Considered the biggest game of the year for millions of Americans, it’s no surprise to anyone that Super Bowl is the country’s most-watched sporting event. But it isn’t just the game itself that attracts viewers. There’s the superstar-driven extravaganza that is the half-time show. And of course, how can one talk about Super Bowl without mentioning the commercials.
A significant chunk of Super Bowl’s viewership consists of people who don’t even watch the game but instead tune in during breaks just to see the commercials. That’s because Super Bowl commercials have developed quite a reputation for having high entertainment value.
This year’s Super Bowl commercials didn’t fail to deliver on this promise and included several trailers for upcoming movies. Here’s our list of the top nine movie and TV trailers unveiled in Super Bowl LIII:
9. Avengers: Endgame
Marvel fans were treated to a brand-new trailer for the latest installment of Avengers. The latest Avengers: Endgame trailer perfectly capitalizes on the ending of Infinity War as it shows us a glimpse of the world left behind post Thanos’ snap. We see the surviving heroes trying to regroup and figure out a way to set things right, with a weary yet determined Cap stating they won’t move on like the rest of the world may have. All in all, a good trailer that strikes a dark yet somewhat hopeful tone, setting up the stakes of the film while revealing very little.
8. Captain Marvel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDBsvOtd9fA
Following the Endgame trailer, the Super Bowl also brought to viewers another quick look at Captain Marvel, which releases in theaters next month. And like Endgame, this one wasn’t especially long either.
The trailer pieces together some hard-hitting moments of action in the movie, while a female voice chants “higher, faster, further” in the background in a monotone. Though there isn’t much new footage revealed in the latest trailer, it still manages to look pretty badass and a bit more optimistic than the Endgame trailer.
7. Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8eYnlOg4DA
The new trailer for Jordan Peele’s Us doesn’t bring any new scares yet still manages to recreate the tension and suspense of the first trailer.
The TV spot for Us gives us a glimpse into the mind of Lupita Nyong’o’s character and how she has a sense of foreboding about the evil lurking near the family: “It’s like there’s this black cloud heading in over us.” The rest of the trailer tells the same story as the last one – of how the family’s seaside vacation takes a dark turn when they encounter a creepy set of doppelgängers.
6. Hobbs and Shaw
In the trailer for this spinoff of the Fast and Furious franchise, we see a superhuman Idris Elba take on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Jason Statham – who play the titular characters of Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, respectively. The trailer basically sums up the plot of the film: we’re introduced to Idris Elba’s villain, Hobbs and Shaw are recruited to take him on, there’s banter and finally, some high-stakes action.
5. Alita: Battle Angel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIbPFmi0xk8
This cyberpunk action film, based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga Gunnm, follows the story of the titular Alita, a disembodied “core” who awakens with no memory in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by a technological fall. Armed with a new mechanical body, Alita sets out on a journey to discover her extraordinary past. As she navigates her new life, she battles other machines who are empowered with skills. Watching the trailer, the movie seems to carry all the marks of the sort of spellbinding cinematic visuals that we’ve come to associate with James Cameron.
4. Handmaid’s Tale: Season 3
The long-awaited and much-anticipated trailer for the third season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was finally revealed at Super Bowl. In the short 10-second teaser trailer, we get the first glimpse of how Offred’s fate may have turned out after the end of Season 2.
3. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Guillermo Del Toro’s oeuvre has always been monstrous creatures and when he announced the adaptation of the iconic children’s horror anthology series ‘Scary Stories to tell in the Dark’, horror fans could barely hold their excitement. At Super Bowl, we were treated to a glimpse of the upcoming movie with different horror moments in four teasers. Though barely a few seconds long, the scenes pack enough creeps to send a chill down your spine.
2. Twilight Zone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTjaogwkcQY
“Witness an empty space filled with thousands of screaming people…”
A hark back to the glorious heyday of surrealsci-fii TV shows, the suave and smooth Jordan Peele leads a liege homage to Rod Serling while transporting you to the hallucinogenic fantasia of the Twilight Zone.
“When truth is not the truth, what dimension are you even in?”
The hypnotic swirl is back. And so are the memories.
Welcome to The Twilight Zone!
1. Toy Story 4
If there has been one movie franchise that has just gone on to become better than ever, it is the Toy Story series. Buzz, Woody, and the gang have reunited for another adventure, which comes out on June 21, nine years after Toy Story 3 was released. Details are scarce on this one, but we do know that a new toy called ‘Forky’ and a road trip are included in the film. Get ready for some cutesy-toy fun!