Super Bowl Ad Reactions

Yesterday was Super Bowl XLV and while plenty of us were watching the game, a big number were also tuned in just for the commercials. Its a tradition. The latest cars, beers and food are heavily pitched to us. Also which is more important to myself, all of the latest movie advertising. New trailers and teasers and sometimes our first look at a highly anticipated movie. This year was no different and below you can read my reactions to some of the biggest trailers that played during Super Bowl XLV.


Liked:

Battle: Los Angeles

One of the first spots I saw was "Battle: Los Angeles." This is not the first footage we've seen for the movie or even a new trailer, but it did cut together some awesome footage that continues to build my excitement for the invasion. The Super Bowl spot reminds me of the infamous storm on Normandy Beach during WWII instead we have aliens invading on the beach of Santa Monica. The invasion depicted looks stunning. While 'Battle' may end up being a let down, right now I'm very hopeful it will pay off just fine.


Cowboys and Aliens

The "Cowboys and Aliens" spot was released online before the Super Bowl even started but I waited to see it during the live event. In the footage we got some more developed scenes and a few teases from what we've seen previously. I especially like that we get our first look at the alien aircraft in the daylight, however were still waiting to see an actual alien. The footage continues to showcase how perfect Daniel Craig looks in the lead role. Also I can't wait to see him and Harrison Ford side-by-side. I've been ecstatic for this genre-masher since it was first announced and this footage only compounded those emotions.


Thor

"Thor" is hitting theaters in May yet we really didn't get much new footage to look at during Super Bowl XLV. The 30 second spot only had maybe 3 new scenes or sequences not previously released in the full trailer. We got a couple longer glances at the Frost Giants and a few more flashes of New Mexico with Natalie Portman as Jane Foster but the rest was mainly re-hash. Now Thor is one of my favorite comics growing up and I'm really hoping for a great film and further setup for "The Avengers" which is slated for 2012, but this Super Bowl spot was a bit underwhelming. Mainly because we've seen it all already. That doesn't mean I'm not excited to see the movie or I've lost interest, just wished Marvel would've have given us a few more teases. At the same time we are so close to the release of the film maybe it is better they didn't.


Loved:

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The first movie spot that stopped me completely in my tracks was for "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." This also was the first trailer/ad that we rewound right after watching to see it again. In actuality I think I watched it 4 times in a row before calming down and unclenching my ass cheeks. My fan boy response is 'Dark of the Moon' is gonna be amazing. My level headed reaction is, it hopefully will be better than 'Revenge of the Fallen.' I love that 'Dark of the Moon' looks to feature a full scale Decepticon invasion. It also looks like were gonna see Laserbeak in the third Michael Bay Transformers movie! There is a ton to soak in the 30 + second spot and I'm pretty excited to see the full movie this summer in 3D.

Fast Five

"Fast Five" continues to ooh and awe me. This fifth installment of fast cars, hot women, so-so acting and outrageous stunts looks like just what the doctor ordered. Not to mention it looks like miles of fun. I'm not sure I will ever tire of this franchise. I'd love to see more and more films added to the catalog, just as long as they continue to bring back a couple of the alumni. As far as the promo is concerned, we don;t get too much new footage, when get expanded footage. A different take or angle from stuff already previously released in the first trailer. Gotta love the coverage of the train sequence. I can't wait to watch that stunt unfold on IMAX.

Super 8

The next jaw-dropper for me was "Super 8." This is a film we know close to nothing about and I intend on keeping it that way. It is a movie after all with a mystery involved, so why spoil said mystery? All of the major blogs and news outlets that are trying to decode every facet of the film might enjoy all the work that goes into deciphering the teases, but I'm fine with seeing as little as possible until I'm sitting in the theater watching the movie for myself. Ok, back to the Super Bowl spot, the teaser trailer gave us a lot more than I was expecting yet still remained entirely cryptic. We know there is a train crash in a small town and something escapes during this crash. That is enough for me. The imagery and music used is awesome and I also like seeing that a little boy appears to be one of the leads. Children represent innocence and in a film that is introducing a something new to us, I think having a kid discover it is a easy choice. Finger crossed that little kid doesn't turn out to be a poor actor.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Well I've saved the best for last, "Captain America: The First Avenger" won the trailer war in my eyes. This was our first look at footage of Cap in action. I'd previously seen some test footage at Comic Con and one scene involving the Red Skull, but this is our first real idea of what to expect from the super hero adventure set to hit theaters this summer. Only being a 30 second spot we don't get much, but what we do see fired on all the right cylinders for me. Loved seeing Steve Rogers pre-super soldier serum and thought our first glimpse of Red Skull was incredible. Red Skull looks spot on and I can't wait to see more of him on screen. The trailer teased a fight between Cap and Red Skull and also gave us our first look at the Dum Dum Dugan and the rest of the Howling Commandos. Speaking of the Howling Commandos it appears Sgt. Nick Fury is being left out of the squad and Union Jack/Montgomery Falsworth will replace him.


Missed the Mark:

As for all the other movie promos shown during Super Bowl XLV, they didn't do enough for me. Movies like "Kung Fu Panda," "Rango" and "Limitless" look good, just wasn't wowed enough to comment here. Finally I remain very luke warm about the fourth installment of 'Pirates' as well. I know I will see it, just not counting the days.

Best Commercial:

I feel the need to at least briefly mention my favorite non-movie ad seen during Super Bowl XLV. Two of the Doritos commercials actually tied for my favorite. One where a roommate sprinkled Doritos crumbles to revive a dead fish, plant and grandparent. The other was the "best part" of Doritos, where one colleague proceeded to suck on the finger of another who had just eaten Doritos. Both were shock value commercials and both left me coiled over laughing my ass off.

If you missed any of these promos above head over to /Film who did a great job of covering all the Super Bowl trailers.