Thousands of people in Fresno tuned in tonight to watch Super Bowl XLVI. To that end, they not only saw the biggest game of the season, but also many of the best, most inventive advertisements of the year as well. Most of these ads have already become hits through viral releases, further evidence of how the advertising industry has changed in this day and age. But for this examiner at least, the most exciting of these ads are not for cars brands like Chevy or for products like Budweiser. The most exciting ads of Super Sunday are the TV spots for this year’s most highly anticipated blockbuster movies. Why? Because so many of these films are getting the earliest television publicity complete with plenty of new footage never-before-seen by the public. But which of this year’s TV spots make their movies look the best?
Airing throughout both the pregame and game itself, this examiner saw no less that 12 TV spots for some highly anticipated films. One of the earliest was The Hunger Games, which looks to be and entertaining acinence fiction actin drama.
There was also further advertising for Safe House, an action thriller starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. This film looks to be entertaining, and the paring of Washington and Reynolds is definitely an intriguing combo.
Channing Tatum and Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill star in 21 Jump Street, the feature film remake of the 80s police crime drama television series that starred a much younger Johnny Depp (who will also make a cameo in the film). The film looks to be a comedy and will hopefully amuse the general audience as well as fans of the original series.
Another film that was highlighted was Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the sequel to the 2007 Marvel comic film Ghost Rider, starring Nicholas Cage. Based on some of the early feedback that has come in, this film is not expected to be a critical improvement over the original, it fact, it is supposedly far worse. However the cinematography appears far more inventive and the tone much darker and more mature that its predecessor.
Act of Valor follows the exploits of real-life Navy SEALs as they embark on a mission to rescue a captured CIA officer and work to defeat terrorists plotting against America. This film is highly anticipated and the TV spot will only increase that anticipation further. Not only does the footage look engaging, mainly because of the credibility the film receives for its use of real-life Navy SEALs and not just an ensemble of actors.
The Dictator is the latest comedy from Sacha Baron Cohen, who is also known for Borat and Brüno. This film looks to be about as funny as it's predecesors, and this examiner must admit, the Megan Fox cameo was a guilty pleasure, almost as much as Cohen’s character using a gun to cheat in a triathlon.
One of the most impressive-looking action films previewed tonight is next summer’s science fiction naval war epic Battleship, based on the classic game by Milton Bradley. The science fiction element may seem odd to long-time fans of the naval guessing game, but so far the visual effect look impressive and this examiner is anticipating an exciting-looking picture to come out of it.
Yet another highly-anticipated summer movie is Disney’s John Carter, starring Taylor Kitsch (who is also appearing in Battleship) and based on the main character from Tarzan creator Edger Rice Burroughs’ 11-volume Barsoom series of novels about a former Confederate captain that is transported the Mars where he becomes a great hero. The more we see of this film the more exciting it looks. Under guidance from Pixar director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo and WALL-E), here is hoping that it truly delivers when it finally hits theaters this March.
For those looking for a film they can take their young children to, The Lorax is a CGI adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s story of the same name. Featuring the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms and Betty White, the animation looks colorful and lively as it was in Horton Hears a Who!, wonderfully befitting Dr. Seuss’s signature style.
There was also an commercial for this weeks re-release of Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace in 3D, as well as setting fans in the mood for the coming releases of the other films over the next six years.
Lastly, there were early TV spots for two of this examiner’s most anticipated films of the years. The first is Marvel’s The Avengers, the sixth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that began with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. This ensemble superhero epic sees Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, and Samuel L. Jackson reprising their iconic roles from the previous films, with Mark Ruffalo added to the cast to replace Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. One of three comic book films coming out this summer, this might be the most hotly anticipated of all the films previewed tonight.
The other film this examiner is particularly excited about is G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the sequel to the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, based on the popular Hasbro toy line, comic books and animated series. Despite Unlike the first film that was directed by Steven Sommers, the sequel will be helmed by Jon M. Chu and stars an ensemble cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatem, Adrienne Palicki, Ray Park, Lee Byung-hun, Ray Stevenson, RZA, D. J. Controna, Elodie Young, Jonathan Pryce, and Bruce Willis. Despite mixed to negative reception of the first film by critics and fans, the sequel looks to be much more realistic and serious by comparison and will hopefully prove a much more pleasing experience for the fans.
On the subject of movies, it should also be noted that during the pregame coverage there was a short promotional clip for the alternate reality game used to promote Transformers: The Ride, which will open at Universal Studios Hollywood this May. The video can be seen and the game can be played at PreparedForBattle.Com.
Some people may regret that some the films they are most excited for were not give spot tonight, such as Brave, The Expendables 2, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. But this examiner was very satisfied by what he saw and it made him that much more excited for the next summer movie season that is coming our way.
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