#REVIEW: “ASSASSIN’S CREED”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

While above the mark set by others in its genre that came out this year, Assassin’s Creed is dependent on some of great action sequences seen in it.  We still are waiting for that one truly great Video Game adaptation.

Cal Lynch (Michael Fassbender) had a rough upbringing as he watched his father kill his mother right in front of his eyes. Fast-forward to modern day, and Cal is in prison sentenced to death for a murder and next thing we know he wakes up in the care of Sofia (Marion Cotillard) who informs him that he was in fact dead for a small amount of time and she revived him and brought him to this lab/living space. At first, Cal is confused and receives the answers he wants and is told he is an assassin that is part of the brotherhood of the Creed. After this he is forced to be hooked up to a machine called the Animus which taps into his ancestral memories from the Spanish Inquisition. While, Sofia wants Cal to betray the brotherhood on his own volition, her father, Rikkin (Jeremy Irons) has other plans. Cal is hooked-up to the machine is so he can locate the Apple of Eden, a orb that controls free will essentially, for the Templars, who are an evil organization trying to rid the world of the Creed.

The strength of performances ultimately take a back seat to the well-choreographed action and special effects here. The story by Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage comes off convoluted and it truly shows when A-List talent like Fassbender and Cotillard never seem to find their best stride.

Assassin’s Creed may be geared to an audience of Gamers, however the Filmgoing public will leave feeling disappointed with the lack of substance and a real story here.

20th Century Fox Canada release ASSASSIN’S CREED in theatres on Wednesday, December 21, 2016.