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Assassin’s Creed: Lineage Review and Full Film

by dkpatriarch

© 2009 David Hilton

With Assassin’s Creed 2 being released this week worldwide, Ubisoft has released Parts 2 and 3 of their lead-up film Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, which chronicles events prior to the game.

Detailing a vast conspiracy in Renaissance Italy and featuring Giovanni, the father of the game’s protagonist Ezio, as the Assassin, the first of the films (fully reviewed by OXCGN here) achieved more than 1.7 million hits on YouTube in 24 hours.

With the rest of the film now released and fully viewable here on OXCGN, what are we to make of the elaborate promotional prequel?

The Full Assassin’s Creed: Lineage Film:

First of all, the complete 36 minute film, directed by Canadian film director Yves Simoneau and produced by Hybride Technologies (300, Sin City), shows amazing attention to detail in its authenticity both to a historical Renaissance feel and to the Assassin’s Creed video games themselves.

As I’ve said in my first review, the believable acting, authentic-looking costumes, candle-lit set design, sweeping views and cinematography of Renaissance cities, and creative transitions makes this short film surprisingly ‘big production’ and shows more quality than most game to film full length features I’ve seen.

Because this is a short film the plot and scenes are necessarily abbreviated and quick cut, but it is certainly engaging stuff and doesn’t sink too far into over-dramatics or padded content just to overly illustrate how hard they have worked on it.

There are excellent context shots showing crowds going about their daily business, as they do in the games, and tender family moments to remind us of that central focus for Giovanni, before moving onto the inevitable pursuits from rooftops or rapid acrobatic fight scenes.

"Family, Justice, Honour"

The central conspiracy takes the viewer on a voyage from Florence, to Milan, to Venice, and to Rome but only briefly outlines the conspirators and their ‘chess’ movements against each other.

In a full length film I would expect these personnel and their motivations to be better explored, but we get the idea: Giovanni is on Lorenzo de Medici’s side, which is under attack by another mysterious nefarious group including families like the Borgias, the Barbarigo’s (one of whom is Doge (ruler) of Venice), and even the Pope.

Features of the upcoming game are also present, as demonstrated by Giovanni’s use of the coin to distract a guard in Venice, which Ezio will also be able to do in the game.

In the film the coin was also creatively used as a hint at the end of part 1 as to where part 2 would begin, with the winged lion of Venice on the coin ending part 1 mirroring the winged lion statue in St. Mark’s Square (which incidentally holds an open book, meaning Venice was at peace when it was constructed) in the next part.

It’s these interesting transitions that really frame and integrate the different parts of the film where the fast pace could have made scenes look jumbled and confusing.

Themes present well.

The themes are clearly presented, promoting the multiple dualities that will exist in the upcoming game.

This is first made clear with the introduction, which contrasts the “corruption, betrayal, murder and secrets” of the time and place of Renaissance Italy with Giovanni’s personal motivations for his cause, “family, justice and honour”.

Of course the major duality of the games is revealed in the film: the ongoing conflict between the Assassins and the Templars, who have apparently survived their purge in the Middle Ages and are currently engaged in manipulating change in the political power landscape of Tuscany.

We know we are dealing with Templars when Rodrigo Borgia (who escaped Giovanni and saw his identity in the first episode) is seen to utter among a table of brethren “May the father of understanding be with us” before the group place their swords onto the table to form a Templar cross.

Love and hate (the love of the Auditore family for each other contrasted with the hate of the conspirators) forms another contrast.

Justice and murder yet another: Giovanni’s killings to try and prevent injustice contrasted with the conspirators’ murder of Lorenzo de Medici’s chief ally, Sforza, in a Milan church.

A present from Leonardo

Loyalty and corruption is another: Giovanni’s loyalty to Medici is contrasted with the betrayal by the priest and Lorenzo’s chief minister who lie about breaking the secret letter’s code, sending Giovanni into a trap in Rome. They then try to have him captured from his home at the end of the film.

Even the Pope weighs in, seeing an opportunity to end Florence’s infamous independent city-state status and offers “spiritual and military” help when he is supposed to be looking after all God’s flock.

These contrasts will be what Ezio will face when the game begins.

The film has certainly set up the stage.

Ezio’s father is being pursued, his brother Federico becomes  ‘protector of the family’, though not for long as Ezio will have to take over, and there is a dangerous group that “is going to win a war you don’t even know has begun yet”.

And what is Ezio doing to prepare, despite becoming suspicious, asking his father at one point: “Why does a banker leave so often at night?”.

Why, he’s flirting with a hot girl in the street, of course.

ASSASSIN’S CREED 2 PAGES for your enjoyment:

• OXCGN Reviews Assassin’s Creed Lineage 1 Film
• Assassin’s Creed 2 The Movie Official Trailer Out
• The Merchants of Venice
• Assassin’s Creed 2: The End Of La Dolce Vita
• E3 ‘09 Assassin’s Creed 2 details
• Medieval Manhattan: Our discovery of San Gimignano as one of the game’s locations
• Assassin’s Creed 2 images page
• OXCGN Dissection of Assassin’s Creed 2

© 2009 David Hilton