# Fountain of Youth (film)
**Fountain of Youth** is a 2025 American action-adventure film directed by [Guy Ritchie](https://www.edgepedia.org/guy-ritchie), in which estranged siblings Luke and Charlotte Purdue, played by [John Krasinski](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-krasinski) and [Natalie Portman](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-portman), partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth, the legendary spring said to grant eternal life. It was written by James Vanderbilt and released as an Apple TV+ streaming original on May 23, 2025.[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/fountain-of-youth/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Guy Ritchie; screenplay by James Vanderbilt[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025) |
| Release | Apple TV+ streaming, May 23, 2025; no theatrical release[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/fountain-of-youth/) • [3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fountain-of-youth-john-krasinski-apple-tv-film-review-2025) |
| Runtime / rating | 125 minutes; PG-13[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025) |
| Lead cast | John Krasinski (Luke Purdue), Natalie Portman (Charlotte Purdue), Eiza González (Esme), Domhnall Gleeson (Owen Carver), Carmen Ejogo (Deb McCall), Stanley Tucci[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025) • [4](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/fountain-of-youth-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi5oti1) |
| Filming locations | Bangkok, Liverpool (doubling for London), Vienna, and the Giza pyramids near Cairo; interiors at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden[5](https://apnews.com/article/28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533) • [6](https://deeparrival.com/destinations/screen-trips/fountain-of-youth-2025-filming-locations/) |
| Giza first | The first film of its scale granted permission to shoot action sequences at the pyramids[5](https://apnews.com/article/28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533) |
| Reception | 35% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (116 reviews); 38% audience Popcornmeter[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and cast
The story follows Luke Purdue, a treasure-hunting mastermind who assembles a team for a globe-spanning quest and recruits his estranged sister Charlotte, who is smarter than he is, to help outwit and outrun the threats that follow them.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025) The siblings piece together historical clues, including messages on the backs of [Rembrandt](https://www.edgepedia.org/rembrandt) paintings, while evading the authorities and a shadowy operation intent on stopping the search.[5](https://apnews.com/article/28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://www.edgepedia.org/domhnall-gleeson) plays Owen Carver, the wealthy businessman funding the operation, and [Eiza González](https://www.edgepedia.org/eiza-gonzalez) plays Esme, one of the protectors of the Fountain of Youth.[5](https://apnews.com/article/28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533) The supporting cast includes Carmen Ejogo, Stanley Tucci, Arian Moayed, and Laz Alonso.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025) • [7](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/adventure-movies/john-krasinski-explains-what-makes-his-guy-ritchie-directed-archeological-adventure-movie-different-were-ahead-of-indiana-jones-already-please-dont-tell-harrison-ford-that/)
Krasinski described the sibling relationship as the element that set the film apart from the adventure movies it imitates: "family was this thing that we often forget about, and it might be the treasure that we're all really seeking in our lives." As a nod to the genre, Luke and Charlotte's father is named Harrison, after [Harrison Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/harrison-ford).[7](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/adventure-movies/john-krasinski-explains-what-makes-his-guy-ritchie-directed-archeological-adventure-movie-different-were-ahead-of-indiana-jones-already-please-dont-tell-harrison-ford-that/) The plot also touches on the 1915 sinking of the [Lusitania](https://www.edgepedia.org/lusitania), whose victims included the screenwriter's paternal great-grandfather, Alfred Quinn Vanderbilt, Sr.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fountain-of-youth-john-krasinski-apple-tv-film-review-2025)
## Production
**Direction and script.** Guy Ritchie took over the project from the originally scheduled director, [Dexter Fletcher](https://www.edgepedia.org/dexter-fletcher), working from a screenplay by [James Vanderbilt](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-vanderbilt), whose other credits include *Zodiac* and *Scream*.[7](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/adventure-movies/john-krasinski-explains-what-makes-his-guy-ritchie-directed-archeological-adventure-movie-different-were-ahead-of-indiana-jones-already-please-dont-tell-harrison-ford-that/) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2025/05/23/fountain-of-youth-film-review/) The film was produced by [Skydance Media](https://www.edgepedia.org/skydance-media) with Apple, through Apple Studios, Skydance, Vinson Films, Project X Entertainment, Toff Guy Films, and Radio Silence.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025)
**Locations.** Production moved between the streets of Bangkok and Liverpool, the Austrian National Library in Vienna, and Cairo for the pyramids at Giza.[5](https://apnews.com/article/28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533) The Vienna library's State Hall served as the main Vienna location, alongside other Hofburg areas, the Hochstrahlbrunnen, and Schwarzenbergplatz.[6](https://deeparrival.com/destinations/screen-trips/fountain-of-youth-2025-filming-locations/) The scenes set in London were not shot in London at all but in Liverpool, using locations including St George's Hall, William Brown Street, Dale Street, and Exchange Flags.[9](https://www.timeout.com/news/fountain-of-youth-locations-behind-the-scenes-on-guy-ritchies-globe-trotting-heist-adventure-052325) • [6](https://deeparrival.com/destinations/screen-trips/fountain-of-youth-2025-filming-locations/) Interior work was done at [Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-bros-studios-leavesden), and an underwater scene with Portman and Krasinski was filmed in a water tank.[6](https://deeparrival.com/destinations/screen-trips/fountain-of-youth-2025-filming-locations/) • [10](https://moviedelic.com/where-fountain-of-youth-filmed/)
**The Giza shoot.