Assassin's Creed!

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:06] Speaker B: Welcome to Pugsley Crew Reviews, where we talk about all manner of films, whether they're good, bad, or anything in between. We watch them and then discuss them. Usually we quite positive, but a lot of the time we can. Well, we're not a lot negative a lot of the time, but we can be negative when we watch things like Cocaine Shark. [00:00:26] Speaker A: Oh, definitely. [00:00:28] Speaker B: Once again, as you can hear, we've got K with us. How are you doing, Kurt? [00:00:32] Speaker A: I'm not bad, thanks. How are you doing, man? [00:00:34] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm doing good. I'm doing good. Just adjusting to things because since I lasted the podcast, either this one or the game podcast, I've moved house. My elders have gone to uni, so things have been happening a lot, which is why I've been about as much also, you know, that's. That's why I haven't been doing as many streams or podcasts, because life is changing. How are you, man? [00:01:04] Speaker A: About the same. I've been busy with stuff, so I've not been online quite as much in that, but starting to ease back in. [00:01:12] Speaker B: Yeah, that's fair. Life can sometimes be very hectic. [00:01:19] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:01:21] Speaker B: So today we are going to be talking about the film based on video games, Assassin's Creed. This is kind of based on the first Assassin's Creed game, but like all character names, different stories, kind of different. Pretty different, but it's based on the game, you know. Yeah, yeah, it. It's. It's. It's an okay film, I guess, but, you know, do you like Assassin's Creed? [00:01:57] Speaker A: My favorite of all the Assassin's Creed. It's probably a bit typical here, but it's Black Flag. That's my favorite of them. [00:02:03] Speaker B: Yeah. With Edward Conway. I'm a big fan of one. Right. For me, Assassin's Creed, the very first one, the side stuff was kind of shite, which is a shame, because it was kind of like, oh, do this objective where you track someone, do this objective where you kill someone to this objective where you rob someone. I can't remember exactly where I was. And it was the same three or four side missions together. Main mission, but the main mission, you could tackle her in any way you wanted. From the second game onwards, while they improved everything else, it kind of went back on the freedom of how you tackle the main missions. And it went from being. Tackle it in whatever way you can to curious Lord of scripted sequences that you need to follow. And that was kind of disappointing in a way. But, you know, the games excelled in other areas then. But one, two, Black Flag. Fantastic. And the protagonist of Black Flag is a Welsh guy. So, you know. [00:03:20] Speaker A: Oh yeah, yeah. [00:03:23] Speaker B: Played by a guy from Swansea. [00:03:26] Speaker A: It is one of those series though that, you know, it's been beat to death on it. They need to like have more time between them because who's keeping up with them all. The last one I played and I didn't even get that far was the Viking one. [00:03:40] Speaker B: Last one I played were properly was Unity. And then I did play some of Origins briefly and Valhalla, the Viking one. But I don't like the way they've gone with the gameplay. It's more RPG esque now than it used to be. It's like when I go up to someone and assassinate them where I stab him in the back with my hidden blade. They should die, not turn around and go come on and let's fight. You know what I mean? That's not how it should be though. I much prefer the old school games to the newer style of games which people say is more like Witcher than there is Assassin's Creed. So I wouldn't know because I've not played the Witcher games, which is a shame really because they're meant to be very, very good. [00:04:28] Speaker A: Oh, they are good. I don't think I've ever finished one. I've always like sunk into them and then gone off to something else. But I've always enjoyed what I played of them. [00:04:37] Speaker B: Probably because they such big games as well, isn't it? [00:04:39] Speaker A: Oh yeah. [00:04:41] Speaker B: So then after talking a little bit about the games, what's your feeling on this film then when it's coming to. Obviously it's kind of trying to give his own spin on the first Assassin's Creed game with the Apple of Eden and stuff. But like, have you got much thoughts on this? [00:05:03] Speaker A: To me it just feels like a two hour long commercial to get you to go play the video games. Yeah, I don't think the story is particularly strong. I don't think it's particularly well told. I think a lot of it is good stunts, good fight choreography, amazing costumes, all layered over sort of a lot of nothing. [00:05:27] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. There's. I think the problem you have with a lot of game to movie films, a game to movie, like tie ins, is that especially with bigger games like Assassin's Creed and stuff, there's a lot of story in one game to condense down into two hours. Like one of the things I did like about this was the animal, the animus. I think I not prefer it the one in the game. In the game it's just Desmond who sits in a chair, basically. But in this film, because it's non interactive and you're just watching along, it makes sense in a way for the animus to be kind of like he's doing the movements and stuff. Because in the game, when. When you're playing as Desmond and you go into the animus, then you're basically just playing as Altair. So you don't really