Fountain of Youth is 2025’s Most Underrated Indiana Jones Copycat

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Few action-adventure movies quite match the excitement of Indiana Jones, but some come close. Director Guy Ritchie recently tried to capture that same magic with his new film, which debuted on Apple TV+ earlier this year. The movie features a strong cast, including John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, as separated siblings who team up to search for the mythical Fountain of Youth.

The action-adventure film Fountain of Youth premiered on Apple TV+ in May and received a somewhat lukewarm response. It’s largely faded from public memory since then. Although it’s not a flawless movie, and draws comparisons to Indiana Jones, it’s worth revisiting, especially with the future of a potential franchise still uncertain. Now might be the perfect time to give it another watch.

Fountain of Youth Is an Underrated Indiana Jones Clone

Despite receiving initially negative reviews, the film Fountain of Youth found success on Apple TV+. While critics described the story as unoriginal and gave it a low 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the Guy Ritchie-directed movie became a popular choice for viewers, consistently ranking among the platform’s top ten most-streamed films throughout 2025 and even holding the No. 6 spot seven months after its release.

Although some criticisms of Fountain of Youth are valid, the film also has redeeming qualities that are often overlooked. Like many action-adventure movies, its plot is fairly predictable. However, the film’s impressive production quality – making it Apple TV’s most ambitious project to date – is hard to miss.

Fountain of Youth is a true global adventure, showcasing some of the world’s most famous and stunning locations. What sets it apart from many modern blockbusters is its commitment to filming on location or creating impressive sets. In an era dominated by green screens, the use of real places is a welcome change.

The film boasts a reliably talented cast. John Krasinski is charming and playful as the adventurous Luke Purdue, while Natalie Portman provides a great contrast as his more serious sister, Charlotte. The cast is rounded out by , who plays Esme, a mysterious and dangerous character who follows the treasure hunters on their journey.

Characters like Owen Carver, played by Domhnall Gleeson, and Jamal Abbas, played by Arian Moayed, fit into familiar character types, but they still provide some entertaining scenes.

Will There Be a Fountain of Youth Sequel?

Even though critics didn’t love the movie, that’s not as important for films released directly on streaming services. While reviews were poor, the film has proven very popular on Apple TV+. Because of this success, Apple should definitely consider making a sequel to Guy Ritchie’s action-adventure hit.

As a movie fan, I found it really interesting how Fountain of Youth subtly sets things up for a potential sequel with Eiza González’s character, Esme. Throughout the film, she seems to be chasing Jack and Danny, initially coming across as the bad guy. But then it’s revealed she’s actually working for this secret, worldwide group whose job is to protect historical treasures from people who want to exploit them. It’s a clever twist and makes me curious to see where her story goes next!

Stanley Tucci appears briefly as Esme’s boss, hinting that his character might return in future movies. The film concludes with a suggestion of a continuation, but a sequel hasn’t been made yet.

Apple is considering a sequel to Fountain of Youth, but the main hurdle is the high cost of production. While the original film benefited from impressive special effects, creating those effects is expensive. Fountain of Youth reportedly cost Apple around $180 million, and it’s challenging to recoup that much money through streaming alone.

Because of the high costs of making these films, any future installments might need to be released in cinemas to earn back their money. However, Apple hasn’t confirmed anything about the future of the series, so it’s currently unclear if there will be sequels.

While Fountain of Youth isn’t as good as the Indiana Jones movies, it still deserves a fair look from viewers. Many of the criticisms leveled at the film might just be typical issues that come with launching a new series, and it could still develop into something great.

Fountain of Youth is available to stream on Apple TV+.

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2026-01-02 06:37