** According to the Associated Press, *Fountain of Youth* became the first film of its scale to be granted the privilege of shooting action sequences at the great pyramids. The production landed a Boeing Chinook CH47 helicopter in front of the Giza Plateau and blew up a jeep, all while the site remained open to tourists.[5](https://apnews.com/article/28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533)
**Photography.** Cinematographer Ed Wild's team shot with practical effects as much as possible, giving each location its own shooting style: the Austria scenes were filmed in a more controlled, formal way, while the Bangkok scenes were shot in a looser, more frenetic way.[11](https://pro.sony/ue_US/insight/cinematography-tips/scene-deconstruction-ed-wild)
## Release
Apple Original Films held the world premiere at the [American Museum of Natural History](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-museum-of-natural-history) in New York in May 2025, ahead of the global Apple TV+ debut on Friday, May 23, 2025.[12](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2025/05/apple-original-films-celebrates-the-world-premiere-of-fountain-of-youth-with-stars-john-krasinski-natalie-portman-eiza-gonzlez-and-more/) The film was conceived as streaming-first; cast members said in interviews that it was always going to be a streaming movie.[13](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/uploads/images/2025/05/22/69670.pdf) The British Board of Film Classification classified the 2D version at 125 minutes for cinema release on May 22, 2025, with content advice for moderate violence, threat, and language, including a scene in which otherworldly forces age and wither a person's face.[4](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/fountain-of-youth-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi5oti1) Ritchie later said that after the streaming release of *Fountain of Youth* he made sure his next film, *[In the Grey](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-the-grey)*, went to theaters.[14](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/2135032-in-the-grey-fountain-of-youth-theatrical-streaming-release)
## Reception
The film received broadly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 35% Tomatometer from 116 reviews and a 38% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 1,000 ratings; the critics consensus says that despite glossy production and some impressive set pieces, the film cannot overcome a derivative and uninspired story.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025) Reviewers repeatedly compared it to *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade*, which also centered a quest for a life-granting legendary object.[15](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/fountain-of-youth-this-indiana-jones-knock-off-is-just-embarrassing/) The Guardian called it a "soulless misadventure,"[16](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/22/fountain-of-youth-review-guy-ritchie-indiana-jones-john-krasinski) while The Independent credited Ritchie's "radar for smart nonsense" with rescuing the film from total disaster.[17](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/fountain-of-youth-review-apple-guy-ritchie-b2755993.html) On Metacritic, sampled reviews ranged from Empire's 40 and RogerEbert.com's 38 to the [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-chronicle)'s 25.[18](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/fountain-of-youth/) The RogerEbert.com review by Matt Zoller Seitz criticized the film's constant verbal explanation of its own plot, and noted the personal Vanderbilt connection to the Lusitania storyline.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fountain-of-youth-john-krasinski-apple-tv-film-review-2025)
## References
1. [Fountain of Youth, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/fountain-of-youth/)
2. [Fountain of Youth (2025), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fountain_of_youth_2025)
3. [Fountain of Youth movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fountain-of-youth-john-krasinski-apple-tv-film-review-2025)
4. [Fountain of Youth, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/fountain-of-youth-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi5oti1)
5. [Natalie Portman and John Krasinski embark on a globe-trotting adventure in 'Fountain of Youth', Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/28014f9e2ff3e7dbe06391683bc0e533)
6. [Where Was Fountain of Youth (2025) Filmed?, Deep Arrival](https://deeparrival.com/destinations/screen-trips/fountain-of-youth-2025-filming-locations/)
7. ["We're ahead of Indiana Jones already!": John Krasinski explains what sets his archeological adventure movie apart, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/adventure-movies/john-krasinski-explains-what-makes-his-guy-ritchie-directed-archeological-adventure-movie-different-were-ahead-of-indiana-jones-already-please-dont-tell-harrison-ford-that/)
8. [Action-packed "Fountain of Youth" has everything, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2025/05/23/fountain-of-youth-film-review/)
9. [Where was Fountain of Youth Filmed? Locations behind Guy Ritchie's Heist Adventure, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/news/fountain-of-youth-locations-behind-the-scenes-on-guy-ritchies-globe-trotting-heist-adventure-052325)
10. [Where Was Fountain of Youth (2025) Filmed? Shooting Locations of the Apple TV+ Movie, Moviedelic](https://moviedelic.com/where-fountain-of-youth-filmed/)
11. [Scene Deconstruction: Ed Wild, Sony Pro](https://pro.sony/ue_US/insight/cinematography-tips/scene-deconstruction-ed-wild)
12. [Apple Original Films celebrates the world premiere of "Fountain of Youth", Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2025/05/apple-original-films-celebrates-the-world-premiere-of-fountain-of-youth-with-stars-john-krasinski-natalie-portman-eiza-gonzlez-and-more/)
13. [Arab Times, May 23-24, 2025](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/uploads/images/2025/05/22/69670.pdf)
14. [Why Guy Ritchie's In the Grey Was Released in Theaters & Fountain of Youth Wasn't, ComingSoon.net](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/2135032-in-the-grey-fountain-of-youth-theatrical-streaming-release)
15. [Everyone Should Be Embarrassed About This Indiana Jones Knock-Off, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/fountain-of-youth-this-indiana-jones-knock-off-is-just-embarrassing/)
16. [Fountain of Youth review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/22/fountain-of-youth-review-guy-ritchie-indiana-jones-john-krasinski)
17. [Fountain of Youth review, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/fountain-of-youth-review-apple-guy-ritchie-b2755993.html)
18. [Fountain of Youth Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/fountain-of-youth/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Adventure films › Released 2005 to 2026*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license