History YMMV / AssassinsCreed2016

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:All it takes to take down Rikkin is for Callum to sneak up behind him and slit his throat at the end. Though this may be justified considering Rikkin is a NonActionBigBad, it still comes across as disappointing for people [[TheUnfought hoping to at least come across him in person in the games]]. Then again the pre-''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Origins]]'' games are known for their anti-climactic boss fights as well, so in that respects it's true to the text.]]

* CriticalDissonance: Critics and audience scores have been clashing here. While it's generally agreed that the character development and story is difficult to follow for those not familiar with the series there's a grand divide on whether or not the visuals and action saves the film.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Javier Gutiérrez was heavily PlayingAgainstType when he was cast as Torquemada, as although he had just won a Goya Award in a gritty drama film, he was (and still is) mostly known in Spain for his comedic roles. Thus, there were naturally many people who doubted he could give a convincing impression of such an important villain, and some even feared he could drag down the entire film with his failure. However, after the film came out, even those who still disliked the cast choice conceded he had given a brilliant performance as the wicked Torquemada, or at least that he had managed to capture the baddie's essence much better than expected.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Animus sections and plotline about Granada and the Apple of Eden have much less screen time than the modern-day portions and are less explored, but they were unanimously considered the best part of the film, and both fans and detractors of the final product acknowledged they all would have wanted to see more of it. This is incidentally [[HistoryRepeats an echo of the complaints]] the [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI very first game of the franchise]] received, which resulted in much of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' being set in the past.
** However, the reason the past segments were so well received was likely due to the fact that they make up most of the film's action setpieces, and therefore have most of the budget poured into them, and doing the entire film as a period piece while retaining the quality of said setpieces would not have been feasible with the movie's middling budget.

** Back when the uber-popular Spanish TV series ''Series/AguilaRoja'' premiered in 2009, its producers were accused of copying the Assassin look for the title character and the plot of the games for the first season's arc, with some critics being harsh enough to call the series a poor "''Assassin's Creed'' in Spain". Comes 2016, and not only the official ''Assassin's Creed'' movie is set on Spain, but a member of ''Águila Roja'''s main cast, Javier Gutiérrez, appears in it.

* FandomRivalry: With ''Film/{{Warcraft}}.'' The two fanbases clash over which is a better video game film.

** However, the reason the past segments were so well received was likely due to the fact that they make up most of the film's action setpieces, and therefore have most of the budget poured into them, and doing the entire film as a period piece while retaining the quality of said setpieces would almost certainly have never been feasible with the movie's middling budget. Therefore, said "plot" was likely never on the table in the first place.
* VideoGameMoviesSuck: {{ZigZagg|ingTrope}}ed. Early reviews on Website/RottenTomatoes and Metacritic have the movie sitting at scores of 18% likes (with an average score of 4.1/10) and 37/100 respectively, suggesting that it hasn't succeeded in its attempt to WinBackTheCrowd. The general problem most critics had was that the movie's action scenes could not save the lacking story or characters. On the other hand, its IMDB score is far better at 6.9/10 - it's [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff more popular in foreign markets]]. Also, audiences polled by [=CinemaScore=] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

* WinBackTheCrowd:

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: ZigZagged, but still notable. As a videogame movie, the film was automatically expected to fail both in box office and in reviews, and some of its elements, like Torquemada's casting choice in Spain, were seen with particular skepticism. However, while critics lived it up to the predictions and panned it, while it bombed in home box-office, the movie ''still'' made back almost twice of its production budget from foreign markets, got away with the cast criticisms and the studio green-lighted a film trilogy, considering it still profitable enough to bother.[[labelnote:To explain in detail...]]A big-budget movie that bombs in home market and needs foreign revenue to recoup even its own production cost is by default considered a financial failure for the studio (revenue from foreign markets is always hampered by extra sets of taxes and splitting profits with a wide range of distributors, so the final figure made abroad is far away from what the studio actually earns). However, the movie made back money in the end, while production costs of any sequels are going to be cheaper due to contracting. Not only was a license from Ubisoft bought and paid already (less money to spend), but also actors are by default contracted for possible sequels, cutting down on the issue of casting. Since it proved quite successful in Germany and the UK, it further encourages the use of tax cuts for filmmakers, making production even cheaper. It's not the film making a lot of money that's attractive to the studio, but the fact it can potentially earn similar sums at much lower investments in case of a sequel. It also helps that it's now possible to collect data in which foreign markets it performed the best, thus further targeting them in production and marketing process, both increasing potential revenue and making advertising more efficient.[[/labelnote]]

