A prisoner on death row, Callum Lynch, has his execution staged by a corporation who want to use him for an experiment, to explore his bloodline to aid their search for an item called The Apple Of Eden. Cal, soon discovers his bloodline is tied to an order of Assassins...
I'm going to get this out of the right from the off. I have never played any of the Assassin's Creed games. I'm not much of a gamer. So when the film version of the game was announced, I did what I always do with film adaptations of a book/game/TV series and decided to wait until I saw the trailer before deciding if the film was worth a watch. But the signs were interesting; Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons in the cast, the director, Justin Kurzel (along with Fassbender and Cotillard) had made a stunning version of Macbeth and I was very taken by the trailer when it landed.
So, with very little knowledge of the games, how does the film play to a non-gamer? Very well indeed.
The film explains the plot very easily, from an opening scrawl and also how the travel to the past works, via Cotillard's character, Sophia who has developed the device used, known as the Animus. The film then cuts between the sequences from the past, with some cuts to see how the device plays into this. It's very well done.
An inspired and perhaps somewhat brave decision considering this is a film from a mainstream studio (20th Century Fox), aimed at mainstream audiences, is the decision to have the scenes in the past, which take place in Spain, be in Spanish. I imagine it would have been tempting to have them in English, but by having it being Spanish it adds another detail to the impressive scenes set in the past.
The direction from Justin Kurzel is very good indeed. He did as much shooting as possible without resorting to CGI and it really helps with the film, especially in the scenes in the past. The action is superbly handled with actors Fassbender and Ariane Labed, who plays a fellow assassin Maria, doing as much of the physical action as possible. The more dialogue heavy scenes are well done too, in part due to the impressive cast.
Michael Fassbender plays both Callum Lynch and his ancestor Aguilar and handles both parts well. He's a good actor anyway and handles the dialogue scenes easily enough, but what he does show here though is how well he can handle physical action in the scenes set in the past. Marion Cotillard is great as Sophia, the creator of the Animus. Jeremy Irons plays her father, Rikkin and is as good as always. The supporting cast includes small roles for Charlotte Rampling, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Kenneth Williams and a cameo from Essie Davis (star of the outstanding horror film, The Babadook) as Callum's mother. They are all good indeed.
Where the film does stumble a little is in the story itself. The basic plot, seeking out an item by travelling back in time to locate it, is simple enough. But with assorted other characters drawn into the film, you do feel somethings are missing. At one point, Rikkin mentions all the Assassins bloodlines have dies out apart from one (Callum), yet there are other Assassin descendants in the same building. Either it means his family bloodline, or it's a line that needed reworking. The ending of the film does seem a bit of a letdown considering the build up just before it. Having said that, I get the impression the ending was deliberate, in that it was setting up a possible sequel, should there be one.
The score for the film by Jed Kurzel is pretty good. The CGI when used is impressive and the film is well shot by Adam Arkapaw. The film is an impressive blend of SciFi and fantasy. As I said, I've not played the games, but if I were inclined, the film would certainly tempt me into giving them a try.
As a film, Assassin's Creed is fun to watch, even if there isn't much humour in the film. It's never dull and keeps you interested throughout. I can't say how the film will play to those who are fans of the game series, but as a film fan, liked it a great deal.
Rating - 3/5
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