'Assassin's Creed' A Review

Assassin's Creed is a fantasy adventure movie based on the popular video game series. The movie opens on Aguilar de Nerha(Michael Fassbender) a 15th century assassin taking his oath. The movie then flashes forward to the 80's to a young Callum Lynch witnessing the death of his mother presumably by his father's hands then fleeing the authorities. The movie flashes forward again to Callum Lynch(Fassbender again) as an adult on death row about to receive a lethal injection. He is saved by Sophia Rikkin(Marion Cotillard) a doctor(?) who has developed psuedo time travel technology in order to "cure aggression"(or something?). Sophia puts Callum in a machine to relive his long ago ancestors life in order to track down the Apple Of Eden which holds the genetic code for free will and the ability to shut it off(gasp!).

Fassbender and Cotillard, wonderful actors, fail to give life to this incredibly convoluted and hokey story. The movie might have worked better if the actors allowed in a little more camp and humor but are bogged down by their self seriousness. Jeremy Irons fairs a bit better because of his innate wryness but for the most part the leads and the supporting cast commit so hard to the shaky ludicrous premise that it makes it even less believable not more. The efforts of the performers deserve respect but the context in which they give them is utterly laughable.

Clearly a lot of money was spent on the visuals but they come off more absurd than gripping. The "time travel" machine and the holograms present-day Callum interacts with are just plain silly, maybe the conceit works within the context of a video game but on the big screen it is awkward. The story itself its just to complicated and defiecent in logic to function. The past, the present, the machine all in and of themselves would work but together the narrative is a bloated mess.

A spectacular video game adaptation failure.

Don't See It.