One conclusion the marketing team at 20th Century Fox seem to have arrived at with their latest blockbuster fantasy Assassin’s Creed is that everyone likes Kanye West — or at least they think so. The new international trailer has just been released, and it is a truncated baby-version of the first domestic trailer. It hits all the musts: Michael Fassbender sleeping, Marion Cotillard conceit-splaining to a confused Fassbender, a CGI bird flying over Fassbender, face paint on a stern Fassbender, and jumping murders from the sky by Fassbender. This is all over Kanye West’s “I Am A God,” widely argued as a poor decision for a film set during the Spanish Inquisition. Truth be told, a more apt description is that it’s a blockbuster film based on a blockbuster video game franchise started in 2007 that has found its way into the zeitgeist of 15-to-30-somethings, so I believe Kanye works fine.
(Truthful) jests aside, this is actually one of the more promising entries in the truly thriving video-game-to-big-screen-adaptation canon. With Snowtown and Macbeth helmer Justin Kurzel once-again leading Fassbender and Cotillard, Assassin’s Creed could get right what so many others have gotten wrong. Kurzel has a very strong sense of visual language — you can practically watch his Macbeth with the sound off and still get a deeper understanding of what is happening behind basic blocking and action — and his application of color palettes and slow-motion seem tailor-fitted for a larger excursion like Assassin’s Creed. What remains to be seen is if he can balance large studio requirements with regards to tone, plot, and not to mention overall structure with a satisfying entry for fans of cinema and video games alike. In this climate, that is no small feat.
See the international trailer below, along with a new behind-the-scenes featurette.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day. ASSASSIN’S CREED stars Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, 12 Years a Slave) and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, La Vie en Rose). The film is directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth); produced by New Regency, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, DMC Films and Kennedy/Marshall; co-financed by RatPac Entertainment and Alpha Pictures; and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
With a cast rounded off by Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ariane Labed, and Callum Turner, along with stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, Assassin’s Creed opens wide December 21st.