John Krasinski’s new movieFountain of Youthis interestingly the second time the actor has tried to replace a character originally played by Harrison Ford. After the release of the first trailer forFountain of Youth, it was obvious that the film was clearly inspired byIndiana Jones. This isn’t necessarily an issue, asIndiana Jonesdoesn’t have a monopoly on the adventure genre. In fact, I want more adventure movies that are similar toIndiana Jones. However,reviews forFountain of Youthare unfortunately quite disappointing, with Screen Rant’s own Alexander Harrison giving it a 5 out of 10.
Even thoughFountain of Youthhas a great cast and isdirected by Guy Ritchie, it hasn’t resonated with critics or audiences. The film, which premiered on Apple TV+ on July 03, 2025, attempts to be a globe-trotting adventure movie but ultimately falls flat. It may include some fun sequences, but I was mostly left feeling underwhelmed by theend ofFountain of Youth. Furthermore,Fountain of Youthproves that Krasinski never should have tried to replace Indiana Jones, one of Ford’s most iconic characters.
John Krasinski’s Fountain Of Youth Is A Clear Riff On Indiana Jones
Unfortunately, Fountain Of Youth Can’t Live Up To Indiana Jones
In the new Apple TV+ movie,Krasinski plays archeologist and explorer Luke Purdue, who is hired by a rich businessman to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. To accomplish this, he recruits his sister, Charlotte, who is very reluctant to join the mission. While Charlotte has left the explorer’s life behind, Luke is driven by his desire to find hidden treasure and uncover the secrets of the world. The film explores how treasure sometimes isn’t meant to be found and how Luke’s quests can often lead to death and evil forces being unleashed into the world.
This is an idea that is also explored throughout theIndiana Jonesfranchise. Based on the premise ofFountain of Youth, it’s clear that it was heavily inspired by theIndiana Jonesmovies, which featured Ford’s iconic character traveling the world in search of lost artifacts and hidden treasure.Krasinski’s character inFountain of Youth, in particular, is very similar to Indiana Jones since he is clearly very reckless and impulsive, which consistently leads to him ending up in dangerous situations.
Fountain Of Youth Isn’t John Krasinski’s First Time Trying To Replace A Harrison Ford Icon
John Krasinski Also Plays Jack Ryan
Since Luke Purdue and Indiana Jones are such similar characters, it’s not a stretch to sayKrasinski was likely trying to replace one of Ford’s most iconic roles withFountain of Youth. After all, since 2023’sIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinywas Ford’s final time playing the whip-wielding explorer, there is now a chance for a new actor to rise up and be the new king of the adventure genre. Unfortunately, sinceFountain of Youthis quite underwhelming, that likely won’t be Krasinski.
Thankfully, Krasinski’sJack Ryanshow has been received much better than his new adventure film, and the actor will even play the character in an upcoming movie.
However, this isn’t the first time that Krasinski has served as a replacement for a role originally played by Ford. Since 2018,Krasinski has played Jack Ryan, a popular character who was originally portrayed by Ford in 1992’sPatriot Gamesand 1994’sClear and Present Danger. Of course, there’s a slight difference here since Krasinski isn’t playing Inidana Jones exactly inFountain of Youth, but the inspiration is obvious. Thankfully, Krasinski’sJack Ryanshow has been received much better than his new adventure film, and the actor will even play the character in an upcoming movie.
Fountain Of Youth Proves John Krasinski Wouldn’t Be Right For An Indiana Jones Reboot
Harrison Ford Is A Difficult Actor To Replace
WhileKrasinski has found success by playing Jack Ryan for the last several years,Fountain of Youthproves that he shouldn’t beFord’s replacement for a potentialIndiana Jonesreboot. AnIndiana Jonesreboot hasn’t been confirmed, but it could possibly happen sinceDial of Destinysaw Ford’s version of the character go on one last adventure. If the iconic adventure franchise is ever rebooted, it would be incredibly hard to choose Ford’s replacement.
This isn’t to say that Krasinski is necessarily bad inFountain of Youth. As is seen in theJack Ryanseries and movies likeA Quiet Place, Krasinski is a great leading man. However, he doesn’t quite have the same charm as Ford. Luke Purdue inFountain of Youthjust isn’t as likable as Indiana Jones, which proves that Krasinski wouldn’t be the right pick to replace Ford.
