Guy Ritchie is best known for his exciting gangster films, but he’s recently explored some different types of movies. Besides directing Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, he created an action-adventure film for Apple TV that aimed to capture the spirit of Indiana Jones and National Treasure. Although critics weren’t impressed, the film has consistently been popular with viewers around the world on the streaming platform.
As we head into 2026, I’m still amazed by how well Guy Ritchie’s latest film is doing! It’s consistently in the top four most-watched movies on Apple TV globally, and that’s over seven months after it first came out. It was a big-budget movie – around $180 million – and packed with incredible actors like John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, and Stanley Tucci. Interestingly, Dexter Fletcher was originally supposed to direct, but Ritchie took over almost a year into the project. Even though critics and a lot of viewers weren’t thrilled with it, it’s clear Ritchie has a knack for making films people just keep rewatching – it’s really quite something!
I recently watched Fountain of Youth, and it stars John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as Luke and Charlotte Purdue, siblings who aren’t exactly close. It’s a fun ride – basically, a disgraced archaeologist brother talks his sister, a museum curator, into joining a treasure hunt, though he does manage to get her fired and swipe a couple of paintings first! The movie feels like a classic action-adventure, with complicated stunts, lots of close calls, and a pretty predictable ending. Honestly, it didn’t wow anyone, but it’s become surprisingly popular on Apple TV – people seem to be watching it as a bit of a guilty pleasure, something easy and comforting.
‘Fountain of Youth’ Lives On
Apple TV+
Of course, Fountain of Youth suggests the Purdue siblings will be back for another adventure soon, but as of now, there are no plans for a sequel. While the movie cost a lot to make, it’s consistently popular on Apple TV around the world, proving it’s been a financial success. It’s strange, though, that people keep watching it despite mostly disliking it.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, ‘Fountain of Youth’ received a 35% rating from critics and a 38% audience score, which is unusual because both groups seem to share the same opinion – it’s not a great movie. While the film boasts beautiful scenery and visually impressive scenes, the story feels unoriginal and borrows heavily from other action-adventure films.
Ben Travis from Empire Magazine felt Fountain of Youth would have been better left unmade, explaining that despite having all the necessary ingredients for a good film, it ultimately fell flat. Robert Levin of Newsday described it as utterly average, and Rebecca Murray from Showbiz Junkies said that while it occasionally resembled a less exciting version of National Treasure, it mostly felt tedious and drawn out.
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Typically, audiences often boost the scores of fun, summer blockbusters, but that wasn’t true for Fountain of Youth. While a few viewers enjoyed it as a lighthearted, classic adventure, most found it to be a predictable and unoriginal story that had been done better in other films. Some people admitted they only watched it because of the actors involved—Guy Ritchie, John Krasinski, or Natalie Portman—but ultimately felt it wasn’t worth the two-hour runtime.
You know, it’s funny – some of my all-time favorite movies totally bombed when they first came out! And I’m really getting the feeling that Fountain of Youth is going to be one of those. It’s doing surprisingly well on streaming, and I think it might end up like Top Gun Maverick on Paramount+ or KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix – a movie that just keeps hanging around and people keep watching, even after everyone’s moved on to the next big thing.
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2025-12-31 14:48