I’ll just come out and say it: this year’s Super Bowl, commercials and all, was a snoozer. The Big Game, which pitted the Carolina Panthers against the Denver Broncos, was not a very exciting matchup to begin with and unfortunately the players on the field couldn’t manage to muster any memorable moments. Peyton Manning, backed by an impressive defensive unit, ended up beating Cam Newton and the Panthers, 24-10.
The hype, however, remained omnipresent throughout the game. Lady Gaga started things off on the right note with a strikingly beautiful rendition of our National Anthem (watch it here). At halftime, Coldplay stormed the field to play some tunes (new and old), with much needed assistance by Beyoncè and Bruno Mars. Don’t get me wrong–I’m a massive Coldplay fan; they simply didn’t own the night as Queen Bey and her “Formation” ladies and Mars and his “Uptown Funk” gang stole the spotlight. I was looking for Left Shark to make a reprise; turns out he did. Wah wahh.
Despite the relatively boring game and equally lackadaisical commercials (more on those in a moment), a whopping 111.9 million people tuned into the Super Bowl last night. As big as that number is, it’s not a record-breaker. Last year’s SB, in which the New England Patriots triumphed over the Seattle Seahawks, attracted 114.4 million and that game remains the most watched telecast in U.S. history.
Super Bowl 50 also couldn’t live up to last year’s Super Bowl ads. Instead of being funny and relevant, they were trying too hard to “go viral.” A prime example is the bizarre “puppymonkeybaby” as featured in Mountain Dew’s commercial that aired early in the game. It went instantly viral (it remained a top trending topic on Twitter all night), but ultimately failed to capture my imagination–it was just plain stupid. Across the board, this year’s ads simply did not live up to last year’s actually funny, emotional, and sometimes poignant clips. Nevertheless, let’s take a look at my favorite spots all the while keeping in mind that these companies paid $5 million for 30 seconds of fame!
Avocados from Mexico – “And this, the white and gold dress that caused a civil war…”
Apartments.com – Because you can’t have enough Jeff Goldblum in your life. Goldblum is SB50 Commercials MVP as he would go on to appear in a total of three spots across the night (see the Jeep and Independence Day ads below).
Doritos – Their ultrasound ad was the funniest of the bunch!
Audi – I was a bit worried at first, I’ll admit. But Audi would go on to submit an ad that joyfully celebrates the late, great David Bowie with “Starman.”
Marmot – I couldn’t tell you what Marmot does/sells, but I have to share this gem simply because it uses a song penned by Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords.
Acura – So. Pretty.
Skittles – What can I say? I’m a sucker for “Dream On,” any time, any place.
Coca-Cola – Coke teams up with Marvel to have Ant-Man and The Hulk clash over the classic beverage. Need I say more?
Jeep – Here’s that aforementioned car commercial featuring a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by Jeff Goldblum. I appreciated the visually-pleasing black and white photography.
Pokémon – Here’s my winner. The Pokémon Company celebrates 20 years with an inspired ad that even Coach Taylor would approve.
Fitbit – Really dig the way this is shot; notice the smart jump cuts.
Honda – Honda scores with the second funniest SB ad featuring a herd of sheep singing…”Bohemian Sheepsody.”
Schick Hydro – Transforming robot razors FTW!
Kia – Not a good commercial by any means, but “Walken Closet” is a million dollar idea so.
T-Mobile – Drake was a good sport and allowed T-Mobile to play around with his popular “Hotline Bling” track and music video to suit its business needs. This pretty much rounds out the “funny” ads this year.
Budweiser – Just listen to Helen Mirren. Always listen to Helen Mirren.
Colgate – This spot, which you should definitely adhere to, ended up being quite nostalgic for me. Cue Barney. Never let the water run…
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital – This one aired at the very end of the game, so in case you missed it, I highly recommend you check it out. It tells how immunotherapy helps your body find cancer and destroy it with super cool animated visual tricks.
TRAILERS
Cap’s got the Winter Soldier, Falcon, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Ant-Man. Iron Man’s got War Machine, Black Widow, Vision, and Black Panther. Which side are you on? Captain America: Civil War is out May 6.
Apocalypse is coming. And so is Olivia Munn. Looks fantastic. X-Men: Apocalypse is out May 27.
Jeff Goldbum! That’s three times! “What goes up must come down” in the latest look at Independence Day: Resurgence. Out June 24.
Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass are back. And they’re calling it JASON BOURNE. Hot damn. Find out what “remembering everything doesn’t mean you know everything” means on July 29.
This new trailer starring Disney’s The Jungle Book stood out from the rest with its action disregarding the traditional letterbox format. The result? A cool 3D effect that successfully captured my attention. Out April 15.
The Beastie Boys leaves their mark on this spot for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel, Out of the Shadows. Out June 3.
Illumination Entertainment, the makers of Despicable Me and Minions, is readying The Secret Life of Pets. Think of it as Toy Story, but with pets! It’s out July 8.
Had to save my favorite for last. Was praying for a second look at J.J. Abrams’ Cloverfield pseudo-sequel and we got it. That certainly sounds like The Monster, J.J. Oh, can’t wait for this one. Unravel the mystery box that is 10 Cloverfield Lane on March 11.