Review of Assassin's Creed (2016) by Thunderbird — 02 Jan 2017

Purists who expect the movie to be a 1-to-1 adaptation of the games, or a sequel to the series will be disappointed, it is not. However, it does a masterful job of condensing a universe created during five 80-hour-apiece games into a single 2.5 hour movie. This does mean the exposition needs to come quickly, but not overwhelmingly quickly.

The plot is reminiscent of the first game, for the most part, but is split more evenly between the past and the present. While riveting, the effect comes not from suspense and unexpected twists, but more from the beautifully choreographed fight scenes of Aguilar's mission that cut back to the present to show the Animus's ethereal recreation of the memories as they play out. The possibility of sequels is left open, but all the immediate plot points are resolved, which makes the movie viable as an independent piece as well.

Visuals play a big part in the movie, from the squalid slums and artistic castles of the past to the clean, technocratic Abstergo compound, they are all perfectly executed. CGI is there, naturally, but it fits the rest of the movie and is not jarring or out-of-place. If seen in 3D, the depth is natural and greatly aids immersion during the fight and escape sequences,.

The Animus and its execution deserves separate praise: though starkly different from the game's sleek, user-friendly device, the mechanical contraption moves with a fluidity that makes it look surprisingly graceful and fitting for the ethereal recreations of the protagonist's memories. Some might find the overlay sequences (where the Animus chamber is shown with the memories being projected) blurred and hard to see - I'll admit I had to focus as well, but I found the effect to be fitting for the ethereal nature of the memories, and on some level, the machine itself.

The soundtrack does a great job of not being there overtly. There are intro and ending pieces ... and that seems to be it. During the movie, the entire score seems to be absent, it feels more like ambience than actual music being used to underpin the action.

The combat scenes are what carry the movie: the choreographers captured the fighting style of the game's assassins faithfully, and succeeded where even many players did not - proper use of the iconic Hidden Blade. The graceful, acrobatic moves of the Assassins stand in stark contrast with the opponents' clumsy, brute-force approach; while during the escape sequences, the Assassins make full use of their environment, just as the games encourage the players, climbing, vaulting, and hopping with practiced grace.

There is not much to be said for negatives. I DID miss the game's Eagle Vision (the Assassin equivalent of clairvoyance that allows them to discern their target and discover hidden patterns in the world around them), I hope we'll get to see its debut in the next movie. The Apple's power could have been expanded upon as well (it is used as a weapon and a tool several times in the games), but this is likely something that is reserved for a sequel.

All in all, I would say that the film is an exceedingly well-done adaptation, not of a game series, but of a universe. The plot does not follow the pre-established story, but creates its own, and while somewhat exposition-heavy, the difference of duration between the originals and the film must be kept in mind.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes action films or the game series without a second thought.