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** Those disappointed by the ''{{Film/WarCraft}}'' trailers found that the ''Assassin's Creed'' teaser trailer did far better to impress not only the games' fanbase, but as well casual movie goers and gamers unfamiliar with the franchise.
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* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: ZigZagged, but still notable. As a videogame movie, the film was automatically expected to fail both in box office and in reviews, and some of its elements, like Torquemada's casting choice in Spain, were seen with particular skepticism. However, while critics lived it up to the predictions and panned it, while it bombed in home box-office, the movie ''still'' made back almost twice of its production budget from foreign markets, got away with the cast criticisms and the studio green-lighted a film trilogy, considering it still profitable enough to bother.[[labelnote:To explain in detail...]]A big-budget movie that bombs in home market and needs foreign revenue to recoup even its own production cost is by default considered a financial failure for the studio (revenue from foreign markets is always hampered by extra sets of taxes and splitting profits with a wide range of distributors, so the final figure made abroad is far away from what the studio actually earns). However, the movie made back money in the end, while production costs of any sequels are going to be cheaper due to contracting. Not only was a license from Ubisoft bought and paid already (less money to spend), but also actors are by default contracted for possible sequels, cutting down on the issue of casting. Since it proved quite successful in Germany and the UK, it further encourages the use of tax cuts for filmmakers, making production even cheaper. It's not the film making a lot of money that's attractive to the studio, but the fact it can potentially earn similar sums at much lower investments in case of a sequel. It also helps that it's now possible to collect data in which foreign markets it performed the best, thus further targeting them in production and marketing process, both increasing potential revenue and making advertising more efficient.[[/labelnote]]

* BrokenBase: The music choice for the first trailer being Kanye West--dislike for Kanye aside, there are those who have distaste for the actual song (and how it doesn't suit the trailer) and those who think that the music editing and even choice of modern music correlates with the use of similar music for the franchise's cinematic trailers. There's even a fan-made version using the iconic "Ezio's Family" theme in its place!

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: ZigZagged, but still notable. As a videogame movie, the film was automatically expected to fail both in box office and in reviews, and some of its elements, like Torquemada's casting choice in Spain, were seen with particular skepticism. However, while critics lived it up to the predictions and panned it, while it bombed in home box-office, the movie ''still'' made back almost twice of its production budget from foreign markets, got away with the cast criticisms and the studio green-lighted a film trilogy, considering it still profitable enough to bother.[[note]]To explain in detail: A big-budget movie that bombs in home market and needs foreign revenue to recoup even its own production cost is by default considered a financial failure for the studio (revenue from foreign markets is always hampered by extra sets of taxes and splitting profits with a wide range of distributors, so the final figure made abroad is far away from what the studio actually earns). However, the movie made back money in the end, while production costs of any sequels are going to be cheaper due to contracting. Not only was a license from Ubisoft bought and paid already (less money to spend), but also actors are by default contracted for possible sequels, cutting down on the issue of casting. Since it proved quite successful in Germany and the UK, it further encourages the use of tax cuts for filmmakers, making production even cheaper. It's not the film making a lot of money that's attractive to the studio, but the fact it can potentially earn similar sums at much lower investments in case of a sequel. It also helps that it's now possible to collect data in which foreign markets it performed the best, thus further targeting them in production and marketing process, both increasing potential revenue and making advertising more efficient.[[/note]]

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Tomás de Torquemada]] is a member of the Templar Order and [[TheInquisitorGeneral the overseer]] of the brutal UsefulNotes/SpanishInquisition. Given a list of targets by Rodrigo Borgia to eliminate, he would also execute those who are not Christian, with only a few rescued. He later sets the entire city of Granada ablaze in effort to kill Sultan Muhammad XII, while potentially killing hundreds of people living there. Then he is revealed to have kidnapped the Sultan's son, [[HostageForMacGuffin holding him hostage in exchange for the Apple of Eden]], making the son watch as he puts most of the Spanish Assassins, including their mentor on stake to be burned alive. After being given the Apple from Sultan Muhammad, it was implied that he would use it to have the Sultan kill his own son, simply to test its power.

