'Assassin's Creed': The First Great Video Game Film? (Trailer Review)

With the first trailer of this December's attempt at bringing the Assassin's Creed video game to life releasing today, I couldn't help but discuss our first peek at what could be one of the best video game films moviegoers have ever gotten. Delivering a phenomenally intriguing blend between the science fiction and historical genres, with a star-studded cast including Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, and Jeremy Irons, this ambitious adaptation of the popular game franchise developed by Ubisoft looks like it could offer up either a riveting tale of time-jumping thrills and character development -- or just your basic video game adaptation without an ounce of anything fresh or new. Whatever this film may hold, there's no doubt that the first tease definitely has me curious about what's in store. 

Sci-fi meets period-piece in the first trailer for Assassin's Creed

Within the thick history of major motion pictures based off of popular video game franchises, there has been a very slim amount of films of actual worth to fly from the small screen to the big in the last decade. From 1993's horrid adaptation of the Super Mario Bros. series to the seemingly never-ending Resident Evil films, video game movies have always been met with quite the limited range of storytellers able to successfully bring the concepts to the screen. While there have been a few worthy players among the heap, like the 1995 favorite Mortal Kombat and the generally enjoyable adventure flick of 2010's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, most of the game concepts up for grabs by film studios often don't make it very far once they get in the sights of long-time fans. With a concept as expansive and time-twisting as Assassin's Creed, however, what could go wrong? 

Telling of a criminal named Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) who is rescued from his execution, only to be thrown into a world of secrecy and genetics by way of Abstergo Industries, Assassin's Creed brings the future into the past, as Lynch soon discovers he is a descendant of a secret society known as the Assassins. After being transported to 15th Century Spain, where he must use his ancestor, Aguilar's, advanced knowledge and skill in order to take down an ancient enemy, Callum uncovers more and more about his past -- and future -- as he struggles to survive. Now, if that premise doesn't intrigue you like it does me, well then you might just not like the game very much. Nonetheless, even to a person whose never played the game once in his life like me, this unique adventure sounds to be the perfect concept for a film franchise.

How, you ask? Well aside from its plethora of ever-changing characters that occupy the massive time-periods in history that the games explore, the film also looks to explore the intense action and visual effects of the Assassin's Creed gameplay. With more than a dozen games in the franchise to draw from, and a director like Macbeth's Justin Kurzel kicking it off, there already looks to be a fantastic amount of potential for this series, just as long as the first film succeeds. While Kurzel may not be the biggest director out there today, he might just be one of the bravest. After teasing me for months with his visceral adaptation of the Shakespeare classic, Kurzel looks like he'll be bringing all the intense thrills and beautiful cinematography from Macbeth to his second adaptation. While the cast does look pretty damn phenomenal, it's the direction and screenplay of Justin Kurzel and Company that really has me interested.

Fassbender's no stranger to medieval swordplay after working
with Kurzel on 2015's Macbeth adaptation

While I might not know nearly anything concerning the legacy of the video game series, nor much about the new film itself, December's Assassin's Creed could end up being just as exciting as the favorable Prince of Persia film -- looking to not only rely on the star-power of its award-winning leads, but also on its profound potential to spark one of the first successful video game film franchises. While some are drawn more towards horror franchises like Resident Evil or even the adventure series Tomb Raider, the psychological jump through history that is Assassin's Creed will definitely be a must-see for me this Winter.

What are your thoughts on the first trailer for the Assassin's Creed film? Do you think it will dominate all the video game films we're getting this year, or fall flat like the ones of the past? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!