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Whether it be PRINCE OF PERSIA or LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, video game movies have a history of just getting a noteworthy cast and piecing together a fun but extremely lackluster action adventure flick. WARCRAFT was the most recent to try and change the formula by creating a film that was key to the unfolding story of the latest expansion, but World of Warcraft fans are a dedicated and very large group, meaning anything Blizzard does will be met with success. The newest video game movie attempt is ASSASSIN’S CREED, which follows the original template getting Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard to star in the film, as well as being a vapid and ridiculous action flick that appeals only to fans of the franchise.
It’s almost disappointing, as fans of the first game would know how much potential was lost throughout the ten-year-old franchise. Both the film and the games center around the Animus, a machine that allows you to access the memories of your ancestors. Used by a large cast of guys, the Animus has allowed us to see the Renaissance, the American Revolution and now the Spanish Inquisition as the Templars and the Assassins have battled for humanity’s free will. But for those looking for an interesting history lesson or a philosophical morality question, the Assassin’s Creed games have only used these as a backdrop and reason for parkour and murder.
The film is no different as Fassbender shows off his mobility and athleticism, which is impressive for a 40-year-old man. Starring as Callum Lynch, a convicted murderer about to be put to death before being taken by Sofia (Marion Cotillard), who asks his help in finding the Apple of Eden – the cure to all violence. Since he is the descendant of Spanish Assassin Aguilar de Nerha, the last man to have seen the Apple, Lynch is the only one who can use the Animus to locate it for her. Though seeing that her father is played by Jeremy Irons in a black turtleneck, it’s a safe bet that she is not to be trusted.
And so Fassbender uses the Animus to travel back in time/relive the life (it’s not explained well) of Aguilar de Nehra, and this is where the film is at its best. Put away the convoluted premise that takes way too many flashbacks to set up. Put away the ridiculous questions on the morality of violence. Finally we get to play the game, or in this case watch some great action. Director Justin Kurzel really gets to show off some action chops during an old-fashioned stagecoach scene and a plenty of parkour scenes. The CGI along with real stunt work blends together very well to create a very fast hardcore effect – even a large 100-foot drop is supposed to have been done for real by a stunt man. This is fun, and this is why fans of the game fans will go see the movie.
But then the film takes a steep drop. Too much of the movie is set in 2016. The present is filled with all that laborious plot and moral question. In the video game you get to spend tens of hours playing around in the 1400s before the climax forces you to abandon it. Here we get a lot of confusion as to the motivations of Cotillard and Irons, which are never fully clear, and every second they are on screen is time not spent having fun. There are distinguished actors including Charlotte Rampling and Michael K. Williams standing around saying lines of dialogue that are both cheesy and nonsensical. This is not why anyone would go to the movies.
In the end fans of the games should (and will) see this production, if not in theaters then eventually on home video. Seeing a favorite franchise get $125 million behind it and several quality actors is nothing but good. To say anyone looking for a good action flick deserves this is a little beyond acceptable. If only the movie was as good as the video games are.