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Tomás de Torquemada]], after setting the city of Granada ablaze in an failed attempt to kill Sultan Muhammad XII in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Discovery]]'', kidnaps the Sultan's son, [[HostageForMacGuffin holding him hostage in exchange for the Apple of Eden]], and [[ForcedToWatch makes the son watch]] as he puts most of the Spanish Assassins, including their mentor, on the stake to be [[ManOnFire burned alive]]. After being given the Apple from Sultan Muhammad, it was implied that he would use it to have the Sultan kill his own son, simply to test its power.

* NarmCharm: Aguilar and María performing simultaneous Leap of Faith poses before inserting themselves in the chamber where the Apple of Eden is guarded. Cheesy? Yes. ''Awesome?'' Too.

* MemeticMutation: The choice of setting led to Creator/MontyPython jokes almost immediately. Why? Because '''''NOBODY''' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE2RHu00Ej8 expects the Spanish Inquisition!]]''

* MemeticMutation: The choice of setting led to Creator/MontyPython jokes almost immediately. Why? Because '''''NOBODY''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Zn4E9PpT4 expects the Spanish Inquisition!]]''

** For Spaniards or people interested in Spanish culture, Queen Isabella I of Castile sporting facepaint and an auto-da-fé being staged with dancers in pagan-style goat masks can stretch the limits of the historic artistic license the film runs on.

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler: All it takes to take down Rikkin is for Callum to sneak up behind him and slit his throat at the end. Though this may be justified considering Rikkin is a NonActionBigBad, it still comes across as disappointing for people [[TheUnfought hoping to at least come across him in person in the games]]. Then again the pre-''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Origins]]'' games are known for their anti-climactic boss fights as well, so in that respects it's true to the text.]]

* CriticProof: The film generally received bad reviews. One of the most positive called it [[DamnedByFaintPraise "the best video game movie ever" and acknowledged that this was a backhanded compliment.]] Yet despite opening within a week of ''Film/RogueOne'', it made ''$240 million'', ''$185'' million of that internationally.

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler: All it takes to take down Rikkin is for Callum to sneak up behind him and slit his throat at the end. Though this may be justified considering Rikkin is a NonActionBigBad, it still comes across as disappointing for people [[TheUnfought hoping to at least come across him in person in the games]]. Then again the games are known for their anti-climactic boss fights as well, so in that respects it's true to the text]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Assassin sections and the plotlines about Granada and the Apple of Eden have much less screen time than the modern portion and are less explored, but they were unanimously considered the best part of the film, and both fans and detractors of the final product acknowledged they all would have wanted to see more of it. This is incidentally [[HistoryRepeats an echo of the complaints]] the very first ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' received.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: In the US, it's a bomb, having only made $54 million out of its $125 million budget. However, its foreign receipts ''by themselves'' are ''$185'' million, making it the fourth most popular video game movie ever made.[[note]]when counting foreign receipts - most rating sites only count domestic profits when scoring films[[/note]] It earned fifth of that money in China and Russia alone (23.3 and 16.3 millions, respectively). However, it should be noted that the lion share of revenue in almost all foreign markets was generated in the opening week, suggesting a really awful word-of-mouth.

** Creator/JeremyIrons plays a high ranking Templar in the film. In ''Series/TheBorgias'', he played Rodrigo [[UsefulNotes/PopeAlexanderVI Borgia / Pope Alexander VI]], who's the Grand Master of the Templar Order and the BigBad in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII''.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: [[InvertedTrope The awesomeness is in the foregoing of visual effects]], with Aguilar's Leaps of Faith performed by Fassbender's stunt double, Damien Walters, rather than using CGI.

** For Spaniards or people interested inSpanish culture, Queen Isabella I of Castile sporting facepaint and an auto-da-fé being staged with dancers in pagan-style goat masks can stretch the limits of the historic artistic license the film runs on.

