Fountain of Youth

 

Someone forgot to tell Guy Ritchie that the charm of an adventure film like, The Mummy for example, was the setting and the characters. Unfortunately, Fountain of Youth mistakes jumping to a different location/country every other scene makes its exciting and giving characters basic personalities makes them easy to digest. But in fact, what you end up with is a cross between National Treasure and The Mummy with none of what made those films enjoyable and long lasting.

When disgraced archaeologist Luke Pardue puts together a team to find the Fountain of Youth, he realises he’s missing an important piece, his museum curator sister, Charlotte. Eventually the siblings team up and race to find the fountain while being tracked by a mysterious group who wishes to protect the fountain at all costs.

On paper, this film may have seemed like a hit. An adventure film with impossible puzzles, a decent cast, fight/chase scenes and heart warming feel by the end. But all the film is, is a shadow of the original Indiana Jones films with no coherent plot, by the numbers characters and the true villain revealing himself minutes before the end of the film, with a little bit of mythology thrown in. The film is incredibly misleading in what it should have offered, especially with all the right ingredients but the film was bound to fail at the first hurdle; the script. There are plenty of elements that could have been fixed before the cameras started rolling and it seems bizarre that none of the mediocrity was picked up! 

The film will not sit along side the like of other films in the same genre and will disappear into streaming hell, hopefully.

The Fall

 

The cult classic from 2006 directed by Tarsem Singh, known for music videos and commercials but in the film world, for his extravagantly beautifully shot films. From confusing and convoluted sci-fi (The Cell) to reimagining Greek tales and fairy tales (Immortals and Mirror Mirror) to the film that he’ll be remembered for, an epic fantastical adventure disguised as a bedtime story.

Inspired by the Bulgarian 1981 film Yo Ho Ho, the story follows a young girl, Alexandria, as she recovers from a broken arm in a hospital in 1915 California. There she befriends an injured stuntman, Roy, who entertains her by telling a story of epic proportions, carefully weaving in people from real life. But as reality and the story collide, there is no hiding from what Roy is planning to do.

If anyone remembers anything about the film, it's the scale and wonder that Tarsem creates. Every frame is a work of art, whether it's one of the many unusual locations across the globe or Roy sitting in his hospital bed. From the set, props and costume design, the latter made by the legendary Eiko Ishioka, every inch of the film is dripping in artistic delight. But this isn’t quality over substance, the story itself delves deeper than a fantasy bedtime story. The real world characters, pain and emotions are dragged into the fantasy, making everything so heartbreakingly real. The Fall is more than just a beautiful spectacle.

When Mubi announced last year that they would be releasing a 4K restoration onto their platform, marking the film being available for the first time on any streaming service, there was hope that a physical release would follow. But Umbrella Entertainment, known for shining a spotlight on overlooked gems, got there first and oh my is this set to be the best release of 2025. With brand new artwork, hardback book, poster, art cards, slipcase and plenty of extras on the 4K disc, Umbrella Entertainment have out done themselves. Doing the film justice and satisfying fans of the film (and physical media) as they finally have a work of art to accompany the work of art that Tarsem created.

The Nice Guys (Blu-ray/4K)

 

The Nice Guys is a throwback to the cop dramas and mis-matched buddy movies of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Even though the comedic elements are front and centre, the story and characters still manage to tread into mystery/thriller territory, feeling very much like a much less series version of Chinatown. Yet still covering a serious subject hidden by unexpected comedic chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe plus the frequent porn connections to the case they’re working on. Releasing on UHD and Blu-ray, The Nice Guys gets the Second Sight Films treatment, after nearly 10 years since its initial release in 2016. This release feels like it was long overdue.

Full review over at Filmhounds.