Assassin's Creed found wanting fun
Assassin’s Creed isn’t a bad film. Its soundtrack is, in the beginning, carefully scored dissonance that relates to the overall problem that Michael Fassbender’s character experiences. Its chase sequences are tense back and forths between the past and the present, though one of the sequences switches to the present just as the past was getting good, and it doesn’t feel like it has to explain everything right out of the gate, or even throughout the rest of the film. There are some great visuals.
Those are its good qualities. Someone once asked me “when did critics stop enjoying movies?” I told them when the movies stopped being fun. Assassin’s Creed isn’t fun. It is dark, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and the ending is dissatisfying. It’s as if the film company said, “and cut. Next scene, we’ll film if we make enough money.”
The Item that everyone is after (called a McGuffin in film terms) is never really explained in a meaningful way. Yes, there is some drivel, but the drivel doesn’t make any sense if you have any understanding of history, real, fictional or biblical, at all. As an educated movie fan, you can let that go. There are some stiff dialogue sequences between Marion Cotillard and Fassbender, but you could think that it is due to English as a Second Language. If you are going to this film for either realistic scenes or great dialogue… um… yeah, the problem is probably you not the film.
In the end, the Assassin’s Creed movie concept is interesting, and the performances are a plus considering what they are given. The best part may be that the film just doesn’t care to explain things, either you know it or you don’t – and that’s just the way that life is sometimes. Look for Fassbender’s seeming self-referential 4th wall breaking comment that involves a swear word. That line seemed to be meant for anyone who hasn’t spent time playing the video game.
Those are its good qualities. Someone once asked me “when did critics stop enjoying movies?” I told them when the movies stopped being fun. Assassin’s Creed isn’t fun. It is dark, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and the ending is dissatisfying. It’s as if the film company said, “and cut. Next scene, we’ll film if we make enough money.”
The Item that everyone is after (called a McGuffin in film terms) is never really explained in a meaningful way. Yes, there is some drivel, but the drivel doesn’t make any sense if you have any understanding of history, real, fictional or biblical, at all. As an educated movie fan, you can let that go. There are some stiff dialogue sequences between Marion Cotillard and Fassbender, but you could think that it is due to English as a Second Language. If you are going to this film for either realistic scenes or great dialogue… um… yeah, the problem is probably you not the film.
In the end, the Assassin’s Creed movie concept is interesting, and the performances are a plus considering what they are given. The best part may be that the film just doesn’t care to explain things, either you know it or you don’t – and that’s just the way that life is sometimes. Look for Fassbender’s seeming self-referential 4th wall breaking comment that involves a swear word. That line seemed to be meant for anyone who hasn’t spent time playing the video game.