I’m glad this movie was made, but i’m so frustrated it wasn’t made better

When i first saw the trailer for Fountain of YouthI had conflicting respecting. On the One Hand, I was excited to see anything resempling a History-focused adventure film. I’ve seen this calmed a “Heist” Movie, But The Proper Term is Treasure Hunt -A Globetrotting, Action-InFLECTED, Star-Driven Treasure Hunt. I love Watching entertaining characters chase myths and legends to unlock the seconds by an ancient civilization (or a centuries-op conspiracy, or higher power, or aliens), and Hollywood so Rarely Lets with!

On the Other Hand, I wondered why this seemingly four-kuadrant movie with blockbuster scale, directly by Guy Ritchie and Starring Natalie Port and John Krasinski, Was Going to Streaming. I’d eather end the movie asing the sun question, this time shaking my fist at the industry, or … i wouldn’t. Neither Option SEEMED Comforting.

Now, Having Seen it, My Reaction Remains Just as mixed. In some ways, Fountain of Youth is the adventure story of was looking for, and i enjoyed every minute when that was the case. But this movie is filled with flaws, momentary and fundamental alike. I am equal parts amused by it and frustrated with itand as I Write This, I don’t know whic Feeling Will Win Out.

Fountain of Youth Provides some solid adventure Movie Thrills

Without Taching Its EYE OFF CHARACTER

At its core, Fountain of Youth Is About Two Siblings Grapping with the Long Shadow of their Father’s Legacy. He was an Indiana Jones-Type Adventurer-Scholar (Winkingly Named Harrison) Who Earned the World’s Respect, if the adulation he may have deserved, and his exploits were offten family affairs. After he died, his son Luke (Krasinski) Chose to Chase Him, Though his Way of Doing So Might Be Consider More Thivery than Exploration. His Daughter Charlotte (Portman) Stopped the Ride and Got off; She got Married, Had a Kid, and Curates a Museum in London.

When the Movie Starts, they Pushed Those lives to the Brink. Luke is being pursud by interpol for several art thefts, while charlotte’s amicable divorce tourned not-soo-amicable, threatetening custody of her son. They’re Brought Back Together be Luke involves his unwilling sister in his latest queue – the search for the mythical fountain of youth, on behalf of terminally illionaire owen Carver (Domhnall gleeson) – butir journey is about. As they are closer to their goal, so, too, do they would be closer to each other.

This is one of Fountain of Youth‘s Better Instincts. While carver’s mission is enough motivation to mov the full forward, the film keeps returning to why This is so imported to Luke, cloud us into his nagging subconscious dreams. The Movie offten wobbles, but this spine keeps it from falling over. IT’S ONLY THANKS TO IT THAT THE BIG FINAL HAS The emotional resonance that it does.

For the Most Part, Though, IT’S not the adventure set pieces that Need the help. Structurally, Screenwriter James Vanderbilt Has Laid an Interesting Path for the Central Charactersthough he clearly helped himself to a buffet of predecessors – a bit of Indiana Jones, soma National Treasureand a Surpring Helping of The da Vinci Code. They’re also Being Pursmed Separately by Arian Moyed’s Inspector Jamal Abbas and Eiza González’s Myterious Representative of the Fountain’s Legendary Protectors, WHO provides welcome to any well-laid plans.

Fountain of Youth’s Flaws Are EveryWhre

And they kept taching with out of the Movie

But as much as i wanten to sit back and enjoy the ride, Fountain of Youth‘s myriad of problems always managed to pull me out of it. The Most Frequent Culprit is the Dialogue, which Too Often Hits the Ear Awkwardly, Though Who Exactly to Blame is Hard to Say. The script was Clearly Written with a thesaurus too at Hand, but the rhythm of the delivery is also jarringly off, and what could’ve ben intended as playful intellectual postming is unnatural. Either the Director, Most of the Cast, or Both Didn’t Take Well to the Way This Was Written.

Krasinski is woefully miscast … he lacks the charismal this movie desperately Needs.

The inconsistencies of style on top of this would be to ritchie. He’s always been a filmmaker who favor Visual Flourishes, and at their best, they convey a sense of genuine cool. butt Mary of his choices here Lack a Real Purpose. HIS USS OF SLOW-MOTION IN Sherlock Holmesfor Example, was Grounded in Sherlock’s Genius, Slowing the World Down to Immers Us in the Speed ​​of His Thinking. Be he tries the sun trick with luke once, it feeds more like a put-on than a real idea. Fountain of Youth is littered with such moments.

It doesn’t help that Krasinski is woefully miscast. I Can See the Thinking – Combine His COMEDIC CHOPS WITH HIS ACTION PERSON, AND MAYBE YOU GET A Charming Adventurer. But he lacks the charisma this movie desperately Needs. When there is there’s not someone Big, Exciting Thing Happening, This Kind of Film Lives off the chemistry between the various characters, and the crucial pairings of Krasinski and Portman (Also not at home in this material) and krasinski and gonzalez (who’s great great).

Will Ritchie & Co. Really understand the appeal of this genre?

SOMESTEMES, IT’S HARD TO TELL

Most critically (and probably why i remain so firamly on the phence), i spent Fountain of Youth Going Back and Forth on Whether The Filmmakers Actually Understand What People Like About These Movies. Ritchie is a prolific action director, and he leans action here, which is fine. When it is not very styracting stylized, the action is good. butt Treasure hunt movies have a nerdy side that that istimes feels undervalured by this film.

I Personally Love When Characters Expound on A Bit of History or Myth That Ends Up Being Essential, but More Importantly, they love it. When Indiana Jones Talks About the Ark of the Covenant, or a nicolas Cage’s Ben Talks About the Footers, They Light up. When these are new characters problem-Solve, they have the air of showing off, as if Displays of KnowLEDGE ARE THEIR WAY OF BEING COOL. But there’s something More endearing About Their Excitement Being Profoundly unCool, especally when the character usually isn’t.

Fountain of Youth isn’t missing this entirely, and the vibe i was looking for really coma to the forest in the final stretch. Si, I Remain Tapped in Between a firm Stance for or Against. The One Thing I know for sura, though, is that watching it made me want another one – just not from these.