Assassin's Creed: Movie Review


After roughly two hours of special effects, crazy action sequences and badass fighting music with a few heavy lines every now and then, I was pretty much thinking just one thing: I should have brushed up on my Assassin's Creed game story history.

While there is an apprehension towards movies based on successful video game franchises, with good reason, Assassin's Creed attempts to leap clear of the usual traps but doesn't quite make it. We get an all-star cast, that truly deserved a deeper script, has some intense moments usually followed by long moments of CGI and bloodless battles.

The plot in this one revolves around Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) who is a direct descendant of Master Assassin Aguilar, who was the last known protector of an ancient artefact known as the Apple of Eden, over 500 years ago. Callum is shown to be receiving the death penalty for the crime of murder, but he his saved from his sorry demise by a CEO of a mysterious company, Alan Rikkin (Jeremy Irons) and his daughter Sophia (Marion Cotillard). It is here he is briefed on his genetic heritage and the memories that lie within, which is a science that is given barely any explanation at all. Then the film introduces the audience to the Animus (a woohoo moment of recognition for the fans of the game), the device that allows the organisation (by now their name has been revealed to be Abstergo Industries) to access the genetic memories of the descendants of assassin's and help subjects like Lynch relive them.

All this is in the pursuit to track down the location of the artefact, that apparently holds the key to 'curing' violence. In exchange for his cooperation, Lynch is offered a new chance at life, but as the events unfold, the true intentions of both the organisations and their controllers ( the Knights of the Templar) are revealed, along with what makes the Assassin's Creed such a threat to their quest for complete power. The fight now rests in the hands of Lynch, will he embrace his lineage? Will he too walk the path of the Creed that his family fought to protect all these years?

There are some amazing cast members in support roles but apart from a few cryptic dialogues or intense lines from the video-games story arc, their characters are reduced to side-kick fighters. Director Justin Kurzel uses a lot of grungy effects to constantly reinforce that the fight sequences, most of them, are set in the 15th century, and the CGI is decent too, with some really nifty signature Assassin's Creed parkour and fight moves. But among all that, the best special effect is Michael Fassbender himself who's screen presence and brilliant performance gives this movie a gravitas that it doesn't deserve.

I'd still watch it, as an action flick for thoughtless entertainment and references to a video game I liked playing. That said, I'd rate this movie 5 out of 7 chicken leg pieces. 

If you also have been smitten by the soundtrack from the trailers, you can listen to it here:

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