see the animus stuff except for when. When he's getting in and getting out. Whereas in this, it's showing him. [00:06:43] Speaker A: Al. [00:06:43] Speaker B: I think his name was. And I think the problem you have there is if it was going back and forth showing this, it'd be literally him sitting in a chair with his eyes twitching or something. And that would be, you know. So I can understand why they did that. Even though it doesn't really correlate with how the animus is in the game. [00:07:04] Speaker A: No, but I think like you said, it's a change that works for a film. [00:07:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:09] Speaker A: It's more visually pleasing and it just. It plays better to the audience. [00:07:14] Speaker B: Yeah. It's also like the changes in the. With the animus. With the animus stuff. I think there are mentions of the different patients that were used. Like Desmond was patient 17, I think. But I don't think there was loads of them there. I think they were previous ones. Whereas in this, there's just loads of assassins kept in like this cage of some kind. Whereas obviously in the. In the game it's just Desmond. I think it's lucy and then Dr. Something or other, forget his name. But there's like three of them and they like main cast of the game for the present day stuff. [00:07:59] Speaker A: Yeah, they've definitely tried. I mean, I read something that apparently the other assassins that help him in this are all based off other Assassin's Creed games. Like there was those 2D ones. I think it's the woman's based off the Assassin's Creed China, one of those. And I know they've tried to suck like little bits of the others into this, but I suppose it is because. Trying to add more characters and make it more sensational. I think this would have made a good series, you know, if you'd spent all that money on the cloaks and the weapons and the. Like you said, it's a lot to cram in one film. They could have done a TV show of this, you know, 20 episodes. [00:08:45] Speaker B: That might have been better because like the, the. The past stuff was kind of. There wasn't much of it. And while the action was pretty good. There wasn't really a lot going on. And because it also skipped like big chunks of the past going on, go to the next week or something. And it skips a lot of things. It's like when he went from they were trying to burn them all to them escaping. Then it was like, oh, they're in a completely different area now and the princes with his father and stuff. And now there's two of them attacking and it's like, well, didn't show him gearing. They didn't show any like trials and tribulations along the way, that sort of thing. [00:09:31] Speaker A: Now it did feel like it just skipped all over the place, which, you know, is explained in film, but also does feel disconnected as a viewer. [00:09:40] Speaker B: Yeah. Another thing I'll say is, is speaking of them just appearing, it's like how did the, the assassins at the end get from where they meant to be? Malta, something last Spain somewhere, I can't remember where. And then they're all of a sudden they're in London. [00:09:58] Speaker A: Yeah, that didn't make any sense. I was almost waiting for a double spin on that. I was almost waiting to find out that they were still in a simulation and didn't know it. So it end on like the Templars had really won because they were still hooked up and they were still learning from him as such. [00:10:15] Speaker B: Yeah, that'd have been fun. That's. [00:10:18] Speaker A: That's the only way it would have made sense. [00:10:20] Speaker B: But like, how did they get from a different country, from one country to another country when one they. Some of them are meant to be dead at least, so they haven't got no passports or anything. How did they manage to get from one place to another so easily? Doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense. I think it was okay though. I thought. I think it was like a very average film. I wouldn't say it's a bad film. I wouldn't say it's good film. I'd say it's pretty average. Like it was kind of fun with the action and stuff, but I would rather just play one of the games. [00:11:04] Speaker A: Yeah, same here. It's one of those things. I'm happy I watched it, it was enjoyable enough, but if I never ever watch it again, I don't think I'd care. I'm not going to sit here in five years time and go, you know what? I really watch that Assassin's Creed film again. [00:11:19] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [00:11:21] Speaker A: Obviously there is films like for example, the Evil Dead that I. I don't know how many Times I've watched. Because if you're bored, you'll throw it on. [00:11:28] Speaker B: Yeah. I do love Evil dead, Evil Dead 2 and army of Darkness. Such a good set of films. [00:11:37] Speaker A: Oh, they are fantastic. [00:11:39] Speaker B: I didn't mind the remake of Evil Dead, considering that I'm like remakes. I thought that was all right. [00:11:47] Speaker A: Yeah, that wasn't bad. [00:11:48] Speaker B: It was kind of more. It was. It was different enough to the original, but it still tried to keep to the same. Like the original film was obviously like really low budget, but it was more horary, if that makes sense. Then the second film was like a bit more horror comedy and then the third film was more comedy horror. [00:12:08] Speaker A: Have you seen the latest one a couple of years ago, Evil Dead Rise. [00:12:12] Speaker B: I haven't. I need to. Really need to get to watch it. I have gore it. I just haven't watched it. [00:12:17] Speaker A: Oh, it's fantastic. I love it. It's funny