For sports fans, the Super Bowl is THE most anticipated event of the year. But, the 100 million people watching the football championship each year is not completely comprised of football fans, but also by fans of the much-ballyhooed commercials. The Super Bowl advertisements are not simply the typical commercial break; rather, they have become an anticipated annual television event. In recent years, movie studios tried to capitalize on the Super Bowl’s huge audience by purchasing the multi-million dollar spots to promote their upcoming films. As many as ten different movies had promotions air during the game, from big budget summer blockbusters like Transformers and Star Trek to family films like Up and Race to Witch Mountain (there was even a 3-D promo!). In case you missed any of the promos, here is a recap of the movie trailers that appeared throughout the Super Bowl.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 26)
Without question, the most anticipated movie to debut its trailer during the game was this sequel to 2007’s blockbuster hit. Director Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and company return as Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) again joins the Autobots in a battle against their enemies, the Deceptions. The teaser trailer did not really reveal anything that would indicate anything new from the first film, as the promo simply showed a bunch of robots blowing each other up with Shia LaBeouf caught in the middle. This film might not be on many critics’ year-end top ten lists, but this special effects-laden blockbuster is all but guaranteed to appeal to the masses and is all but assured of box office supremacy.
G.I. Joe (Aug. 7)
Transformers are not the only popular action figures being brought to the big screen this year, as the extremely popular G.I. Joe action figures will be getting their own film with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The movie is about an elite military unit known as G.I. Joe that takes on an evil organization (Cobra) and a corrupt arms dealer named Destro. Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid and Joseph Gordon-Levitt lead an impressive cast that hopes to make G.I. Joe the next big franchise. The teaser did not reveal too much, but the footage certainly showed promise and this should be one of the best action films of the year.
Year One (June 19)
Judd Apatow might just be taking over the film industry. His latest production, another promising comedy, is Year One, directed by Harold Ramis, which takes place in biblical times. The film tells the tale of two lazy hunter-gatherers named Zed and Oh (Jack Black and Michael Cera) who get banished from their village and set off on a journey through the ancient world. In addition to Black and Cera, David Cross and Paul Rudd appear as Cain and Abel; Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) as Isaac; Hank Azaria as Abraham; and Harold Ramis and Rhoda Griffis as Adam and Eve. The plot synopsis in itself is funny, and this original comedy might just end up being the funniest movie of 2009. The cast is filled with top-notch comedic talent, and the trailer was downright hilarious.
Star Trek (May 8 )
From genius J.J. Abrams (“Lost”, “Alias” and MI: III) and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Transformers), Star Trek takes a look at the beginnings of the USS Enterprise and its crew. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto (“Heroes”) star as Kirk and Spock, the roles originated by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. The film will chronicle the early days of the Enterprise, and Nimoy returns to play an older version of Spock (Shatner makes no such appearance). The Enterprise crew will include an interesting cast of characters, led by the relatively unknown Pine and Quinto, including Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz), Winona Ryder, John Cho (Harold & Kumar), Zoe Saldana, Eric Bana and Anton Yelchin. The film has already aired a few trailers, but the Super Bowl edition revealed some new action-packed clips of the film. The film mainly focuses on Captain Kirk (Pine) and his recruitment onto the Enterprise.
Other Super Bowl trailers
– Land of the Lost (June 5)- Based on the classic television series, stars Will Ferrell, Anna Friel (Pushing Daises) and Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) as three adults who inadvertently stumble into a mysterious land of dinosaurs and other creatures.
– Fast and Furious (April 3)- Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return for the fourth film in the popular car racing franchise. Walker and Diesel reteam with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster as they head back to the streets where it all began.
– Angels & Demons (May 15)- The team behind Da Vinci Code, led by director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks, return for another adaptation of a famed Dan Brown novel, Angels & Demons. Hanks reprises his role as Robert Langdon and will be joined by Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgard.
– Monsters Vs. Aliens (March 27)- A young girl is hit by a meteor from outer space and mysteriously grows to be a 49 foot tall monster. The military brings her in and adds her to a ragtag group of Monsters. When an alien robot lands on earth, the team of Monsters are called in to action by the President to save the world from destruction. The Dreamworks animation will be available in 3-D, and the voice cast includes Reese Witherspoon, Stephen Colbert, Rainn Wilson, Seth Rogen, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Hugh Laurie and Will Arnett.
– Up (May 29)- Pixar’s latest film is about a 78-year old balloon salesman named Carl Fredricksen, who ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to South America, in hopes of fulfilling his dream of a great adventure. Unfortunately for Carl, an overly optimistic 9-year old boy named Russell has inadvertently tagged along for the trip.
– Race to Witch Mountain (March 13)- For years stories have circulated about a secret place in the middle of the Nevada desert called With Mountain. When Las Vegas cab driver (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is enlisted to drive two teenagers with supernatural powers, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can’t explain. Disney’s Witch Mountain will also star AnnaSophia Robb (Jumper) and Carla Gugino (Watchmen).