It's funny, the straw that broke this camel's back when it came to DirecTV's current ad campaign (which inserts movie stars back into the footage of their iconic roles -- only this time, instead of reciting their characters' famous dialogue, they're exhorting the viewer to buy satellite service). When Sigourney Weaver reprised Ellen Ripley for an ad, I bit my lip. When Kathy Bates turned Misery into a commercial, I furrowed my brow. Still, it wasn't until the latest DirecTV ad -- and perhaps the least inconsequential exhuming, on its face -- that I realized I'd hit my limit.
This time, it's Peter Jackson's distended remake of King Kong that's getting the DirecTV treatment, and it's Naomi Watts who's returned to do the honors. The result is a commercial that's as unnecessary as the movie it's a takeoff of.
The thing is, these ads must be costing a fortune; the actors, screen rights, and special effects can't be coming cheap. With that in mind, maybe it's time to call this particular ad campaign a night. It was bad enough when the classics were being reanimated for these commercials -- does anyone want to see things keep degenerating to the point where Freddie Prinze Jr is digitally reinserted into Summer Catch, or Lea Thompson pitches special signup packages from the set of Howard the Duck?
ยท Naomi Watts Returns to 'King Kong' [Movienewz]