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Assassin's Creed Movie Review Roundup
The newest video game movie, Assassin's Creed, comes to theaters this Wednesday, December 21. Ahead of that, reviews for the Michael Fassbender-starring action movie started to come online today.
To help you get an idea about if the film is worth your time and money, we've rounded up excerpts from reviews published on gaming sites and elsewhere.
Ubisoft has high hopes for the film. Last week, Assassin's Creed brand director Azaïzia Aymar predicted that Assassin's Creed will buck the trend of video game movies being mediocre or worse.
"I really think it's going to be a milestone movie," he said. "It's going to be the very first time that a video game studio creative works with movie creatives altogether to share a vision and give them the tool to express themselves; rather than have an adaptation. There's going to be a 'before and after Assassin's Creed movie' for sure."
In other news, you can now listen to the entire Assassin's Creed soundtrack, which was composed by Kurzel's brother, Jed Kurzel.
Ubisoft has a number of other video game movies in the pipeline, including those based on The Division and Watch Dogs.
For more on the critical reaction to Assassin's Creed, go to GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
GameSpot
"Moment to moment, it’s a fun action flick; as a whole, it’ll leave you feeling shortchanged. And you just might get more, as Assassin's Creed blatantly sets itself up for a sequel in the final moments. Perhaps a second entry will solve a lot of these problems, but as it stands, it's hard to recommend this film unless you're willing to put up with a lot of sloppy plot development for a few genuinely good action scenes." -- Tony Wilson [Full review]
Collider
"Assassin's Creed often does look fantastic, especially the costume design and the chase sequences that take place in the 15th century. But all the riveting rooftop running and hand-to-hand combat in the world won't make a movie worthwhile if you don't give a damn about the characters." -- Perri Nemiroff [Full review]
The A.V. Club
"Assassin's Creed is most compelling when Fassbender and Cotillard whisper at each other in close proximity. Both actors have such adult intensity that their participation in a juvenile fantasy (replete with simultaneous hood-flipping and at least a half dozen dramatic dives from great heights, along with the aforementioned self-satisfied libertarianism) becomes a source of bizarre fascination--for a little while, anyway. Assassin's Creed pushes their charisma to the limits, then stabs it bloodlessly and jumps off a building." -- Jesse Hassenger [Full review]
IGN
"As Assassin’s Creed struggles towards its conclusion--and a nonsensical heel turn from a major character--one can't help but feel disappointed in a film that got the style of the series so right, yet its heart so wrong." -- Lucy O'Brien [Full review]
Time Magazine
"The 15th century wasn't a great time to be alive, and it's not even such nice a place to visit. We went all the way back in time with Assassin's Creed and all we got was this lousy apple. It's not even a real one." -- Stephanie Zacharek [Full review]
Variety
"How is this video-game movie different from all other video-game movies? It's got classier stars, but it's really the same old sludge." -- Owen Gleiberman [Full review]
New York Daily News
"Fassbender gives a super-serious performance in a movie that needed his natural sense of humor. Playing his Abstergo doctor, Cotillard's accent is so bizarre and disconcerting, it's impossible to believe she’s the same actress who’s been so amazing in everything else she's done. As for Jeremy Irons, who plays her scientist father, it's hard to imagine this is anything more than a payday." -- Edward Douglas [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter
"The year 2016 has been full of surprises, so in some ways Assassin's Creed, Hollywood's latest attempt to mine gold from an industry that rakes in more dough than it does, is a reassuring tonic: Video game adaptations remain plodding affairs. Directed by Australian helmer Justin Kurzel, reuniting with his Macbeth stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, Assassin's Creed is resolutely stone-faced, ditching the humdrum quips that are par for the course in today's blockbusters. But this is almost two hours of convoluted hokum that might have benefited from a few self-deflating jabs. 'What the f**k is going on,' wonders Fassbender at one point. If only you could discern the shadow of a wink." -- Harry Windsor [Full review]
Polygon
"... against all odds, with a quirky franchise and a team of star talent, Assassin's Creed succeeds at being an enjoyable action film--and I walked out of my theater genuinely, truly excited about where the story could go." -- Simone de Rochefort [Full review]
We'll add more reviews here as they come online.
More...
