Guy Ritchie has come a long way since his geezer gangster films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

He’s dipped his burly directing toe in a number of different styles of films since, including a big screen version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E, two Sherlock Holmes films, a film about King Arthur, as well as a live action musical version of Disney’s Aladdin, all with varying degrees of success it should be added.

He borrows heavily from another iconic film franchise for his latest, as a pair of siblings search out a mythical spring which is said to have incredible rejuvenating powers.

On the search for a specific painting in London is treasure hunter Luke Purdue (John Krasinski). It’s here that he’s reunited with his sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman), who just so happens to be a curator in a gallery where the painting he’s after is on display.

He believes its part of a puzzle that will lead him to the fabled fountain of youth, which he’s been hired to find by rich business tycoon Owen Carver (Domhall Gleeson), as he is dying from liver cancer.

He convinces his sister to join him on the adventure, despite the fact that there appear to be a number of folk on his tail, including the mysterious Esme (Eiza González) who is keen to put a stop to Luke and his team discovering anything. But with the prize so great, Luke believes it’s worth the risk, as they travel the world in search of the ultimate prize – eternal youth.

To say this is a homage to the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark franchise is an understatement. And Ritchie doesn’t try to hide the fact; the siblings were brought up by a father who was an archaeologist, who may well have worn a fedora and carried a whip, but for obvious legal reasons goes by the first name of Harrison.

And you feel, initially at least, that the charming Krasinski could well be the spiritual successor to a certain Dr. Jones, with his witty quips and academic dress sense.

The sibling relationship also works well, making for an interesting dynamic that moves away from the usual standard romantic angle.

But the longer it goes on, it becomes more apparent that Ritchie’s film just isn’t up to the task. Everything about it is on the sluggish side, lacking that pace and energy that a globe-trotting action flick desperately needs.

The script is lacking too, on all fronts. The story itself is all too vague, that’s not helped by one too many antagonists involved, that only slows proceedings down further. There’s an Interpol agent, a gang working for someone, and also Esme played by González, who simply get in each other’s way and dilute the potency of each character. González would have been fine on her own, but unfortunately her role is reduced to nothing more than a possible love interest, which is disappointing.

And although it’s a story that takes place around the world, there are no big set pieces as such, which it desperately needs; it lacks the scale of a Raiders or James Bond film, where just visiting one location after the next isn’t enough.

It is a film then that is missing spectacle, and without it, you just have another Raiders wannabe, and as likeable as it is, it just doesn’t have that riveting sense of adventure that leaves you in awe.

It’s a shame as Ritchie appeared to have all the ingredients, but just didn’t figure out how to use them correctly.

So the search for a decent Raiders-style film continues, as it becomes just as elusive to discover as the Ark of the Covenant itself.