The brevity of the 1491 scenes make perfect sense when you consider the new Animus design; fewer memory sequences were needed because it has maximized synchronization. It is an augmented reality system and the Templars went to the trouble of recovering the very same items used by the subject's ancestors. All that muscle memory can only aid synchronization which both leads the Templars to their objective faster but also accelerates the Bleeding Effect and its Sanity Slippage. Unfortunately, this version is Awesome, but Impractical given its size and malfunctions which also explains why Alan Rikkin's superiors want to cut its funding.
The entire movie can be seen as this for those who are very familiar with the franchise lore: it's almost like a promotional movie made by either the Templars or the Assassins (which posits that the inaccuracies were intentionally placed).
The Spanish Assassins continue to sever their ring fingers in a time when other groups had long abandoned the practice in order to blend in better. Being based in the Emirate of Granada and descended from Moors, they are probably stubbornly clinging to the traditions of the original Levantine Order as a way of distinguishing themselves from other European Assassins.
The panning shots with the eagle are not just a cinematic way to establish the setting. When someone in the game uses a viewpoint to better synchronize with their ancestor, this same sort of shot occurs. It's meant to show Callum learning more about Aguilar, his world and his skills. That Callum doesn't need a viewpoint for this to happen shows the raw power of the Crane-Style Animus.
