Super Bowl commercials have become a competitive sport in their own right, and for movie buffs, it’s always fun to watch the big game to see what film teasers Hollywood releases. While we didn’t get a trailer for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” we did see teasers for a number of highly-anticipated films. Find all the trailers here, or read about some of the highlights below.
The trailer for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” was one of my personal favorites, featuring some new scenes and a fun rundown of the characters making up the Guardians. Although sometimes it’s tough for sequels to capture the magic of the original, the second Guardians movie looks just as fun as the first. Baby Groot is drawing a lot of attention now, but I think Drax may actually steal a lot of the scenes in the movie. He’s had a lot of great lines in the trailers so far.
The previews for the Wolverine movie, “Logan,” continue to knock it out of the park (I’m mixing sports metaphors here, aren’t I?). The Super Bowl spot featured gritty action set to a haunting rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Fans have long wanted a violent, serious film featuring the character, and “Logan” should deliver.
Although I was a big “Pirates of the Caribbean” fan back in the day, the most recent film was a bit underwhelming and the franchise has started to show its age. I was admittedly skeptical about yet another Pirates movie, “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” but the trailers are actually winning me over. The Super Bowl spot featured an unusual but inspired song choice — country music legend Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave” — and featured minimal footage of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. I hope this trailer is an indication they’re taking the franchise in a fresh and exciting new direction.
And speaking of franchise fatigue… “Transformers: The Last Knight” also had a big Super Bowl spot on Sunday. While the franchise may be running out of steam, it appears that it too is trying to mix things up, painting Optimus Prime as the villain this time. It will be interesting to see if that twist will boost box office results.
While the Fast and the Furious movies aren’t really my thing, this is a huge, blockbuster franchise, and the film makers appear to be mixing up the formula at least a little bit with the latest sequel, “The Fate of the Furious.” Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto appears to go rogue, and there will be a big, ice-themed set piece. Someday they may run out of unusual places to stage car stunts, but they haven’t appeared to yet! 😉
Amongst the group of franchise continuations, there was a trailer for a new, stand-alone film called “Life,” a sci-fi horror flick in the same vein as “Alien.” A crew aboard the International Space Station picks up a probe from Mars containing a sample and of course, things don’t go well. Apparently unfamiliar with the movie “Alien,” they try to study and experiment on this sample, only to have it morph into a serious threat. While I do have some concerns this movie could be too similar to recent space thrillers we’ve seen, I’m always excited to see more sci-fi on the big screen.
Other films featured in Super Bowl TV spots included “Baywatch,” “John Wick: Chapter 2,” “A Cure For Wellness,” and “Ghost in the Shell.”
What were your favorite movie trailers from the Super Bowl? Which film are you most looking forward to?