To help you get an idea about if the film is worth your time and money, we've rounded up excerpts from reviews published on gaming sites and elsewhere.
Ubisoft has high hopes for the film. Last week, Assassin's Creed brand director Azaïzia Aymar predicted that Assassin's Creed will buck the trend of video game movies being mediocre or worse.
"I really think it's going to be a milestone movie," he said. "It's going to be the very first time that a video game studio creative works with movie creatives altogether to share a vision and give them the tool to express themselves; rather than have an adaptation. There's going to be a 'before and after Assassin's Creed movie' for sure."
In other news, you can now listen to the entire Assassin's Creed soundtrack, which was composed by Kurzel's brother, Jed Kurzel.
Ubisoft has a number of other video game movies in the pipeline, including those based on The Division and Watch Dogs.
For more on the critical reaction to Assassin's Creed, go to GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
- Film: Assassin's Creed
- Release Date: December 21
- Starring: Michael Fassbender, Jeremy Irons, Marion Cotillard, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Charlotte Rampling
- Directed By: Justin Kurzel
- Rating: PG-13
- Runtime: 108 minutes
GameSpot
"Moment to moment, it’s a fun action flick; as a whole, it’ll leave you feeling shortchanged. And you just might get more, as Assassin's Creed blatantly sets itself up for a sequel in the final moments. Perhaps a second entry will solve a lot of these problems, but as it stands, it's hard to recommend this film unless you're willing to put up with a lot of sloppy plot development for a few genuinely good action scenes." -- Tony Wilson [Full review]
Collider
"Assassin's Creed often does look fantastic, especially the costume design and the chase sequences that take place in the 15th century. But all the riveting rooftop running and hand-to-hand combat in the world won't make a movie worthwhile if you don't give a damn about the characters." -- Perri Nemiroff [Full review]
The A.V. Club
"Assassin's Creed is most compelling when Fassbender and Cotillard whisper at each other in close proximity. Both actors have such adult intensity that their participation in a juvenile fantasy (replete with simultaneous hood-flipping and at least a half dozen dramatic dives from great heights, along with the aforementioned self-satisfied libertarianism) becomes a source of bizarre fascination--for a little while, anyway. Assassin's Creed pushes their charisma to the limits, then stabs it bloodlessly and jumps off a building." -- Jesse Hassenger [Full review]
IGN
"As Assassin’s Creed struggles towards its conclusion--and a nonsensical heel turn from a major character--one can't help but feel disappointed in a film that got the style of the series so right, yet its heart so wrong." -- Lucy O'Brien [Full review]
Time Magazine
"The 15th century wasn't a great time to be alive, and it's not even such nice a place to visit. We went all the way back in time with Assassin's Creed and all we got was this lousy apple. It's not even a real one." -- Stephanie Zacharek [Full review]
Variety "How is this video-game movie different from all other video-game movies? It's got classier stars, but it's really the same old sludge." -- Owen Gleiberman [Full review]
New York Daily News
"Fassbender gives a super-serious performance in a movie that needed his natural sense of humor. Playing his Abstergo doctor, Cotillard's accent is so bizarre and disconcerting, it's impossible to believe she’s the same actress who’s been so amazing in everything else she's done. As for Jeremy Irons, who plays her scientist father, it's hard to imagine this is anything more than a payday." -- Edward Douglas [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter
"The year 2016 has been full of surprises, so in some ways Assassin's Creed, Hollywood's latest attempt to mine gold from an industry that rakes in more dough than it does, is a reassuring tonic: Video game adaptations remain plodding affairs. Directed by Australian helmer Justin Kurzel, reuniting with his Macbeth stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, Assassin's Creed is resolutely stone-faced, ditching the humdrum quips that are par for the course in today's blockbusters. But this is almost two hours of convoluted hokum that might have benefited from a few self-deflating jabs. 'What the f**k is going on,' wonders Fassbender at one point. If only you could discern the shadow of a wink." -- Harry Windsor [Full review]
Polygon
"... against all odds, with a quirky franchise and a team of star talent, Assassin's Creed succeeds at being an enjoyable action film--and I walked out of my theater genuinely, truly excited about where the story could go." -- Simone de Rochefort [Full review]
We'll add more reviews here as they come online.
More...