Super Bowl Movie Ad Report Card: Super 8, Captain America and 12 More

I know. As you dragged yourself out of bed this morning and went for the Asprin, one burning question clawed it's way through the post-superbowl haze: "Did I drink way too many beers or was that Transformers 3 spot actually kind of awesome?" It's actually a fair question! Now, since all fifteen movie advertisements that aired last night are online, let's take a sober look at each one and see how they fair on the Movieline Super Bowl Ad Report Card.

Transformers: The Dark of the Moon

Wow. Just when I thought there was absolutely no way that people would be tricked into shelling out money for another two-and-a-half hour assault on coherence, eardrums and intelligence, this slick promo actually got even me a little pumped.

Grade: A

Super 8

Based on the music and the storyline of this preview, you may have also wondered this morning whether Steven Spielberg commissioned an action-packed remake of E.T. from J.J. Abrams. Upon closer inspection, this is actually a new movie...I think?

Grade: C

Captain America

I guess we'll curve this one a bit since it's the first real footage we've seen from the movie at all. And yet, I'm not sure what to say about it. It looks like it will have action, some attempts at humor and no surprising stylistic choices. At the very least, it probably didn't kill the dreams of anyone who was already excited about the movie.

Grade: B-

Thor

Pretty much the same story as Captain America, except with more creatures and a slightly more muddled style. I know Shakespeare savant Kenneth Branagh has the reigns here, but I still haven't seen evidence that he brought anything groundbreaking to the genre.

Grade: C

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Comments

  • Auga says:

    It's so sad but I'm really excited for Transformers! It looks awesome!

  • Brian Clark says:

    I feel weird about it too.

  • Wackenhut says:

    Wait - seriously? There's nothing about that Transformers 3 spot that looks remotely different from the last two (besides a new Megan Fox), but Super 8 looks like E.T.? Come on. That Super 8 ad was the best thing on last night...

  • Brian Clark says:

    I could understand what was happening in this Transformers spot, which was new. The movie will probably still not be very good.
    And yeah, I got E.T. vibes from the Super 8 trailer. You didn't? The Spielberg sounding music (which I think is actually from Cocoon) that didn't go with the action at all, nostalgia bike-riding shots, kid finding an alien, government threatening kid who finds alien and so on. It may still be good, I'm just looking at the ads here.

  • Christopher Rosen says:

    Agree to disagree about Super 8. I found that to be a perfect teaser. The music -- I read that about Cocoon too, but I'm having a hard time actually locating the cue; any help, commenters? -- was perfect precisely because it doesn't go with the action at all. (I also liked how it was dominant to all the other sounds from the action.)
    In the LA Times piece on Super 8, it gets compared to E.T. and The Goonies, with Coach Taylor as the good ol' fashioned tough dad trying to connect with his young son in the wake of a tragedy. That + aliens + all the other stuff Abrams is selling here speaks to me on the level of win.
    The Transformers ad campaign has been brilliant, too. That "announcement trailer" was really top notch and this was even better. I like that we're only seeing what appears to be one set piece -- a giant throw down in Chicago. Really not showing very much, except the scale, which is EPIC. Bay, FTW.

  • Sarah says:

    The only thing I really noticed about the Super 8 trailer was Coach Taylor, and that's pretty much all I need to know. When can I buy a ticket?

  • Lee Harvey says:

    They all look pretty bad. Only "Super 8" shows any promise.

  • Mooshki says:

    I would have been surprised by the F&F 5 a year ago, but I liked #4. I'm sad Michelle Rodriguez is gone, though. 🙁