With the Super Bowl comes a slew of commercials and previews that prove to be as entertaining as the game itself. The film industry proves to supply some of the best ads of the night, and given a stacked release schedule for films this year, it was hard to guess what would be there.
Right around the corner
Several of the spots served as the final push for several big films just around the corner. The first of these was "John Wick Chapter 2", the sequel to Keanu Reeves 2014 hit. The spot does a clever job at spoofing "Fifty Shades Darker", which happens to release the same day.
It plays into the somewhat meta nature of "John Wick", but also oddly works within the context of that universe.
A surprising spot was the thriller releasing on February 17 is "A Cure for Wellness", the Dane DeHaan led thriller from Gore Verbinski. The film sees DeHaan as a young executive sent to retrieve his company's CEO from a retreat in the Swiss Alps that holds a very dark secret. Two spots were released to show off the film, one acting as an actual spot for the film while the other served as in universe ad for the "idyllic" retreat.
Jump now to March, where three major releases were also shown off to audiences in grander fashion. The biggest of these was easily "Logan", which looks to be Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, who first appeared as Wolverine and Professor X back in 2000's "X-Men".
The film looks to deliver the most somber tone in the series, clearly inspired by the Old Man Logan series from the mid-2000s.
This was followed by another surprising addition, the Jake Gyllenhaal led sci-fi thriller "Life". The films looks to channel Ridley Scott's seminal sci-fi classic "Alien" in a more modern day setting, with an alien lifeform getting loose on the International Space Station, putting the lives of the crew at risk.
This was rounded up with a new look at "Ghost in the Shell", the Scarlett Johansson led adaptation of the popular manga and anime series that first debuted in the late 80s. The film looks to pull primarily from the 1995 anime film that helped further popularize anime to western audiences and served as inspiration for films like "The Matrix".
Coming soon
The rest of the ads proved to be a whose-who of some of this year's biggest releases. One of the most anticipated of these is the next entry in the MCU, "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2". The spot shows the original crew, but also shown a spotlight on the newest members of the team, including a returning Yondu and Nebula, along with newcomer to the series, Mantis.
Another major push came from "Transformers: The Last Knight" which, as it was revealed recently, will be Michael Bay's final directorial effort in the series. The spot further highlights the apparent darker tone of the film, which sees Optimus Prime taking a bit of a villainous turn, thought it is unclear why. While it is unclear how well received this could be, it looks to deliver more of the "Transformers" universe film-goers have become used to.
One of the surprises of the night proved to be the next look at "Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales", the fifth entry in the Johnny Depp led franchise. Like "Transformers", this films looks to take the series in a notably darker tone, with Javier Bardem's ghostly crew serving as the main threat this time around. It also provided first glimpse at the returning Captain Jack, the target of the ghosts ire.
The last two shown served as big platforms for Dwayne Johnson, with new looks at both "Fate of the Furious" and "Baywatch". The 8th film in the series, "Fate of the Furious" will pit Vin Diesel's Dom against his family and friends, teaming with Charlize Theron's cyber-criminal, while providing the massive action fans have come to expect with the series. "Baywatch" looks to show off Dwayne's comedy chops, with a "Jump Street" approach to the adaptation of the 90's series with raunchy comedy and over-the-top action.
