Just saw Assassin's Creed.
The first half is exactly what you think it's gonna be: a confusing take on a video game franchise, that at times struggles to balance a fragmented character backstory with explaining the basic parameters of the idea behind the game/story.
Fassbender's character kind of has a funky development, but it makes a bit more sense as things unfold. Not executed well, but I understand what they were doing and why it had to be that way.
I really like the way they handled the Assassins/Templars, as well as the Animus... I could see the game incorporating the movie's animus technology at some point as a tie-in, if they have plans for anything like that.
The visuals were great and very true to the first game. Abstergo's HQ atmosphere from the first game was captured very well in the movie's version of Abstergo, based simply on colors, lighting and room furnishings. The historical visuals were excellent, and they provided some overhead views of the "past" that were a nice call to the idea of "viewpoints" from the games. Even the action, including both the climbing and the fighting, was true to the game without being too terribly cheesy or oversaturated.
Once the movie got past the basic premise of "memories in DNA," the idea of accessing them via "animus," and why certain DNA was needed in the first place, it went from being an explanation/take on the game's over-arching story and became it's own thing, and that's when it actually became a pretty good movie.
There is a cool scene with Fassbender that kind of represents this shift that I thought was done well, with several layers of symbolism as to what was happening.
I think critics were destined to rate the movie very poorly no matter what, considering what it is and what it's based on, and the fact that there is inherent cheesiness that can't be avoided.
However, if the critics had experience with the games, they might have recognized the symbolism and detachment that the movie creates at about the 2/3 mark, and would have a better appreciation for a disjointed film that becomes a pretty good action/mystery/conspiracy story late in the game.
The final third of the movie saved it for me, and I actually really liked what they did, even though it all turns out to be a setup for a movie franchise.
