Just saw the new Assassin's Creed movie

First and foremost, I'm not a fan of Assassin's Creed, and have never played any of the games. I went into this completely blind, which is good for the sake of unbiased critique.

If you're an AC fan, you'll love this movie; that's pretty much a guarantee.

To all non-fans, whether or not you enjoy the movie will more or less come down to your personal standards.

The movie does everything it needs to to make a clean transition from game to cinema. The first twenty minutes do a fantastic job of setting up both how the world functions and the characters' motivations. That all is there. The plot is simple and coherent (most of the time; there's a few hiccups along the way), and the cinematography isn't obnoxious and shaky, though it probably does a lot more editing than necessary.

The movie's greatest weakness is in the characters themselves. Not that they're badly written or serve no purpose to the story. It's a problem with the direction, in that there isn't much personality to the characters. The actors' performances are very generic without much flavor. They'll react to each other and events in a static, almost robotic manner. Kinda like a video game! *bu dum tsh*

Depending on your personal standards and tastes, this might leave you feeling underwhelmed by the end of the movie, as it did with my brother. Personally, the direction didn't faze me, though I definitely understand how it could to some people.

But aside from that, it's actually a decently-constructed movie. The action, atmosphere, and especially the visuals are all superb, and it's amazing how little dialogue they needed to get across all the important information to the viewers.

If you want a video game movie that doesn't suck, give it a watch. We still haven't quite cracked the formula for great video game movies, but Assassin's Creed is definitely a big step in the right direction.

Comments

[chaoticevl]

Its kinda funny but the few people I know that have seen it and are fans of the games hated it, yet the people they go with that only slightly know what its about loved it.

[Razalon The Lizardman]

4350313 Interesting. Even with my limited knowledge of the games, I know the movie stays true to their spirit and premise. Maybe because of the changes they had to make for the transition to cinema?

[Lord-Commander]

If you're an AC fan, you'll love this movie; that's pretty much a guarantee.

Nope. I bear some significant issues with the movie.

It seems to me that the more hardcore fans of things despise certain adaptions of their beloved franchise. I know some Trekkies that hate the new Star Trek movies, Star Wars fans who refuse to watch Episode 7, and then there is us with Equestria Girls.

The movie did better than other movie-video game adaptions. But it still could have been better. It ignores previously established lore and direction that existed since the third game, and since Ubisoft was involved with production of the movie, there really is no excuse for that.

[Razalon The Lizardman]

4353097

It ignores previously established lore and direction that existed since the third game,

Keep in mind that the movie is doing its own separate thing, and that they only have at max three hours to set up the world, premise, and characters. I imagine that fans would be bothered by certain decisions, but the movie does faithfully capture the spirit of the game series in movie form, which is the most important thing.

But it still could have been better.

I consider it to be the Blade of video game movies; the prelude to the big name project (Spiderman) that gets game movies firmly entrenched into the mainstream.

[Lord-Commander]

4353432

Keep in mind that the movie is doing its own separate thing, and that they only have at max three hours to set up the world, premise, and characters.

So do many other movies and they successfully pull it off.

This movie was independent in the idea that they wanted to tell a different story. But Assassins Creed Universe wise, it takes place in the same world as the games. Sure, you have new characters to play with, but you can't say that it is connected to the games and then completely ignore the games. Had this movie been done like the comic book movies where the movies were based off of the comics but not a continuation of the comics, then this entire point would be moot because you'd be looking a different universe of Assassins Creed, not the same one.

the movie does faithfully capture the spirit of the game series in movie form, which is the most important thing

In the same sense that Batman movies are about a guy that dresses up as a bat and fights crime.

Which honestly, for video game movies, that's quite the acheivment to still have the spirit of the game in the movie.

[Razalon The Lizardman]

4353727

So do many other movies and they successfully pull it off.

I never said AC did it perfectly, just that the problems of the movie don't tank it as a whole.

This movie was independent in the idea that they wanted to tell a different story. But Assassins Creed Universe wise, it takes place in the same world as the games.

I don't recall them ever saying the movie is supposed to be canon with the games. Even if they say so, unless they make specific references to the games' events in the movie, that statement can be dismissed.

In the same sense that Batman movies are about a guy that dresses up as a bat and fights crime.

Maybe we'll get another AC movie in about twenty years directed by Christopher Nolan. Lord knows the movie needed more character exposition.