownDa Vinci Code", and summarising it as "derivative and uninspired".[21]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Raspberry Awards | March 14, 2026 | Worst Actress | Natalie Portman | Pending | [22] |
