Assassin's Creed Film - Gamer Review

Review by Rosario Speciale

Invited by 20th Century Fox to see the preview of Assassin's Creed, the film based on the famous Ubisoft video game, we could not give our opinion on the work of director Justin Kurzel, especially from the point of view of fans of the saga. We know very well how the world of cinema and video games do not love each other very much and there are rare cases in which something good is born when crossing over, whether it is a tie-in based on a movie or a film based on a game. On the big screen, great actors or weighty directors were not enough to change things, although already with Prince of Persia in 2010 we still found ourselves facing a pleasant adventure played by the excellent Jake Gyllenhaal. Assassin's Creed presents itself as the first chapter of what should be a trilogy and the expectations are very high: will this be the best film based on a video game since Mortal Kombat?

When others blindly follow the truth, remember: nothing is real

For anyone who is passionate about the video game, some of the elements present in the film will be easy to recall, for the rest, however, the plot differs very clearly from that to which Ubisoft has made us fond of from 2007 onwards. Without spoiling the plot too much and spoiling the surprise, you should know that the events are linked to Callum Lynch, played by Michael Fassbender, whose ancestor was the first-person protagonist of the discovery of the famous artifact, the "Piece of Eden", that the company Abstergo wants to recover to control the world. Nothing new, as anticipated, for the very basis of the plot, complete with Animus through which our chosen one must go back in time for 500 years to relive the deeds of his ancestor and thus show what happened to the famous apple. . In between many dialogues, various explanations and above all that trying to give Cal some personality and character through an evolution that will lead our hero to be much more mature at the end of the film. From a production point of view it was certainly a right move to try to create something that was not a perfect clone of the game, but the problem is that we have strayed too far from everything that the apple represents, perhaps forgetting the saga too quickly. by Altair from which the film takes its greatest inspiration. Taken as an adventure film, the film is pleasant, but if the goal was to create a film capable of enhancing the greater qualities of the videogame series, then the producers missed the mark, despite the caliber and skill of the actors.

When others bow to morals and laws, remember: everything is lawful

One of the characteristics that have always marked the Assassin's Creed videogame series is the plot: excellent in every respect since its debut up to the trilogy of the good Ezio Auditore, and perhaps trying to revisit and modify it was a mistake since it was already perfect and intriguing. of his own. Despite the presence of the Animus, the phases in which we will see Aguilar in action (ancestor of Cal in XNUMXth century Spain) are few and show us some sections in which the beliefs of the killers are not reflected in the least. One of the discrepancies between film and video game that stands out most is the absolute lack of attention in camouflaging by the killers. In the film they are all clearly recognizable, with writings and tattoos on their faces and clothes that serve all purpose except to blend in with the crowd as Altair could do while wearing the white scholar's suit of his time. The film instead takes us into the middle of the holy war and the clothes have very little camouflage, except in the finale of the film where we will probably see the only real Assassin's Creed-style scene. We would also have a lot to say about the Animus, here it has become a mechanical arm that manages to make our hero float in the air while impersonating his ancestor: the move is probably cinematically spectacular but has nothing to do with the mental journeys that Desmond did. sleeping. Obviously, the theme of love could not be missing but unfortunately also here the drift that the plot has taken regarding the relationship between Cal and Maria (his murderous colleague) did not satisfy us very much. The protagonists in facti even forget all the rules of their creed and the purpose of their existence in the name of love, almost bringing the world to ruin. All these elements not belonging to the series made us reflect, also because if we gamers know everything about how these champions of truth should be, for a spectator who knows nothing about the series, the very definition of what a killer is, of the its belief and its goal. The ending basically leaves room for sequels and continuations that may not have great foundation since the rivalry with the Templars and Crusaders is never too exalted except in the sections that take place in the present.

Final Comment

The work done with this film is mainly aimed at those unfamiliar with the videogame series, from which he distances himself in a clear way by keeping only some basic elements such as the apple of Eden, the creed of the assassins and of course the templar rivals. A spectator who wants to enjoy an adventure film with a different plot than usual will surely find something original and interesting, a gamer instead accustomed to the exploits of Altair or Ezio will notice the paucity of Callum and a story much less epic and evocative than those. Ubisoft has accustomed us to. Nobody wanted a clone of the video game, but it must be admitted that this film fails to engage or interest the fans who might get bored among the too many dialogues, the few and not exciting fights and the parkour scenes that never manage to mirror the way in which who fights and acts as a real killer, at least as we have known him impersonating Altair, Ezio, Connor, Arno, Edward and Jacob.