Pseudo-Archaeology · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Fountain of Youth is a Terrible Movie - Ep 163

·42 min·1 clip

Why don't they just shoot them?

Dr. Andrew Kinkella delivers a scathing but expert critique of the film Fountain of Youth, starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman. Using film studies knowledge, he dissects the movie's pervasive tone problem—unbelievable witty banter during high-stakes moments—and catalogs recurring tropes: honeycomb hideout, kung fu master, genius kid, stormtrooper gun battles, and heavy exposition. The film, directed by Guy Ritchie and written by James Vanderbilt, fails despite stellar cast and crew. Kinkella contrasts it unfavorably with Indiana Jones and James Bond, which have heart. He concludes it ranks among the worst films ever made, and serves as a cautionary tale for young filmmakers.

As heard by us

A brisk, funny takedown of Fountain of Youth that lands its biggest tropes without overplaying them.

Pseudo-Archaeology gives Fountain of Youth a blunt, skeptical drubbing. Dr. Andrew Kinkella keeps the pace quick and the jokes sharp, and he stays locked on the movie's own choices: the awkward plotting, the sexy bad woman, the kung fu master trope, and the divorce-and-kids…

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Why you'd press play

Hear a blunt teardown of The Fountain of Youth from a host who is happy to savage a terrible movie.

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