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Tomás de Torquemada]], after setting the city of Granada ablaze in an failed attempt to kill Sultan Muhammad XII in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Discovery]]'', kidnaps the king's son, [[HostageForMacGuffin holding him hostage in exchange for the Apple of Eden]], and [[ForcedToWatch makes the son watch]] as he puts most of the Spanish Assassins, including their mentor, on the stake to be [[ManOnFire burned alive]]. After being given the Apple from King Muhammad, it was implied that he would use it to have the king kill his own son, simply to test its power.

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Tomás de Torquemada]], after setting the city of Granada ablaze in an failed attempt to kill King Muhammad XII in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Discovery]]'', kidnaps the king's son, [[HostageForMacGuffin holding him hostage in exchange for the Apple of Eden]], and [[ForcedToWatch makes the son watch]] as he puts most of the Spanish Assassins, including their mentor, on the stake to be [[ManOnFire burned alive]]. After being given the Apple from King Muhammad, it was implied that he would use it to have the king kill his own son, simply to test its power.

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Tomás de Torquemada]] after setting the city of Granada ablaze in an failed attempt kill King Muhammad XII in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Discovery]]'', kidnaps the king's son, holding him hostage in exchange for the [[MacGuffin Apple of Eden]], and [[ForcedToWatch makes the son watch]] as he puts most of the Spanish Assassins, including their mentor, on the stake to be [[ManOnFire burned alive]]. After being given the Apple from King Muhammad, it was implied that he would use it to have the king kill his own son, simply to test its power.

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Tomás de Torquemada]] manages to add more to his already vast resume of atrocities found in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII: Discovery''. He has already caused the annihilation of the Spanish Assassins, including its Mentor, where he put them all up on stake to be [[ManOnFire burned alive]] for the [[PublicExecution public to watch]]. He also has a boy from one of the the villages he had just destroyed watch the execution, only sparing him to serve as a bargaining chip to retrieve the [[MacGuffin Apple of Eden]]; even then, after he reunites the son with his father it is strongle implied that he was going to use the Apple to have them kill each other as a way to test its powers.

* HeReallyCanAct: Javier Gutiérrez was heavily PlayingAgainstType when he was cast as Torquemada, as although he had just won a Goya Award in a gritty drama film, he was (and still is) mostly known in Spain for his comedic roles. Thus, there were naturally many people who doubted he could give a convincing impression of such an important villain, and some even feared he could drag down the entire film with his failure. However, after the film came out, even those who still disliked the cast choice conceded he had given a brilliant performance as the wicked Torquemada, or at least that he had managed to capture the baddie's essence much better than expected.

* VideoGameMoviesSuck: Zigzagged. Early reviews on Website/RottenTomatoes and Metacritic have the movie sitting at scores of 18% likes (with an average score of 4.1/10) and 37/100 respectively, suggesting that it hasn't succeeded in its attempt to WinBackTheCrowd. The general problem most critics had was that the movie's action scenes could not save the lacking story or characters. On the other hand, its IMDB score is far better at 6.9/10 - it's [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff more popular in foreign markets]]. Also, audiences polled by [=CinemaScore=] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

* GeniusBonus: The many Templars saying "It is not to ourselves" is a nod to the actual BadassCreed of UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar: ''Non nobis domine''..."Not to us, o Lord" which intended to state how each Templar surrendered worldly possessions and vanity to serve a higher calling. Within the context of the film it's possibly ironic or sarcastic, since Alan Rikkin very much wants to claim the honor of finding the Apple and defeating the Assassins.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Tomás de Torquemada]] manages to add more to his already vast resume of atrocities found in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII: Discovery''. He has already caused the annihilation of the Spanish Assassins, including its Mentor, where he put them all up on stake to be [[ManOnFire burned alive]] for the [[PublicExecution public to watch]]. He also has a boy from one of the the villages he had just destroyed watch the execution, only sparing him to serve as a bargaining chip to retrieve the [[MacGuffin Apple of Eden]]; even then, after he reunites the son with his father it is strongle implied that he was going to use the Apple to have them kill each other as a way to test its powers.