Movie Review: Assassin's Creed

"We work in the dark to serve the light."

Most video game properties that get movie adaptations for the big screen tend to stray away from the lore that made it so beloved by its fans in order to impart a sense of realism and believability for cinematic purposes. It's a hit or miss Hollywood formula that has persisted over time, but most video game companies who own these properties are quite protective of their IPs want to have a controlling stake on things to ensure that the transition to film is a smooth one. In the case of Ubisoft and their long-running Assassin's Creed action adventure series, it was high time for the franchise to take the brave step into getting a feature film made - one that is set in the same universe as the games but tells a completely original story that introduces a new set of characters into the mix. With a diverse cast of talents that includes Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and reuniting the two with their Macbeth film director Justin Kurzel, the first Ubisoft Motion Pictures produced film in "Assassin's Creed" has hit cinemas - co-produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox and bringing the signature free-running action and stealth that the games are known for into live-action cinema for the first time.

Special thanks goes to 20th Century Fox Philippines again for the screening last December 20th - one of the last films I saw before the end of 2016! Here's a pic of me and my fellow Assassins attending the screening in cosplay!

Video Game Music Month Song #23: Venice Rooftops

Ezio Auditore da Firenze. The man who would become one of the greatest video game characters I've ever had the privilege of playing... And the protagonist of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Revelations.

I never experienced playing the first Assassin's Creed, but it was renowned and recognized for offering players a different approach in the action-adventure game genre by mixing it with stealth gameplay and making the story partially a period piece set in the time of the Crusades. However, it was not without its flaws, and there were certainly some mixed reviews surrounding its gameplay mechanics. When Part II came into the picture, everything changed. It offered a new array of game options to explore, and it improved on its predecessor's shortcomings by meeting demands and suggestions offered by fans of the series. Also, it was set during the time of the Renaissance, and a new protagonist was introduced... Ezio Auditore. Unlike the first game's hero Altair, Ezio did not start out as an Assassin... Fate made him into one, and gamer's experienced his life from birth to his eventual rise as a master of his order. I have enjoyed the series thus far with Ezio as its star, and now that we're looking to the twilight years of his career with Assasin's Creed Revelation, let us hope it ends in a good note for the adventurer and ladies' man from Florence.

The soundtrack for the Assassin's Creed series has been stellar to say the least. I could pick a handful of tracks and share them here just for its sheer excellence in recreating the mood of the period the game's are set in. However, if I had to choose one, it would be this one - "Venice Rooftops". It's usually played when Ezio accepts Escape or Speed Run missions in the game, but certain keys and its tempo can be heard in the official AC II Theme Song "Ezio's Family", and a huge chunk of the song was used for the ending credits of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Here it is now to be listened to and played.


Assassin's Creed II OST - Venice Rooftops