Assassin’s Creed

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons
Directed By: Justin Kurzel
Written By: Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper, Bill Collage
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi

[rating: 2/5]

I thought this would be it, guys. I really did. After over 20 years of adapting video games into films, I was convinced that they couldn’t possibly screw this one up. All the right ingredients are there! The game’s developer, Ubisoft, had creative control, Director Justin Kurzel has proved himself more than competent and we have an amazing cast. Fassbender, Cotillard, Irons, how could they possibly go wrong? In a number of incredibly big ways, apparently.

I’m increasingly convinced that the main reason Video Game adaptations often fall flat is because very few movies even attempt to capture the same tone that made that property so popular in the first place. Whether this is studio meddling, or simply a product of filmmakers being unfamiliar with the property they’re adapting, I couldn’t say. But it’s clear, especially in the case of Assassin’s Creed, that there was very little interest in capturing the sense of fun and adventure those games offer you. The modern day storyline is simply a catalyst to get the player into the past and on a soaring adventure with a likable, often cheeky, protagonist as they weave through historical events and interact with well-known historical figures. It’s a tried and true formula that has made this one of the most successful gaming franchises ever made. Unfortunately, the movie gets this completely wrong. The majority of the film is set in the modern day at Abstergo Industries, an evil corporation who is trying to find some mystical artefact to control the world’s population. They save Cal Lynch (Fassbender) from death row and set him to work using his genetic memory to try and find out where this artefact was hidden. This is all well and good, but the tone is so grim and dank that it’s impossible to have fun with the film. Seriously, making your protagonist a convicted murderer? It was a bad decision in an avalanche of bad decisions that ended up being this film’s downfall.

One of the most glaringly obvious missteps of this film is how it has been completely cut to buggery. Not just the terrible editing, and the disappointing shakey-cam style action sequences, but the actual story and content of this film seems to have been completely gutted out. Scenes move so quickly from one to the next, giving no room to breathe. It’s almost like the film wants to get you away from it as quickly as possible, as if you won’t notice that half the story is missing it pushes you through it fast enough. I don’t know what went wrong in editing, but shots in the trailer of the film play out longer than they do in the actual movie. I remember earlier this year all reports said the film would be around 140 minutes long, but what we’re left with is barely 90 minutes of actual film. What happened to one third of the movie? It’s very obvious there’s a lot missing from the film, and I’m very curious to see what didn’t make it into the theatrical cut. My guess is backstory and character development. Director’s Cut, anyone?

As much of a bashing as I’m giving it, Assassin’s Creed isn’t quite as bad as everyone’s making it out to be. It’s certainly not the worst film of the year, just one with the most wasted potential. The film looks beautiful, the premise is solid and the performers do their absolute best with what they’re given. We even have some wonderfully choreographed action sequences, it’s just a shame they’re hidden behind that horrible Bourne-esque choppy editing.

Assassin’s Creed is certainly not the worst film of the year, but it’s one of the year’s most incomplete cinematic offerings. You can’t help but shake the feeling you’re only seeing part of the picture as the film races you through to a toothless conclusion. My recommendation? Wait until the inevitable Director’s Cut. At least then you’ll be watching a finished product.