Plot: What’s it about?
Another year, another video game adaptation. Despite its popularity (selling over some 93 million copies), I’ve never played the game. I honestly have little desire to. This isn’t an indication of my feelings for the game itself, it’s just that I’m not a gamer at all. I admit that the trailers for this one did intrigue me a little, but I still refrained from checking it out in theaters. Even with the presence of Michael Fassbender in the lead, I decided to sit this one out. Ultimately, I can admire the film’s visuals and certain aspects, but falls short in the grand scheme of things. It’s a common trap that many of these films fall into with trying to cram too much into one film. Before I get ahead of myself, let’s take a look at the plot.
It’s 1492 and during the Granada War, we learn that Aguilar de Nerha (Fassbender) is accepted into the Assassins Creed Brotherhood. His task is to protect the Prince Ahmed de Granada. We then cut to 1986 where Callum (also played by Fassbender) comes home to find that his mother has been killed by his father, Joseph who is a modern day assassin. In 2016, we learn that Callum is sentenced to death since he is a suspected murderer. His death is faked by the Abstergo Foundation which transfers him to their facility in Spain. Right there is more than enough for a movie, but unfortunately, the plot doesn’t stop there. I won’t begin to dive into every element here, but one thing to say for Creed is that is attracted a very impressive case. Obviously, we have Fassbender, but also Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson to name a few. The problem is that there’s just nothing to grab onto here. I suppose already established fans of the series will enjoy this the most and be better off deciphering all the plot points. All others should probably steer clear. Filmmakers really need to figure out a way to make these films more accessible to non-fans so there can be equal enjoyment. There needs to be a fine line between honoring the source material and bringing in newcomers.
Assassin’s Creed was dogged by critics and failed to make a dent at the Box Office late last year. I don’t think we’ll be seeing another entry anytime soon. That’s perfectly fine with me as the film really has little going for it. Special effects can carry a film only so far. There needs to be something else to grab onto. Unfortunately, the film is all over the place in terms of plot and tries to cram too much into one film. The cast is solid, but they’re wasted on a lousy film.
Video: How’s it look?
It looks quite nice, which should come as no surprise. Since the visuals are the large selling point here, I expected nothing less from this transfer. The image is AVC encoded with a 2.39:1 ratio. Strong and bold colors as well as a pristine looking print. Details are striking and really pop out. We’re treated to a lot of different locations and the transfer always satisfies. Fans will be pleased.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Also strong is the DTS HD 7.1 track. Vocals, effects, bass, they’re all top notch here as the track never lets up. I always love when I feel like I’m in the film. It’s hard to explain, but it adds to the environment in a way. I didn’t care for the film, but the experience of watching it at home was a worthy one since this track is so strong. The rear channels draw us in and keep us with it. Like the transfer, fans will be pleased.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Take the Pledge: Behind the Scenes of Assassin’s Creed – A five-part series of featurettes that can be played all together or individually.
- Legacy of Assassin’s Creed – An array of executives from the film discuss the challenges of bringing the “game to life” as well as some behind the scenes footage with Fassbender. Oddly, the game was originally designed to eventually one day be a feature film…or so says the game’s creator.
- Becoming an Assassin – Michael Fassbender’s stunt and physical conditioning is profiled. The director speaks of his duality and range of emotion as well as his physical aspects that he brought to the role.
- Tools of the Trade – The title is a bit misleading in that this discusses everything that was done to bring this to the screen. Costume design, weapons and even the color scheme and textures in different areas of the movie are all explored.
- In the Realm of Realism – Producer Frank Marshall explains some of the different locations used for filming in the movie, how they wanted to visit the “real world” instead of relying in digital effects and the like.
- Swift Moves and Stealth Maneuvers – We’re given a look as to how the film was physically captured. The use of cameras on wires, drones and helicopters helped achieve the “flight” that’s so associated with the Assassin’s Creed game and movie.
- Conversations with Justin Kurzel – Director Justin Kurzel sits down with various crew members and discusses their respective roles in the film.
- The Score – Composer, Jed Kurzel (who I’m assuming is the director’s brother) discusses some of the finer aspects of the score, how it relates to the film and the “swagger” that it brought to the film.
- The Cut – Director Justin Kurzel talks with editor Christopher Tellefsen as they discuss some of the challenges of editing the film, the action sequences as well as working in some of the visual effects.
- The Effects – Kurzel now turns his attention to Ged Wright, the visual effects supervisor for the film as they discuss the concept of the effects and how time-consuming it is to get a digital effect that achieves the desired result(s).
- The Story – Lastly, Kurzel sits down with writer Michael Lesslie as they discuss how the movie was initially conceptualized, the focus of the story and how the focus of the film finally focused on only one artifact.
- Deleted Scenes Conversation with Justin Kurzel and Christopher Tellefsen – I rather like this approach to deleted scenes, even though the “traditional” deleted scenes are included as well. As the title suggests, the director and editor sit down and discuss several deleted scenes and add some commentary as to why they were cut. Running just over twenty minutes, we get some pretty in-depth and candid commentary from these two.
- Deleted Scenes
- Protect the Apple
- “Lynch is Dangerous”
- Connection
- “I Remember Him”
- “That’s the Wrong Card”
- Preparing to Fight
- “We are Assassins”
- “Climb”
- “Out of the Shadows”
- Alternate Ending
- asdfsadfsad
- Gallery – These can be played automatically or manually and are divided into three distinct categories.
- Concept Art
- Costumes and Weapons
- Unit Photography
- Theatrical Trailer
- Sneak Peek
- Logan
- Vikings: Season Four, Volume 2
- Legion: Season One
- Morgan
The Bottom Line
Maybe one day we’ll be treated to a really good video game adaptation, but Assassin’s Creed isn’t it. It will likely appeal to fans of the game, but all others should avoid it. It’s hard to see what attracted the cast to something like this. It simply hasn’t been translated into a worthy film. There’s just too much of everything here. The visuals and effects are nice, but that’s about the extent of it.
