Review: 'Assassin's Creed' recreates game in balanced adaptation

MANILA, Philippines — Striking the perfect balance between adapting the good parts and recreating your own in a movie adaptation is one of the noticeable good things about “Assassin’s Creed” the movie.

“Assassin’s Creed” is based on a game series developed by Ubisoft. The games are set in a fictional history of real world events and follow a century-old struggle between Assassins and Templars.

The movie, however, did not adapt the story based on the games. Instead, it followed the story of Cal Lynch, played by Michael Fassbender.

Lynch is a convicted murderer who has experienced tragedy at an early age. Fassbender also played, Aguilar de Nerh, also one of the main characters, who is a distant relative of Lynch. He was a member of a secret society known as the Assassins and fought to protect free will from the power-hungry, the Templar Order.

Even if it deviated from the game plot, the movie remained very loyal to the canon of the game. From the rituals and traditions of the Assassins to the way the Templars conduct their business, the film was able to imitate the game.

The producers clearly made sure that the movie will give the viewers the death-defying fictional world as experienced by gamers.

Likewise, the set designers recreated the specifics of the game’s architecture, characters’ costumes and weapons, among others, down to the smallest details. Movie-goers who played the first installment of the game will find the tapestries on the wall, wooden ledges and rooftops very familiar.

According to the creators, it took them two to three months to make the Assassins’ costumes as all were hand-crafted. There are eight versions of each costume, with an entire costume team devoted to each of the Assassins.

Ariane Labed who plays Maria and Michael Fassbender playing Aguilar de Nerh sport the Assassins' costume. 20th Century Fox/Released

Despite a lot of similarities between the game and the movie, one major difference is the Animus, a device that allows a person to relive the consciousness of their ancestors.

The animus is a device created by Abstergo Industries, a project of the order of the Templars, to help them find the Pieces of  Eden which are technologically advanced devices protected by the Assassins. It can bend the thoughts or control the free will of other people.

Instead of just laying on a lazy boy chair, the user of the Animus will be attached to a clamp connected to a large gyroscope. The contraption brings to mind “The Matrix” as cables are connected to the user through their cerebrum enabling them to move freely while reliving their memory.

Of course, the apprenticeship of an Assassin will not be complete without the most iconic stunt that made every Assassin’s Creed fan hold their breath — the leap of faith. It involved jumping from a tall building then safely plunging into a bale of hay.

Being performed by world renowned stuntman Damien Walters, viewers will experience the same hair-raising thrill of jumping from a high vantage point the players got. Walters made a world record for the highest free-fall jump when he leaped from a 125-foot vantage point for the movie.

Walters also reportedly made a 95-foot jump during the New York premiere night.

“Assassin’s Creed” starred by Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons and Brendan Glees will start screening here in the Philippines starting Jan. 4, 2017. It will be distributed by 20th Century Fox.