#24 Assassin's Creed Review

Greetings, respect, and love, dear friends. This time, we’ll be reviewing the much-anticipated movie adaptation of the game Assassin's Creed. (WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS.)

 

Let’s dive into the plot: 

Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender), a criminal sentenced to death, is captured by a very wealthy company called Abstergo Industries. The company has heavily invested in the Animus Project, which aims to unlock the memories and abilities of people's ancestors, stored in their DNA. Callum Lynch learns that he is a descendant of Aguilar de Nerha, a member of an organization known as the Assassins during the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century, and he is confronted with his ancestor’s memories. During this process, Lynch is equipped with the extraordinary abilities of his ancestor and becomes ready to face the modern-day representatives of the Assassins' biggest enemy back then—the Templars.

 

 

Let’s take a look at the cast:

 

Michael Fassbender, whom we know as "Magneto" from the "X-Men - First Class," "Days of Future Past," and "Apocalypse" films, fits the movie’s vibe well. While you may feel a bit distant at first, you quickly get used to him. Marion Cotillard, whom we mostly know from "Inception," plays a decent role in this film, but her character stumbles toward the end and fizzles out. Jeremy Irons, plays the Templar brother who operates behind the scenes. We learn at the last minute that he's been deceiving everyone with a fake move. Ariane Labed, my favorite character, is a perfect fit for an assassin role. However, her screen time is very limited. I wish she had more to do.

Now, for the criticisms:
1- The atmosphere of the film is truly beautiful. They portrayed the Spanish Inquisition of 1492 exceptionally well. But the fact that we only see glimpses of it is the biggest downside to the movie.

2- Despite starting off well, the film progresses as if it’s racing against time. The plot points don’t fully connect.

3- Our man Callum Lynch enters the Animus just once, and boom—he’s instantly an assassin. Feels like a rip-off from "The Matrix."

4- Although Sofia initially seems well-intentioned, she reveals her true colors in the final moments. Let me quote what Lynch—or maybe Aguilar—said to her: “You say you can cure violence by putting us into the Animus. So, who’s going to cure you?” Now that’s what you call a perfect comeback.

5- The other assassins say, “We must stop him—Aguilar—before he betrays us.” Later, we see the scene they’re referring to, where Aguilar has to choose between the woman he loves and the Apple of Eden, and he doesn’t give up the Apple. Yet, those same people who doubted him are now praising Lynch. So, here’s the thing: if there was no betrayal, why was that dialogue necessary? Did Lynch change the course of time, or was that line just pointless? We later realize it was an unnecessary piece of dialogue.

6- In 2016, they put a guy in a machine a couple of times and trained him to be an assassin. Bravo!

7- Lastly, Aguilar gives the Apple of Eden to Christopher Columbus and asks him to take it to his grave. And we realize the Apple is with Columbus. The weird part is, when they go to the grave, they find a chest in a corner, open it, and inside is the Apple. The man’s been dead for centuries, and no one thought to open that chest? Even if they did, why all the fuss over something that could’ve been found with a little research?

It’s an intriguing concept, but due to poor execution, it ends up being a watch-and-forget type of film.