Image from foxmovies.com
Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted.
When it was announced a couple of years back , I got so excited at the prospect of an Assassin’s Creed film produced by Ubisoft themselves, with a brilliant actor like Michael Fassbender headlining the film at that. I wondered, will this finally break the curse of video game movies?
Fast forward to today and I got my answer. It’s both a YES and a NO. We’ll get back to that in bit, so just a bit of a synopsis as to what Assassin’s Creed (the film) is all about.
In Assassin’s Creed, we are introduced to the world of Templars and Assassins, and their centuries-old war, with the Templars aiming for total control through domination, and the Assassins countering that and fighting for free will. Through the ages, their war is fueled by the desire to obtain the Pieces of Eden, mysterious artifacts that grant its wielder supernatural powers, including mind-control. The Templars aim to collect and use them, while the Assassins seek to protect them. In this film, it is simply called as The Apple, an allusion to the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Bible.
The film takes place within the established universe and lore of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and it indeed remains true to its roots. It supports the whole Assassin’s Vs. Templars meta-narrative of the series very well without deviating and telling an entirely new story (ehem Resident Evil ehem). I can’t think of any other movie that achieves this same kind of treatment, except of course FFXV Kingsglaive which is probably another great video-game tie-in.
Fassbender stars as both Callum Lynch, and his ancestor Aguilar de Nerha. A prisoner sentenced to death, he is revived and taken to an Abstergo facility by Dr. Sophia Rikkin, played by Marion Cotillard. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because of Alan Rikkin, played by Jeremy Irons, a character who briefly appears in the first Assassin’s Creed game, as well as in the in-game emails you uncover. Sophia needs Callum to find for her The Apple, protected by his ancestor Aguilar, to help her rid mankind of violence and aggression, because to her, this is a disease. Confused as to how he will do this, Sophia introduces him to the Animus, a device that enables him to relive the memories of his ancestor through his genetic memories, i.e. memories passed on through the DNA (still with me? Hang in there, this franchise has quite a number of McGuffins). This version of the Animus is by far the most badass, with it being a huge robotic arm that enables Callum to move in-sync with his ancestor’s memories.
Just like in the games, Assassin’s Creed is both a sci-fi film, and a period film. It tells a story from two distinct view points: Callum’s story from the modern day, and Aguilar’s story, set in the 1400’s during the Spanish Inquisition. They execute this with great contrast, with the modern era shot in blueish hue, while the past sequences are shot in warmer hues. And while the modern era takes place in a tight, claustrophobic facility, the past sequences take place in wide open areas, with a sprawling populace, and huge battles taking place in the background, capturing the atrocities and ruthlessness of the Spanish Inquisition to great effect.
Unfortunately though, the film could have used more of those past sequences to tell a richer story. The story focused too much on the modern day meta-narrative, rather than Aguilar’s story. In a certain sequence when they’re about to show a climactic moment in Aguilar’s past, you are abruptly pulled back to the present. Historical sequences are a bit too short.
But whenever there’s a genetic memory sequence, prepare for an awesome ride. The fight scenes are fantastic and action packed, and feels like a true Assassin’s Creed fight. The parkour sequences are awesome and fluid, as to be expected from a film that carries the title.
Fassbender’s acting is top notch in both of his roles, and portrays very well how it is to be strapped into a machine that forcibly lets you relive your ancestor’s memory. In one sequence, he snaps and sings Patsy Cline’s Crazy, showing the damage the machine does to the mind, and to a point, his body. He nails his Spanish well too for his other character Aguilar, and he indeed feels like an entirely different character, you’ll forget it’s Fassbender.
A stark contrast to Fassbender though is Cotillard, with her particularly monotonic acting. There’s little to be desired with performance. It’s just, well, depressing. Unless it was deliberate maybe?
The iconic eagle imagery also makes an appearance in this film, albeit overused. Every time Callum jumps into the animus, a process called as regression, the “overused transition eagle” flies in. It’s awesome at first, but we don’t need to be shown that eagle everytime we’re whisked into Aguilar’s memories.
While critics might hit on Assassin’s Creed for its gratuitous violence, this is necessary and justified. With a centuries-old war looming over the Assassins and Templars, they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Of course Assassin’s Creed will not be Assassin’s Creed without them reciting the creed itself. The creed is the set of core philosophies that guides the assassins. You will hear this greatly executed at one pivotal moment in the film.
Assassin’s Creed however, is not what the group is called, which the film forcibly and horribly tells you near the end. It’s so cringy to hear.
But just like in the games, there will be key assassinations.
So is it a great film? YES and NO.
Assassin's Creed is a good video game film. This is the most in-universe film I could think of, contrary to other video game movies that seek to establish a different story telling. It lives and breathes Assassin’s Creed, and is faithful to its source material. If you're a fan, you will surely get goosebumps seeing nods to the game, and you will definitely hang on to the edge of your seat when watching the action sequences. Watch out for the weapons!
