Reviewing “Assassin’s Creed”

Full disclosure: I know about the “Assassin’s Creed” video game series, and I know a tiny bit about the storylines there and in the book series, but I’ve never played the game nor read the books, so like most of the world, I’m coming to this movie from a fresh perspective.

Nothing is true.
Everything is permitted.
We work in the dark to serve the light.
We are Assassins.

Assassin’s Creed is the latest attempt to recreate on film the engrossing story lines generated from playing in a video game world. An ancient world where Assassins and Templars battle for world peace in different ways: the Assassins fight for humanity’s free will while the Templars want to remove humanity’s ability to dissent or disobey thereby ensuring peace by keeping people under control.

The game’s main feature is a construct called the Animus, which allows a human subject to view and experience the genetic memories of ancestors, as they had lived them. The Animus is a powerful tool used by the Knights Templar to probe the secrets and memories of kidnapped Assassins in order to find several ancient artifacts that would allow them to dominate humanity, artifacts left behind by an alien civilization that is connected to the secret societies of both the Templars & Assassins but have been protected by the Assassins for centuries.

It’s a powerful myth about the fight between light and darkness, power and freedom, and choosing the greater good even when it means sacrificing yourself to protect it.

I understand the appeal of wanting to bring the known quantity from a wildly popular videogame series to the big screen, and while I like to indulge in idealistic visions of creatives wanting to make the story of the game more accessible to those who don’t play video games, we’re not kidding anyone… it’s all about expanding the franchise’s bank.

In that respect Assassin’s Creed both succeeds and misses, in my opinion. The movie is beautiful, both in the minimalist modern day setting in the Abstergo Institute, and in the 15th Century setting where the keys to the story’s mystery and treasure hunt lie. The reasons for the abduction of Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender), a death-row inmate with a hidden lineage, aren’t explained clearly at first, and much of what the Animus was and could do remained confusing for many of the other press members in the audience. Seriously, if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss the two lines that allow for the science fiction fan intuitive leap to how it works.

The parts of the story set in the 15th Century are sprawling and gorgeous, the storyline there about both the goals of the Knights Templar and the Assassins’ mission are clear and compelling, and the action is gleefully performed; those chases and fights did seem excellently recreated from their game-inspired sequences. The parts of the story set in the Abstergo Institute in modern day Spain and related to the actions of the modern day Templars were not as clear, and it might be the inability to get that part of the story right that will cause this movie to not be as much fun for many as it should have been.

For instance, for a large portion of the movie, we’re given the impression that Callum Lynch is the last of the Assassins, simply because of one line of dialogue that’s spoken in passing. However we later find out that he’s from one particular line of Assassins, the last descendant of Aguilar de Nerha, the Assassin who, in 1492 Spain during the Inquisition, had hidden the Apple of Eden, an artifact the Templars desperately need to complete their work to control humanity. After a session in the Animus, Callum begins to see phantom images from that experience as well as unlocking the physical potential of his ancestor’s training and skills.

It’s also never stated but becomes painfully clear that all of the patients in the Institute are current and former Assassins who have been kidnapped, held against their will, and put into the Animus at one time or another (with many of the older ones having lost their minds in the machine).

The Animus also operates better when free will is allowed. The Assassins who lost their minds were sent into the machine against their will, and the lucid ones who remain prisoners are ones who refused to go back into the machine to help the Templars. Everything changes when Callum chooses of his own free will to go back into the Animus one more time.

The side effects of the Animus on Callum after this are profound, actually fully awakening in him the skills and faith in the cause and the Creed of his ancestor, Aguilar, which both helps and hurts the Templars’ quest to recover the Apple. That path of course leads to a modern day confrontation which seems to reignite the grand battles between the Assassins and the Knights Templar as they had been in ancient times… and leaves the door open to continue the tales.

As a video game adaptation, I think it’s one of the better ones, especially in terms of visuals, but if some story elements had been translated from the game better or made clearer to the audience through either better dialogue or better editing, this movie’s obvious sequel could have been something audiences would be looking forward to. As it stands, I doubt average moviegoers will enjoy this enough to warrant that sequel coming to theaters.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Michael K. Willaims, Khalid Abdalla
Screenplay by: Michael Lesslie & Adam Cooper & Bill Collage (Credits not final), Based on the “ASSASSIN’S CREED” Game Series
Director: Justin Kurzel