I read an interview with Michael Fassbender discussing his 2016 film Assassin’s Creed after I had seen it in theaters and it made me want to watch the film again. The interview explored concepts that go beyond the visual spectacle, live action version of a video game that the film is and was advertised as. Based on the popular game series (the first of which came out in 2007), the movie is about Fassbender’s character using a technology to experience the life of one of his ancestors who was involved with a war between Assassins and Templars. The ancestor being a highly talented assassin in 15th Century Spain who is proficient in parkour and stabbing people, all in the name of the mission, (or creed if you like). Fassbender plays dual roles as the lead character and his ancestor, Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons play employees of the facility that unlock the ability. Like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, (both the game and film versions), Assassin’s Creed did not make much of a lasting impression on filmgoers or gamers. It starts to flesh out more on the technology and introduce many supporting characters, but ultimately does not get us too invested in the main characters, both the hero and the antagonists. On this second viewing I was more interested to see how they portrayed the concepts discussed by Fassbender in the interview but sadly they were not prevalent. One of the ideas I found interesting was how your ancestors affect you. For example, I react scared to seeing a bear because ancestors of mine saw bears and were scared or attacked by them. Not as glamorous as a European assassin but it is a clever idea to think about travelling back into the mind of your own ancestors and with such theories of going inside the mind, I wonder why this wasn’t made more of a thinking thriller with the gorgeous action pieces woven in. Made famous by the games, the movie included a free fall done by a stuntman who fell 125 feet (38 meters). Filmed mostly in Spain and Malta, Assassin’s Creed was adapted by 3 screenwriters and was directed by Justin Kurzel who previously made Macbeth with Fassbender. Fassbender starred in this after X-Men: Apocalypse, Marion Cotillard was previously in Allied, and Jeremy Irons was in this after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Assassin’s Creed

IMDB

2016, PG, 1h 55m