because I went and saw that in the cinema and there's a scene that's in a lift and because my missus is in a wheelchair, we had to go in a lift to go up to the screen. When we just finished watching the film and spooky stuff would happen with the lift and that. We got in the lift to go back down and it literally started slobbing down and creaking and making noises. [00:12:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Why did we go in the lift? [00:12:46] Speaker A: I was trying to pull my phone out because I thought, oh, this is so matter. I've got to record. Then it started working again. By the time I pressed record and I was like, ah, shit. That would have been amazing. [00:12:57] Speaker B: It would have. It would have been really cool. Just after seeing that, I need. I do need to watch Evil Dead Rise. I'd be meaning to, but I'm silly and I forgot. [00:13:08] Speaker A: Well, maybe we'll do that as a future one. [00:13:10] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. [00:13:11] Speaker A: Watch it again. [00:13:12] Speaker B: Watch. Evil dead, Evil Dead 2, Army Darkness, Evil Dead remake and then Evil Dead Rise all in one go. Yeah, I think. I think the going back to Assassin's Creed, I do think that, like the acting and that was. Was all right that then I didn't find anyone particularly bad. Whereas in some films you do get the odd bad actor. [00:13:38] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. But Fassbender, the lead is good. I like him. [00:13:43] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Please. Magneto in X Men stuff. Funny. A younger Magneto, like not the original X Men films, because that was obviously Ian McGellan. Ian McKellar. I'm sorry. [00:13:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Which is a bit of a tie into the next film. We're gonna Do. Yeah, because this time we've done Magneto and next time we'll be doing some work of Xavier, so. [00:14:06] Speaker B: Yep. [00:14:10] Speaker A: That'S a hint for people to try and work out what the next one is. [00:14:13] Speaker B: Yeah. It's a newer film though. Not. Not as old as this. [00:14:19] Speaker A: I didn't realize that this was as old as it was. I mean, you know, it's not old old, but it'll be knocking on nearly 10 years. [00:14:26] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Come up in 2016 or you could. [00:14:30] Speaker A: You could have told me this came out last year and had a. You know, clearly film technology has not progressed that much from then. [00:14:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, I think like the majority of the film, I think it is kind of minimalist. That makes sense. So I think all the budget went on to the animus stuff. [00:14:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:52] Speaker B: Then again, there is the whole stuff with the cityscapes and things. Yeah. So there's the cityscapes and all that stuff happening with the past stuff. So actually probably quite a bit budget went on there as well. Thinking about her. [00:15:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:12] Speaker B: But to be honest, there's not a lot else I really can say about this film. It seems okay in that I think if you were to watch it and have no knowledge of Assassin's Creed, I think you'd enjoy it a little bit more. Maybe because you're not expecting some tie ins to. [00:15:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:33] Speaker B: All tie ins to the games or you're not expecting it to follow the games more. But one thing is with this as well, there was no real twist like in the very first Assassin's Creed. There's a big twist at the end when it comes to the Apple of Eden, nor with what it does or anything, but who's in control of it and shit like that. Whereas with this it's just like, ah, the bad guys get the Apple of Eden and then they kill the bad guys and take the Apple of Eden back. That's it. That's all. [00:16:07] Speaker A: There is no twist. There's no. I mean, maybe nowadays where everything's got a twist. Not having a twist is a twist in itself. [00:16:15] Speaker B: Yeah. To be fair, this was nearly 10 years ago. Did everything have a twist of 10 years ago? [00:16:20] Speaker A: I suppose not. I suppose that is something that's happening evermore. [00:16:24] Speaker B: I've been finding as well. Every time I watch a film now, I'm either looking online to see if there's a post credit scene or just sitting there watching the credits thinking, is there gonna be a post credit scene? Just waiting until it ends. Like I did it with this film because I know, like it's not all films have post credit scenes, but I think some films did have them. And since the Marvel films have come out, more films do it now than they used to because of that. [00:16:53] Speaker A: And the credits to this are shocking long to say there's no post credit stuff. [00:16:57] Speaker B: Yeah, they were like seven minutes or more. I was surprised, I'm not sure how. [00:17:05] Speaker A: Long, but it just seemed to go on and on and on to the point I was thinking, because I've got the bar at the bottom of the screen that was, you know, telling you vaguely how much was left. And I was thinking, there's a lot left here to say I'm on the credits. [00:17:18] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I thought that there must be some post credit scene. There wasn't. So anyone who's going to watch it for the first time, you now know there's no post credit scene. You also know how it end with credits like most films that. Well, every film I know of. [00:17:42] Speaker A: Well, the old films just used to stick up the end, didn't they? At one point? [00:17:47] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. That's the thing. Like before, I remember a lot of films having like really long credits at the beginning and long credits at the end. So it's like, Jesus Christ. Like some films have like really long intros and you're like, oh yeah, just get to the film already. Also bad if you've seen the film more than once, like with. With like anime or TV shows on Netflix and that kind of thing. I'll watch the intro the first time and then skip it the rest. Unless there's a new intro, then I'll watch it another time and then I'll skip the rest. [00:18:24] Speaker A: Amazing. It's amazing how quick you can get through a series on Netflix if you keep going, skip, intro, skip credits, skip, intro, skip credit. You're like, wow, I've watched half a season in a day. