Assassin’s Creed

I’ve been procrastinating with this review. I did enjoy going to see Assassin’s Creed, so on the one had that should count for something. But then I did go to the NZ premiere screening, so that can tend to make even mundane films a little bit exciting. So is it an entertaining little romp? yes. Is it as good as the hype? Probably not.

But here’s my real issue; I’ve played every single Assassin’s Creed game. At least the full console games. I’ve enjoyed most of them, especially when they started taking different directions with the historical settings.

But both the game and the film do exactly the one thing that I absolutely hate about the game. Though because UbiSoft keep using the same game mechanics, there must be a majority of player that love it. Not me. But it’s where the film has nailed it in relation to the game.

Just as you are enjoying the the action of being an member of a secret society of Assassins, running around, parkouring through cities and killing specific targets, just as you think the game is finally sucking you in and merging fantasy with reality, the game pulls you out of the Animus and back to the reality of working for some big shadowy software company. In the games it gets as bad as this – one minute you’re running for your life across rooftops, the next you have to take the elevator down to reception and sign for a courier parcel.

Whilst the film is never this bad, it’s an example of how we have this fantastic world full of stories waiting to be told, but instead we keep getting pulled back to reality.

It’s a shame, because when Fassbender get’s his Assassin mojo in gear, the film is pretty damned exciting, despite the annoying sandstorm filter the film utalises just to let you know you’re in the Animus.

So yeah, mixed feelings about the film, which is reflected in the rating below.

Rating: M Violence and offensive language.

FILMGUIDE rating:

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