While I will admit that the Super Bowl LII match-up between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles was a better game than I anticipated (congratulations to the Eagles, by the way, for defeating the Patriots to win their first ever Super Bowl championship), I still will attest that I was more interested in the commercials set to air during the game than I ever was for the game itself. Admittedly, I am neither an Eagles or Patriots fan, but I still wanted to watch Super Bowl LII to see the ads that would air – especially the ads for upcoming films set to hit theaters this year; and I wasn’t disappointed.
No less than eleven commercials for eight upcoming films aired during Super Bowl LII, with one film, The Cloverfield Paradox, set to air on Netflix as soon as the game was over. (Talk about completely surprising people.) With films in genres such as horror, science fiction, action, thriller, and drama being represented by these eleven trailers, I thought it represented a good portion of the kinds of films the general Super Bowl audience would be interested in. With that in mind, I wanted to list these Super Bowl LII film ads in the order that I would consider them to be my favorite.
The Cloverfield Paradox
Directed by: Julius Onah
Distributed by: Netflix
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi
US Release date: February 4, 2018
Starring: Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Aksel Hennie, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, John Ortiz, David Oyelowo, Zhang Ziyi
Synopsis: In the near future, a group of international astronauts on a space station are working to solve a massive energy crisis on Earth. The experimental technology aboard the station has an unexpected result, leaving the team isolated and fighting for their survival.
Super Bowl TV Spot
“Watch Now” Super Bowl TV Spot
To be honest, I still don’t quite know what to make of this film. I am a huge fan of the Cloverfield franchise, and the way this new Netflix original looks like it would only add to this mythos would be interesting, but these pair of ads don’t quite have the punch that I am looking for when it comes to debut ads for a film – certainly not like the first Cloverfield teaser did back in 2007.
Red Sparrow
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Genre(s): Spy, Thriller
US Release date: March 2, 2018
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Irons
Synopsis: Dominika Egorova is many things. A devoted daughter determined to protect her mother at all costs. A prima ballerina whose ferocity has pushed her body and mind to the absolute limit. A master of seductive and manipulative combat. When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.
“She’s Out of Your League” Super Bowl TV Spot
The only reason this ad isn’t higher on my list is because it really doesn’t show the viewer anything new about the film. Earlier trailers for the film showed more about the premise and cast than this thirty second spot did, so it is not as memorable or impactful as the others that aired during the game.
Avengers: Infinity War
Directed by: The Russo Bros (Anthony & Joe)
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre(s): Action, Superhero
US Release date: May 4, 2018
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Benicio del Toro, Tom Holland, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Gwyneth Paltrow
Synopsis: As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
Super Bowl TV Spot
Again, as much as I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the new ad for the film does little to really showcase anything new. Though I have a dreadful thought that because of the scenes involving Spider-Man in the trailers for Infinity War so far, it makes it seem as though this character may be one of the characters to die when this film is finally shown in theaters.
Skyscraper
Directed by: Rawson M. Thurber
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Genre(s): Action, Thriller
US Release date: July 13, 2018
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Roland Møller, Pablo Schreiber, Byron Mann, Hannah Quinlivan, Noah Taylor
Synopsis: Former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Ford now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in China he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building…above the fire line.
Super Bowl Sneak Peek
Super Bowl TV Spot
Trailer #1
I didn’t know much about this film before Sunday. I knew the basics of the cast and premise, but I hadn’t seen anything about this film visually. Now, while I don’t expect much from this film story-wise, it does look like it would be a fun action movie that would have me munching through my popcorn bucket as I enjoy the spectacle that plays on the big screen before me.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Directed by: J.A. Bayona
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Genre(s): Adventure, Sci-Fi
US Release date: June 22, 2018
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, B.D. Wong, James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Justice Smith, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, Isabella Sermon, Jeff Goldblum
Synopsis: It’s been four years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles. When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.
Super Bowl Trailer
I like that this trailer for Fallen Kingdom shows a little bit more than just Owen and Claire leading a rescue team to the island to rescue the surviving dinosaurs trapped there. That it seems there has been more genetic manipulation and that the dinosaurs are lose on what seems the US mainland really has my interest piqued as to what will be shown in this film.
A Quiet Place
Directed by: John Krasinski
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Genre(s): Horror, Supernatural
US Release date: April 6, 2018
Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds
Synopsis: A family living on a farm hides from a supernatural evil attracted to sound by avoiding every noise and communicating in sign language.
Super Bowl TV Spot
When I first heard about this film I was already interested in seeing it because of Emily Blunt and John Krasinski; I am a huge fan of both of these talented actors. But upon finally seeing a trailer for the film during the Super Bowl, I am more interested in the film than I was before because the trailer was able to really convey a sense of fear and anxiety in just thirty short seconds.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Directed by: Ron Howard (w/ Phil Lord & Christopher Miller)
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre(s): Space, Western
US Release date: May 25, 2018
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, Paul Bettany
Synopsis: Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
Super Bowl TV Spot
Teaser Trailer
Haters be damned – I like what has been going on with Disney taking control of the Star Wars franchise. The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi… I have been entertained by each of the films so far. And I have no doubt that Solo will entertain me just as much as the other films have, especially with Ron Howard at the helm.
Mission Impossible – Fallout
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Genre(s): Action, Spy
US Release date: July 27, 2018
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, Henry Cavill, Vanessa Kirby, Sian Brooke, Angela Bassett
Synopsis: The best intentions often come back to haunt you. Mission: Impossible – Fallout finds Ethan Hunt and his IMF team along with some familiar allies in a race against time after a mission gone wrong.
Super Bowl TV Trailer
Super Bowl TV Spot
Oh man, am I a huge fan of the Mission Impossible film series, and these two ads that debuted on Sunday certainly helped cement that fandom even more. I knew that this new film would look incredible, and if the film delivers even half of the action and excitement that the ads promise, this will be another incredible addition to an already awesome film series.
