I had mixed expectations going into this film. I've never played any of the games (they always seem to be on a more modern console than I own), but they always looked very cinematic from their adverts. Plus the director, Justin Kurzel, and two leads, Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, previously collaborated on an adaptation of Macbeth which garnered some incredible reviews (although unfortunately I didn't see that either). On the other hand, video game adaptations are notoriously quite bad, and the reviews for this were underwhelming.
However, there was a lot to enjoy. Fassbender and Cotillard are always fantastic and dependable actors, and there were some of my favourite actors in support, including Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson. All of them fitted comfortably into their roles (although it was never explained how the very British Jeremy Irons raised the very French Marion Cotillard).
The action was great too. I always think that one of the key things about video game adaptations is that they should be stylistically reminiscent of the games that they are based on. It's not enough to just copy the plot and characters; a large part of their audience will be the fans of the game, and you have to make them feel as if they are reliving their memory of playing it. To my limited experience of watching the game being played, the film did this well - it featured the mix of parkour and hand-to-hand combat that the games are known for, and did a great job of capturing the look and feel of the costumes and settings. Some scenes even gave me that memory from other platform games that I have played, such as when Fassbender is running through an underground tunnel as disposable baddies drop periodically from the roof and try to stop him. They also managed to include several instances of the most famous shot of the franchise, with an assassin perched on a tall building ready to jump fearlessly off into the void.
Not having played the game was in some ways an advantage. The mission that underpinned the bulk of the plot was a bit on the silly side and involved a mcguffin that was never really explained, but I was quite happy to put that down to being something that was important in the game and for whatever reason did not translate well to the big screen. It also did what every good video game adaptation should do for people like me, and made me want to give the game a go (even more than I already did).
However, there was a lot to enjoy. Fassbender and Cotillard are always fantastic and dependable actors, and there were some of my favourite actors in support, including Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson. All of them fitted comfortably into their roles (although it was never explained how the very British Jeremy Irons raised the very French Marion Cotillard).
The action was great too. I always think that one of the key things about video game adaptations is that they should be stylistically reminiscent of the games that they are based on. It's not enough to just copy the plot and characters; a large part of their audience will be the fans of the game, and you have to make them feel as if they are reliving their memory of playing it. To my limited experience of watching the game being played, the film did this well - it featured the mix of parkour and hand-to-hand combat that the games are known for, and did a great job of capturing the look and feel of the costumes and settings. Some scenes even gave me that memory from other platform games that I have played, such as when Fassbender is running through an underground tunnel as disposable baddies drop periodically from the roof and try to stop him. They also managed to include several instances of the most famous shot of the franchise, with an assassin perched on a tall building ready to jump fearlessly off into the void.
Not having played the game was in some ways an advantage. The mission that underpinned the bulk of the plot was a bit on the silly side and involved a mcguffin that was never really explained, but I was quite happy to put that down to being something that was important in the game and for whatever reason did not translate well to the big screen. It also did what every good video game adaptation should do for people like me, and made me want to give the game a go (even more than I already did).
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