10 Movies Like Fountain of Youth You Must See

Guy Ritchie’s Fountain of Youth’ revolves around the search for the legendary water body with the mystical power to restore life and vitality to those who drink its water. The heist action adventure film follows Luke Purdue (John Krasinski), a disgraced archaeologist in search of the said fountain. He is aided in his effort by Murphy (Laz Alonso) and Deb (Carmen Ejogo), while being funded by the wealthy Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson). The team steals paintings that have the directions to the fountain hidden inside them, and in the process, recruits Luke’s sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman in their hunt.

Their efforts are impeded by a secret society known as the Protectors of the Path, led by Esme (Eiza González). What follows is an extraordinary adventure where myths and legends meet the real world. Luke and Charlotte traverse across continents to locate the fountain, overcoming natural and mystical obstacles in their way. For a deeper dive into the genre, the following movies similar to ‘Fountain of Youth‘ are a good place to start.

10. The Spring (2000)

Directed by David Jackson, ‘The Spring’ follows Dennis Conway (Kyle MacLachlan) and his son Nick (Joseph Cross) on their trip across the countryside in an RV. They come across a couple whose car ran off the road, and follow them to a town in the middle of nowhere. Staying back, they become aware of sinister incidents taking place all around them, and quickly realize that the townsfolk are sitting on a secret for eons. The made-for-television film presents an alternate iteration of the legendary fountain of youth, where its powers are being utilised for the benefit of a few.

9. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

Directed by Eric Brevig, ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ has volcanologist from Boston, Dr Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser), and his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) suffer a mining accident. The two follow down subterranean passages and reach the literal center of the Earth, which has its own ecosystem, and nature obeys different rules. If an epic adventure with high stakes, similar to ‘Fountain of Youth’, is what you seek, ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ is just the film for you.

8. The Rundown (2003)

Directed by Peter Berg, ‘The Rundown’ follows Beck (Dwayne Johnson), an aspiring chef who works as a debt collector to pay his bills. When he asks permission to quit his job, his boss persuades him to take on one last task- to bring back his son, Travis (Seann William Scott), from the town of El Dorado in Brazil. While the assignment appears easy at first, trouble arises after Travis discovers O Gato do Diablo, a long-lost golden artifact that is precious to the locals. Apart from being set in the town named after the mythical lost city, ‘The Rundown’ features the Beck and Travis adventure in the midst of nature in a foreign land, similar to the journey seen in ‘Fountain of Youth.’

7. National Treasure (2004)

Directed by Jon Turteltaub, ‘National Treasure’ follows historian, cryptographer, and treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage). He becomes aware of a fabulous treasure hidden within the US, and devotes his time to discovering it. Aided by his friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and wealthy financier Ian Howe (Sean Bean), the film follows Benjamin in a hunt across the country and famously steals the Declaration of Independence. The film shares many parallels with ‘Fountain of Youth,’ with an adventurer and his team getting paid to research for the discovery of a treasure kept away from prying human eyes for ages.

6. Sahara (2005)

Directed by Breck Eisner, ‘Sahara’ follows the National Underwater and Marine Agency member Dirk Pete (Matthew McConaughey). He saves the lives of WHO doctors Eva Rojas (Penélope Cruz) and Frank Hopper (Glynn Turman), and becomes aware of a vast treasure hidden by Confederate soldiers away from the US back in the 19th century. Dirk and the team travel to the continent of Africa in search of the treasure and are challenged by local militant leaders. If a cross-country action adventure similar to ‘Fountain of Youth’ is what you are looking for, ‘Sahara’ becomes the perfect watch.

5. The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)

Directed by Peter Winther, ‘The Librarian: Quest for the Spear’ follows Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle), a college student in his thirties who is thrown out of his institution after obtaining 22 academic degrees. He secures employment at the Metropolitan Public Library and is charged with protecting the mythical objects in a secret storage. As in ‘Fountain of Youth,’ the made-for-television movie ‘The Librarian: Quest for the Spear’ deals with a number of legendary items, such as Pandora’s Box, Tesla’s Death Ray, and the Holy Grail. Like Luke Purdue, Flynn goes on a quest to recover the Spear of Destiny before it can be used by a corrupt man for evil purposes.

4. Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986)

Directed by Gary Nelson, ‘Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold’ follows the titular character in his quest for the mythical City of Gold on the continent of Africa under colonialism. While Quatermain makes local allies to aid in his quest, they face opposition from a power-hungry high priest, Agon, who seeks to find the city for personal gain. Based on the novel ‘Allan Quatermain’ by H. Rider Haggard, the film is a sequel to the 1985 feature ‘King Solomon’s Mines.’ Richard Chamberlain returns to play Allan Quatermain, and Sharon Stone reprises her role as his wife in the film that mirrors the adventure through mystical lands seen in ‘Fountain of Youth.’

3. King Solomon’s Mines (1985)

Directed by J. Lee Thompson, ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ follows adventurer Allan Quatermain (Richard Chamberlain), who is hired by Jesse Huston (Sharon Stone) to locate her missing father. While the latter is initially presumed to have gone missing while searching for the legendary treasure trove, he is later discovered to have been captured by Nazis and slave traders, who seek the treasure for nefarious purposes. Based on the eponymous novel by H. Rider Haggard, it is the perfect film to revisit the trope of an adventure to a mythical place.

2. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Starring Angelina Jolie in the titular character, ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ follows the adventurer on a quest to retrieve a mystical artifact called The Triangle that can manipulate time. The search leads Lara to the ancient order of the Illuminati and a startling discovery about her father, Lord Richard Croft (Jon Voight), who has long been presumed dead. As she gets closer to the ultimate prize, Lara is forced to race against time to acquire The Triangle before it falls into the wrong hands. Directed by Simon West, ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ takes the protagonist on a journey across continents to find what she seeks, much like ‘Fountain of Youth.’

1. The Mummy (1999)

Directed by Stephen Sommers, ‘The Mummy’ tells the story of Egyptian high priest Imhotep, who is trapped inside a tomb in Cairo. When released from his coffin by a group of grave diggers, he starts killing those who pried open his coffin in an effort to rebuild himself and bring back his lover, Anck-su-namun, to life. Standing against him are adventurer and treasure hunter, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), librarian Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), her brother, Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah), and the ancient order of the Medjai, who have sworn to stop Imhotep from ever coming to power.

‘The Mummy’ can be considered a spiritual precursor to ‘Fountain of Youth,’ in which a young adventurer is on the hunt for a mystical treasure. The order of Mejdai replaces Protectors of the Path, and the brother-and-sister dynamic is explored in both films. The female leads also share very similar roles, a librarian in one and a museum curator in the other. Both teams have one of their members betraying them as they set off to prevent respective prophecies.