Assassin's Creed

It’s no fan service and it goes hard toward even the most welcoming viewer. It’s a non-Hollywood adaptation that mercilessly flushed over a hundred million and had no shame in doing so. It’s visually captivating bliss that tests the projectionists and the limits of how much the viewer is willing to accept the creative rules. (30/12/2016)

Justin Kurzel has found that fabled compromise between portraying his own vision and sufficiently pleasing the fans of the games. In the current storyline, the contest for the apple still takes first place, but it is cleverly and necessarily minimized to its basic functions and outlines. There's no point in lying to ourselves, as this artifact has a line around it that is initially interesting, then tolerated, then in the end sadly stretched. The suppression of supernatural side motives is therefore only to the good, giving Callum the space to become a flesh and blood hero (something his gaming predecessor Desmond could only dream of for a long time). Michael Fassbender also works equally well as a torn victim of fate and an unbeatable Aguilar, forcing me to hold my breath and tense my muscles in the action scenes. But what I appreciate the most is that as a player (I have successfully immersed myself in the world of Abstergo and Co. a total of six times and the Ezio trilogy or Black Flag are damn high on my list), it doesn't just make me tick off obligatory trademarks of the story or genre, but on the contrary, it squeezes me unbelievably while waiting for a leap of faith. My only complaints are therefore about th elogical errors, which sadden me even more because I try my best not to dwell on them. However, the absence of anything other than police batons is a glaring handicap for the guards, and at times it bothers you, as does the unclear extent of Callum's genetic memory capabilities, which then obscure the most emotional scene of the entire movie. Despite these bumps in the road, Assassin's Creed has managed to land in the position of my favorite game adaptation, and their flop at the box office will disappoint me for a long time. (13/01/2017)

The curse of movies based on a videogame brand continues. This film is once again evidence of the fact that a good gaming adaptation does not need to mean a well-made movie. The computer game is based mainly on the atmosphere of the medieval setting. I always thought the story set in the near future wasn’t too great and I always sort of skipped it. Not only was it fairly nonsensical, but it also didn’t fit into the otherwise nicely depicted history at all. But Ubisoft wanted it this way and they sold it this way. However, the story of the film didn’t work at all although it offered good quality fimmaking, which could represent a pretty good experience. In the end, the only thing I got from the movie were the historical action sequences, which were absolutely perfect. The director of cinematography and the editor probably puffed a joint or two, but it was still within reasonably bearable limits. It was probably also because the film itself wasn’t too cheap so they didn’t have to patch things up and cover them up with a cheaper budget. Some of the stunt shots that I saw were really great. It’s a pity though that Fassbender and Cotillard didn’t get a chance to show off their acting. Emotions – none. Dialogues – horrible. And the plot? What was the whole thing actually about and what is it that was going on in there the entire time? Well, as I said the action was good, but the rest was pretty bad. (02/05/2017)

Going to the cinema sick with a fever and without a coke or an energy drink didn't pay off for me this time. I watched the whole film with one eye, so I didn't take much away, I woke up during the action, but since I didn't have any subtitle support I didn’t get much out of the story. I praise the music, the visuals and the action, anything in anonymous I found uninteresting. I'll leave it at a neutral three stars for now, hopefully on a second viewing I can pull it up to 4*. 65%. (06/01/2017)

Even a stupid story can be told in a way that doesn't make sense. An unbearably long two-hour apple game, which sometimes disrupts a successful parkour and a scene that reveals that Kurzel thinks of it artistically, but completely counterproductive for a blockbuster. It is difficult to say whether the smooth transitions between history and the present represent any sophisticated commentary on the art of the Gamer experience. I don't have the strength to find out. The screenplay is horribly annoying, the characters have no inner logic and the storytelling has no cadence. I was expecting a cleansing surge of Gamer ecstasy, but this leap of faith ended in a complicated fracture. (21/12/2016)