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Assassin’s Creed Movie Review | Is The AC Movie Any Good?
In 2016, the Assassin’s Creed movie was released to a mixed reception, emerging as the first big-screen representation of the legendary game franchise. It was an ambitious undertaking with an impressive cast, but did it move audiences in any meaningful way? It emerged a decade after the start of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, so there was a strong following waiting and eager to receive it. In this Assassin’s Creed movie review, we’ll determine if the film is worth your time today.
Assassin’s Creed Movie Explained
So, what exactly is the Assassin’s Creed movie about? It’s as classic a story as you could imagine, even if Ubisoft did loop some unique features into the movie itself. it tells the tale of Callum Lynch, a modern-day individual who finds out he’s a descendant of Assassins. He is scooped up by the Templars in the form of Abstergo and plugged into an Animus to explore his memories. Specifically, he’s assuming control of Aguilar, a Spanish Assassin whose story unravels in 1492.
There are some connections to the game series, most notably with the appearance of Assassin’s Creed Unity’s Arno Dorian, but aside from that, it’s a unique, standalone adventure. It was designed to be accessible, so you don’t have to have played any of the games to understand what’s going on.
In the modern day, ‘Cal’ experiences the Bleeding Effect that Desmond Miles undergoes in Assassin’s Creed II and beyond, giving him Assassin abilities in the present. Like many of the games, the story is based around obtaining and protecting an Apple of Eden, one of the prehistoric devices that can essentially control the human race in many ways.
It’s not a bad story and it is unequivocally a core Assassin’s Creed adventure, but for some reason, it didn’t hit very well or resonate with fans when it aired in 2016.
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Assassin’s Creed Movie Review
Image Credit: Ubisoft
As a die-hard fan of the franchise, I enjoyed the Assassin’s Creed movie, but it wasn’t mindblowing. It was tough to form too close an association with Aguilar or Cal Lynch, for the sole reason that they were brand-new characters and a movie is never going to be as immersive as a game. That meant that there was no emotional connection to the events unfolding on the screen, despite how instantly recognisable everything was.
There’s a very strong cast on screen, so there’s no questioning the acting chops of those carrying the film, but the script isn’t superb. It’s a little generic and easy to predict what comes next, and in some sequences, it’s clichéd action that simply doesn’t wow the audience. There are examples of swordplay, parkour, assassinations, and other elements from the series, but in some ways, it stands too far apart from what we’re used to for us to build a reliable link between the movie and the games.
But perhaps that was the plan.
It’s not the worst movie on the market, and it is redeemed by certain elements, such as that case. Furthermore, the Assassin’s Creed movie music is quite good, and it has notes that are reminiscent of the earlier Assassin’s Creed games.
Here’s the fantastic cast that attempted to lift an above-average project even higher than its script:
- Michael Fassbender – Callum Lynch (and Aguilar de Nerha)
- Marion Cotillard – Dr. Sofia Rikkin
- Jeremy Irons – Alan Rikkin
- Brendan Gleeson – Joseph Lynch
- Michael K. Williams – Moussa
- Carlos Bardem – Benedicto
- Callum Turner – Nathan
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a no-frills action movie with historic connections, then the Assassin’s Creed movie is a great watch. If you’re looking for a faithful recreation of the age-old game franchise that perfectly tells a story that you’re already somewhat familiar with, it might not blow your mind.
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How Does The Movie Connect to the Games?
Image Credit: Ubisoft
As a key part of our Assassin’s Creed movie review, we’re going to explore the connections between the movie and the games themselves. These links are mostly seen through the characters and their ancestors or descendants, which is typical for the Assassin’s Creed series.
For instance, one of Aguilar’s descendants is Arno Dorian, the protagonist from Assassin’s Creed Unity. In this film, the CEO of Abstergo, Alan Rikkin, is revealed as a character that had a minor, brief role in the first Assassin’s Creed game from 2007. There’s a character named Moussa, played by the late Michael K. Williams, who has ties to a character named Baptiste, who appears in Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation.
It doesn’t end there, though.
There’s a character named Tomás de Torquemada who appears in Assassin’s Creed II and a character named Emir who is a descendant of Yusuf Tazim. In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Tazim is the character that welcomes Ezio to Constantinople. We also see Callum Turner play the role of Nathan, a descendant of Duncan Walpole, who we meet briefly in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, as well as Lin, a Chinese Assassin with ties to Shao Jun, the star of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China.
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What About The Animated Movies?
That’s our review of the Assassin’s Creed movie in terms of the live-action production, but it’s not the only film out there that represents the series. On the Assassin’s Creed movie list, there are a few more that we can discuss.
For instance, there’s Assassin’s Creed: Embers – which tells the tale of the end of Ezio Auditore’s life. It’s an emotional, short-form movie that is infinitely more memorable than the Assassin’s Creed movie. There’s also Assassin’s Creed Lineage, which is a three-part series made by Ubisoft Montreal that was kicked off way back in 2009. It’s not impressive, but the Assassin’s Creed Lineage full movie isn’t long and it can be found on YouTube.
Finally, there’s Assassin’s Creed: Ascendance, which was released in 2010 and again expands on the universe surrounding Ezio Auditore.
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