Assassin’s Creed Movie Trailer Breakdown – What You Might Have Missed
Assassin’s Creed Movie Trailer Breakdown – What You Might Have Missed
The first trailer for the Assassin’s Creed film has officially dropped, giving fans their first real glimpse of Michael Fassbender and Ariane Labed in motion as the Assassins Aguilar and Maria. Perhaps more revealingly, it’s also our best look yet at Aguilar’s present-day descendant, Callum Lynch (also played by Fassbender), who’s been imprisoned by Abstergo and strapped into an entirely new version of the Animus. We’ll take a detailed look at the trailer’s highlights shortly, but first, watch the whole thing for yourself:
Following a picturesque shot of a modern city, we’re introduced to Callum Lynch and his apparent captor, Dr. Sophia Rikkin (Marion Cotillard).
Lynch, we learn, was “killed” in a staged execution for an as-yet unknown crime, rendering him legally dead and therefore legally helpless to escape his current predicament. (Also, don’t look for hidden significance in the numbers on the clock; 17:59 means 5:59 p.m., consistent with Rikkin’s statement that Lynch was executed at 6.)
We then see Lynch wandering through a holding area and under some eagle silhouettes, bringing one of Assassin’s Creed’s most prominent recurring symbols to the forefront.
And speaking of recurring symbols, a flash of the Abstergo logo – a symbol of the Templars, the eternal enemies of the Assassins – leaves zero doubt as to who’s in charge.
Lynch gets strapped into a new version of the Animus, the machine that lets users relive the “genetic memories” of their ancestors, and he doesn’t look very happy about that. But his predicament is overshadowed by the selection of Hidden Blades on the right.
Here’s a closer look, in case you want to examine them for any familiar details:
We’re next treated to a shot of Jeremy Irons as Alan Rikkin, who watches as Lynch is gripped by the film’s new take on the Animus.
Here’s a better view of what he’s looking at, courtesy of the reflection in the glass:
The new Animus also seems to require actually strapping Hidden Blades to the test subject. Given Abstergo’s track record with other test subjects in the games, equipping one with an Assassin’s signature weapons seems unwise, but maybe there’s even more to them than we realized.
We then get our first full glimpse of the movie’s Animus, which involves a huge robotic armature used to simulate the Assassin ancestor’s movements – and, therefore, enable Lynch to execute them with his own body while he experiences them in the distant past.
Those with extra-sharp eyes may have also noticed a callout to the games in the background behind Dr. Rikkin: the Animus 2.0, first seen in Assassin’s Creed II.
As a fully realized eagle soars past, we’re next treated to a view that echoes the trailer’s first establishing shot, although this one’s clearly of a different era. Specifically the 15th century. As Dr. Rikkin says, “Welcome to the Spanish Inquisition.”
We then get our first real look at Aguilar, Lynch’s 15th century ancestor. It’s his memories that Lynch will relive, ostensibly so that Abstergo and the Templars can spy on Aguilar and learn something he discovered.
Brief historical note: The Spanish Inquisition began in the wake of the Reconquista, a centuries-long series of on-again-off-again conflicts in which Spain gradually expelled its former conquerors, the Moors. This next sweeping shot of a battle evokes that history.
A group shot at a cliff’s edge gives us our first view of the Assassin Maria, played by Ariane Labed, who works alongside Aguilar.
Again, the Inquisition is going to factor heavily into the Assassin’s Creed film, as will its leader, Tomas de Torquemada, who we see here for the first time as played by Javier Gutierrez.
Given that Aguilar is at odds with the Inquisition, it follows that he finds himself trapped at the center of an auto-da-fé.
We’re then treated to some graceful combat courtesy of a now-free Aguilar, who thrashes a few guards before performing one of Assassin’s Creed’s signature feats: the air assassination, which involves leaping off a rooftop and plunging blade-first onto an unsuspecting target.
Smash cut to the present day, where an unidentified man fends off Abstergo guards in dramatic fashion.
Abstergo’s guards (led here by actor Denis Ménochet) aren’t messing around, either. If using crossbows and body armor to counter escaped test subjects seems like overkill, it’s possible you haven’t seen an Assassin in action.
Cut back to the 15th century and Aguilar, who sprints through a hallway with Maria close behind and an angry-looking soldier in hot pursuit. The two then execute a synchronized leap between rooftops.
Aguilar and Maria then strike a pose familiar to any Assassin’s Creed fan who’s taken a Leap of Faith, hinting that Aguilar and Maria are about to attempt the feat in tandem.
Let’s take a second to really appreciate the Hidden Blade combat on display in the next few shots. It’s as elegant and lethal as anything from the games, and shows a dedication to capturing the same balletic fluidity on camera.
Aguilar breaks free from his auto-da-fé, and being an Assassin, he does so in the grandest style possible. Note also the captive still chained to the post.
Mirroring that liberating shot, we then see Lynch in the process of acrobatically devastating an Abstergo containment team with the help of one of their crossbows. We also see that Lynch isn’t alone in fighting back against Abstergo, as he’s joined by a few other test subjects who’ve presumably picked up similar skills.
Echoing the previous two shots, we then witness Aguilar and Lynch both wielding bows, driving home that the Animus’ infamous Bleeding Effect – which blurs the lines of identity between an Animus subject and their ancestors – has been teaching Lynch everything Aguilar knows.
Next, the trailer focuses on another beloved aspect of the Assassin’s Creed experience: free running across medieval cityscapes. It simply wouldn’t be an Assassin’s Creed film without it, and the parkour on display here is mesmerizing.
The above shot evokes the entrance to one of the secret Assassin Tombs players visited in Assassin’s Creed II, which led to an underground maze of ancient corridors – and, sure enough, we’re next treated to an underground corridor fight.
Finally, we see the Animus armature in full effect, slamming an entranced Lynch to the ground as Fassbender intones the classic words from the Assassin initiation ceremony: “We work in the dark to serve the light.”
The trailer wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t leave us with a Leap of Faith, the iconic move that lets Assassins plummet acrobatically and safely to the ground from a great height. And this one absolutely does not mess around.
Assassin’s Creed will be in theaters on December 21. For more on the film, check out our previous coverage:
Assassin’s Creed Movie – Impressions From the Set Outside Almeria, Spain
Assassin’s Creed VR Experience Announced
Filming Wraps On Assassin’s Creed Movie
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