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Exactly. More things need to be like, I should be able to do that on my DVDs. [00:18:41] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:18:42] Speaker B: And my Blu Rays. But I don't know. Don't know how they would do it. They'd probably have to program the player in some way. I don't, I don't know how it's done. Yeah. So this is going to be a rather short episode in comparison to most of the time where we go for 30 minutes. Because I haven't really got a lot else to add about this film because at the end of the day it is rather bang average with some decent cinematography, especially well for the past stuff and some good choreography for the fighting and stuff like that. But otherwise it's kind of like meandering story wise and it's kind of boring. And it's like the guy goes from going into the animus the first time to being really ill the second time, then going in the third time perfectly fine and needs like his paralysis. And it's temporary. I know, but he seems to go in there within like five minutes of being told he's paralyzed temporarily. And then he's like, yeah, I want to go back in. It's like it seems to happen like extremely quickly. But I think it's meant to happen over like two weeks or something. But it just doesn't feel like that at all. Doesn't feel like time have passed. [00:19:59] Speaker A: No. They needed to throw some in there, didn't they? To show the progression of time. [00:20:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, I think with the. The mother being killed, I think that could have, I don't know, not. Not like the story wise. Fair enough. It's like, oh yeah, that she was killed to stop the Templars from getting access to her, to get access to the Apple of Eden. I think it was just. I don't say shitly done, but it just wasn't very impressive the way it was done. It was like one little scene with her helping her husband kill her and that was about it. And it's like. [00:20:37] Speaker A: Oh, this person's dead I care so little about. [00:20:40] Speaker B: I know there was. There's no, there's nothing there. The tight like even he doesn't really seem to. Like his mother's mentioned like once or twice, but there's nothing there that really makes you care. [00:20:56] Speaker A: No, they don't. They don't succeed in tugging at the heartstrings really, do they? [00:21:00] Speaker B: No. [00:21:01] Speaker A: You needed a scene where you showed her being a good mother to him. You could see him as a kid hurting himself and, you know, looking after him, singing him his favorite song or something and wiping the tears away so that you'd be, oh, she. Oh no, she's dead. [00:21:18] Speaker B: But exactly. Yeah, but what you saw was him hurt himself and then go home and his mother's already dead. Could have been here himself. Gone home. His mother tended to his wounds. He went to bed and woke up the next morning and she was dead. That would have been a little bit more interesting instead of, oh no, my mother's dead. Like we've never met your mother, we don't give a fuck. Sounds such. So dickish. Your mother's dead, I don't care. That sounds horrible, but that's how it is. Oh, there you go. Is there anything else you'd like to add about this film before we wrap up, man? [00:21:59] Speaker A: No, not that I could think of. I've got a favorite quote from it. [00:22:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:04] Speaker A: Which would be the. It's 2016. No one cares about freedom. I think that's. It's quite apt. Probably more apt now than it was in 2016, like. [00:22:14] Speaker B: But people say they care about freedom. I'm not saying who, but whenever. It's when it. Like, freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is fine for certain people, but then when the people say something back, then it's like, my feelings. [00:22:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:35] Speaker B: And as people should know, freedom of speech is not freedom of consequence. [00:22:40] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:22:41] Speaker B: There you go. Anyway, that is going to be us. Check out Assassin's Creed. If you want to watch an okay film, I would rate it like 5 out of 10, probably say definitely. And we'll be back in a fortnight with the next film. Thank you very much, Kirk, for taking part, as always. [00:23:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Welcome. Thanks for having me. [00:23:02] Speaker B: No problem at all. Bye. Bye, everyone. [00:23:05] Speaker A: Bye. [00:23:13] Speaker B: We've won. People no longer care about their civil liberties. [00:23:18] Speaker A: They care about their standard of life. [00:23:20] Speaker B: The modern world has outgrown notions like freedom. [00:23:24] Speaker A: They're content to follow.