Guy Ritchie is back with another action/adventure caper, this time taking inspiration from the likes of Indiana Jones, National Treasure, and Tomb Raider. Fountain of Youth is Ritchie’s new film, starring John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza Gonzalez, Domhnall Gleeson, and Stanley Tucci. The movie premiered on Apple TV+ on May 23, and it was quickly destroyed by critics. The film holds a 36% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. But, despite the negative reviews, Fountain of Youth is still a big hit with viewers.
Fountain of Youth is the most popular movie on Apple TV+ this week. It sits ahead of The Gorge in second, and Wolfs in third. Admittedly, Apple TV+ doesn’t have the largest offering of movies, meaning it is far easier for a new release to hit the top of the streamer’s chart upon release. But, to hit No. 1 so quickly after release is a notable sign that the film is immensely popular among subscribers. If you hadn’t guessed from the title, the film follows a ragtag group of adventurers on a mission to find the mysterious Fountain of Youth. The official synopsis reads:

“A treasure-hunting mastermind assembles a team for a big adventure. But to outwit and outrun threats at every turn, he’ll need someone even smarter, his estranged sister.”

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Viewers on Apple TV+ might love it, but Fountain of Youth failed to eternally impress MovieWeb’s critic, Mark Keizer, who called it “the Apple TV+ algorithm in movie form” in the title of their review. “For those wondering what would result should A.I. become sentient, see Apple TV+’s aggressively lavish and numbingly generic Fountain of Youth,” they continued, scoring the film 2/5.
Guy Ritchie Is One of the Busiest Directors Around

Apple TV+

You have to commend Guy Ritchie’s work ethic. Over the past two years, the director has released Fountain of Youth, MobLand, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Gentlemen, The Covenant, and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. But, sometimes less is more, as many of the above projects haven’t been the massive hits the director was looking for.
Netflix’s The Gentlemen was the biggest hit among the bunch. The Netflix series was a gigantic success in 2024 and was quickly greenlit for Season 2. The Covenant, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, also received decent reviews, although it wasn’t as popular with audiences as Ritchie’s past classics. But MobLand, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and Operation Fortune have all fallen short in terms of critical reception.
Ritchie currently has six new projects in the works. Alongside the second season of The Gentleman, Ritchie is also directing the sequel to one of Disney’s first live-action remakes, Aladdin. The sequel has been in development for years, and it isn’t clear if the movie will ever make it to production. In terms of movies, Ritchie is directing In the Grey (which is in post-production), Wife and Dog (also in post-production), and the director was recently announced to helm Prime Video’s Road House 2. On top of all of that, he is also currently working on a Young Sherlock series, which is in production.

Fountain of Youth

Release Date

May 23, 2025

Runtime

125 minutes

Writers

James Vanderbilt

Producers

Jake Myers, William Sherak, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, Tripp Vinson, Ivan Atkinson