Assassin's Creed

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)

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)

This film has character. On the one hand, it goes as far as possible against the fans of the game franchise, but at the same time it tries to make a distinctive artistic concept of the Assassin universe. The passages set in medieval Spain are visually stunning, the depiction of the Animus is boldly different (and better!) than we know from the games, and while it left me emotionally cold, I appreciate the personality that Kurzel brought to the table, and I can sense from it his desire to make the best possible film that isn't just a boring descriptive retelling of the game. The highly artistic Kurzel simply entertains me. It's a pity that people won't appreciate his honest approach and that there won't be a sequel. (16/07/2017)

Kurzel filmed the Assassin in his own way and if he hadn’t had to cut down on the length, it could have been an excellent movie. This cut of the movie lacks explanations that would have helped the story to run more smoothly. Despite being a little banal (though fits magically together) the story should be told in full. The serious tone of it might not suit everybody. Paradoxically, Assassin’s Creed isn’t all fun, but about questions that viewers should ask themselves. (01/01/2017)

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)