This is a double edged sword however. Being a video game movie so deeply rooted to its lore, littered with McGuffins and telling two narratives at once, it might be too confusing for non-fans and the average movie goer.
It's a film for the fans indeed. It’s like one of those bonus clips you find when you solve a modern day sequence puzzle, or Subject 16’s glitch puzzles in the games. It’s a 2-hour treat to those who appreciate the meta-narrative of Assassin’s Creed.
For the non-fans however, or haven't touched any of the games, you’d either end up confused with what you’ve just watched, or perhaps smitten with intrigue and want to find out more about the game.
Fast forward to today and I got my answer. It’s both a YES and a NO. We’ll get back to that in bit, so just a bit of a synopsis as to what Assassin’s Creed (the film) is all about.
In Assassin’s Creed, we are introduced to the world of Templars and Assassins, and their centuries-old war, with the Templars aiming for total control through domination, and the Assassins countering that and fighting for free will. Through the ages, their war is fueled by the desire to obtain the Pieces of Eden, mysterious artifacts that grant its wielder supernatural powers, including mind-control. The Templars aim to collect and use them, while the Assassins seek to protect them. In this film, it is simply called as The Apple, an allusion to the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Bible.
The film takes place within the established universe and lore of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and it indeed remains true to its roots. It supports the whole Assassin’s Vs. Templars meta-narrative of the series very well without deviating and telling an entirely new story (ehem Resident Evil ehem). I can’t think of any other movie that achieves this same kind of treatment, except of course FFXV Kingsglaive which is probably another great video-game tie-in.
Michael Fassbender as the Assassin Aguilar de Nerha. Image from foxmovies.com
Fassbender plays as Callum Lynch, with Marion Cotillard as Sophia Rikkin.. Image from foxmovies.com
Just like in the games, Assassin’s Creed is both a sci-fi film, and a period film. It tells a story from two distinct view points: Callum’s story from the modern day, and Aguilar’s story, set in the 1400’s during the Spanish Inquisition. They execute this with great contrast, with the modern era shot in blueish hue, while the past sequences are shot in warmer hues. And while the modern era takes place in a tight, claustrophobic facility, the past sequences take place in wide open areas, with a sprawling populace, and huge battles taking place in the background, capturing the atrocities and ruthlessness of the Spanish Inquisition to great effect.
Unfortunately though, the film could have used more of those past sequences to tell a richer story. The story focused too much on the modern day meta-narrative, rather than Aguilar’s story. In a certain sequence when they’re about to show a climactic moment in Aguilar’s past, you are abruptly pulled back to the present. Historical sequences are a bit too short.
Aguilar with his partner Maria, played by Ariane Labed. Image from foxmovies.com
Fassbender’s acting is top notch in both of his roles, and portrays very well how it is to be strapped into a machine that forcibly lets you relive your ancestor’s memory. In one sequence, he snaps and sings Patsy Cline’s Crazy, showing the damage the machine does to the mind, and to a point, his body. He nails his Spanish well too for his other character Aguilar, and he indeed feels like an entirely different character, you’ll forget it’s Fassbender.
Image from foxmovies.com
A stark contrast to Fassbender though is Cotillard, with her particularly monotonic acting. There’s little to be desired with performance. It’s just, well, depressing. Unless it was deliberate maybe?
The iconic eagle imagery also makes an appearance in this film, albeit overused. Every time Callum jumps into the animus, a process called as regression, the “overused transition eagle” flies in. It’s awesome at first, but we don’t need to be shown that eagle everytime we’re whisked into Aguilar’s memories.
While critics might hit on Assassin’s Creed for its gratuitous violence, this is necessary and justified. With a centuries-old war looming over the Assassins and Templars, they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Image from foxmovies.com
Assassin’s Creed however, is not what the group is called, which the film forcibly and horribly tells you near the end. It’s so cringy to hear.
But just like in the games, there will be key assassinations.
So is it a great film? YES and NO.
Assassin's Creed is a good video game film. This is the most in-universe film I could think of, contrary to other video game movies that seek to establish a different story telling. It lives and breathes Assassin’s Creed, and is faithful to its source material. If you're a fan, you will surely get goosebumps seeing nods to the game, and you will definitely hang on to the edge of your seat when watching the action sequences. Watch out for the weapons!
This is a double edged sword however. Being a video game movie so deeply rooted to its lore, littered with McGuffins and telling two narratives at once, it might be too confusing for non-fans and the average movie goer.
It's a film for the fans indeed. It’s like one of those bonus clips you find when you solve a modern day sequence puzzle, or Subject 16’s glitch puzzles in the games. It’s a 2-hour treat to those who appreciate the meta-narrative of Assassin’s Creed.
For the non-fans however, or haven't touched any of the games, you’d either end up confused with what you’ve just watched, or perhaps smitten with intrigue and want to find out more about the game.
Plus points too for the well executed 4DX version! That leap of faith in 4DX was fantastic!
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