While recent smash hits like the Detective Pikachu, the Sonic the Hedgehog duology, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie have done a sterling job of trying to wash off the stigma, it’s blockbusters like Assassin’s Creed that underline why the video game adaptation has spent 30 years trying to dispel the notion that it’s a cursed genre.
Looking at the various creative pieces involved, there was every reason to believe the $125 million spin on Ubisoft’s all-conquering franchise would live up to expectations and deliver the goods. At the end of the day, though, the combination of dystopian sci-fi and historical epic failed on virtually every single front.
Had acclaimed filmmaker Justin Kurzel, BAFA-nominated writer Michael Lesslie, star and producer Michael Fassbender, Academy Award winners Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons – along with esteemed thespians Brendan Gleeson and Charlotte Rampling – united for an independent drama, then there would be instant awards season whispers.
Throw them together into an action-packed adventure, though, and you end up with a disappointing box office haul of $240 million, an embarrassing Rotten Tomatoes score of 19 percent, as well as any plans for sequels being very publicly abandoned. Fret not, for Netflix is in the midst of developing a reboot, because of course it is.
Assassin’s Creed may have conspired to disappoint right across the board, but it hasn’t let its reputation as an insurmountable dud affect its ability to draw in a crowd on-demand, with FlixPatrol naming it as one of the Top 10 most-watched features on the platform in multiple countries around the world. Just don’t expect anything remotely entertaining.