Gamers rejoice, others confused by 'Assassin's Creed' trailer

Posted Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 4:19 PM Central
Last updated Friday, May 13, 2016 at 9:18 AM Central

by John Couture

If you're a gamer, then there's a good chance that you were drooling today at the first trailer for Assassin's Creed. If not, you were probably scratching your head in confusion.

While no longer a die-hard gamer (another sacrifice to having children), I have enough of a foot still in that world to know more than the average movie-goer about the Assassin's Creed franchise. So, given that, I know enough to give the trailer the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think others will be so generous.

Let's be honest, this first trailer is a convoluted mess. I don't envy the filmmakers because they only have two minutes to sell the movie to the uninitiated and satiate the rabid fans. And yet, their result is something that fails on both accounts. They spend too much time up front trying to set up the premise of the movie/games and then spend no time following up with that later on.

In a perfect world, they should have simply focused on the genetic memory stuff and wait until later to introduce the concept to non-fans. The result ends up underserving both audiences and leaves both to question whether the film will deliver on heightened expectations. And don't even get me started on the use of the Kanye song "I am a God."

Assassin's Creed is slated for release on December 21. Yes, that's precisely five days after Star Wars: Rogue One hits theaters. Now, THAT is ambitious thinking. Of course, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard leading the cast, I am going to reserve judgment until I see more.