Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Confusing, boring, violent video game-based movie.
Parents Need to Know
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Assassin's Creed
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 32 parent reviews
Based on 37 kid reviews
Kids say that the film adaptation of the popular video game series is confusing and often boring, failing to capture the essence of the games they love. While some appreciate the action sequences and visual effects, many feel disappointed by the thin plot and lack of character development, suggesting fans would be better off experiencing the games instead.
- confusing story
- missed potential
- action over plot
- better as a game
- not for children
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In ASSASSIN'S CREED, the Templar Order has for centuries been after the Apple of Eden, which is said to contain the secret for controlling humans' free will. Meanwhile, the Assassin's Creed is charged with protecting it. Scientist Sophia Rikkin (Marion Cotillard) locates prisoner Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender), a descendent of the Creed, and plugs him into a machine that allows him to re-live his ancestor's battles and to discover the location of the Apple. Sophia's father, CEO Alan Rikkin (Jeremy Irons), secretly wishes to use the Apple to end all violence and rule the world. Can Callum realize his destiny and re-capture the Apple before it's too late?
Is It Any Good?
Despite a high-class cast, this fantasy-battle movie -- based on a video game series -- is disorienting, makes very little sense, and, worst of all, is a terrible, humorless bore. Director Justin Kurzel and stars Fassbender and Cotillard previously worked together on a faithful version of Macbeth. It's a puzzle as to how they went from highbrow (reciting classic verse) to the extremely lowbrow (Fassbinder fighting shirtless while Cotillard gapes at him from the sidelines) with the barely coherent Assassin's Creed.
Perhaps fans of the video game will understand, but in the movie, the concepts of the Apple of Eden and its hiding place make very little sense. The characters don't seem to have much reason to even be here. In the supporting cast, stellar actors like Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Khalid Abdalla project great gravity and seriousness while becoming lost in a swamp of gray, sludgy, ugly cinematography and choppy editing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Assassin's Creed's violence. Does the fact that it's largely bloodless make it less intense? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
What's the difference between watching violence on a screen and experiencing it more directly via a video game? Does exposure to violent movies or video games make kids more aggressive?
How does the movie compare to the video game series? What's the appeal of movies based on video games?
Why do you think the main character is shirtless throughout so much the movie? Does that say anything about boys' body image?
Would it be worth swapping free will for an end to all violence? What do they have to do with each other?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 21, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : March 21, 2017
- Cast : Michael Fassbender , Marion Cotillard , Michael Kenneth Williams
- Director : Justin Kurzel
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Adventures
- Run time : 140 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : intense sequences of violence and action, thematic elements and brief strong language
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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