For a lot of us, the Super Bowl isn’t a time to root for a favorite team or judge the halftime show. Instead, we look forward to the large selection of funny, emotional, outrageous and just all-around entertaining commercials that debut throughout the evening. Even if these commercials don’t make us want to buy their products immediately, they are bound to leave us entertained by their lengths to make us do so (and with the cost to get the ad space on Super Bowl night, they better)! With this year’s Super Bowl finally out of the way, let us see what advertisements sold their ways into our memories with the Top 5 Best Super Bowl Ads of 2017!
5. “Humpty Fall” TurboTax
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgh6K1TXw28
In this comedic ad for TurboTax, Humpty Dumpty has fallen off his wall while trying to do his taxes, which shocks the world trying to figure out why. The grumpy egg then replies, “Because you can!” highlighting the company’s ability to be used on mobile devices. The ad does a superb job of giving a nice twist to the classic rhyme by setting it in modern day, yet still having Humpty and the King’s men talk in old English accents.
The ad is surprisingly violent, showing Humpty bleeding out yolk, but still succeeds at coming off as funny, due to his over-the-top reaction. The dialogue between Humpty and some of the other characters is quite hilarious as well, particularly in the follow-up commercial that also played during the night called “Humpty Hospital,” which I also highly recommend. Overall, this a short and sweet ad that knows how to do clashing humor just right.
4. #NSFWireless T-Mobile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNCG9fHGXB0
T-Mobile released quite a few memorable ads this night, including “#BagofUnlimited” featuring Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, and “#UnlimitedMoves” featuring Justin Bieber, but easily the most hilarious ad from the company on Sunday night was #NSFWireless. The ad, which stars Kristen Schaal, features a woman calling an employee from Verizon about her concerns about going over her data limit. She seems to get sexually turned on by the employee simply talking about the results of her going over her data, which confuses him greatly. Making fun of popular media such as “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the ad left my guts busting with laughter. Despite its simplicity, the commercial takes full advantage of Schaal’s obvious comedic talent by giving her some very over-the-top reactions. Having the employee on the other end of the phone look utterly confused during the entirety of the situation only makes things funnier. If you like some edgier humor done in a clever way, this ad is definitely for you.
3. “Hero’s Journey” Kia Niro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQ9a5EFZeI
Actress Melissa McCarthy has proven herself as a comedic powerhouse throughout her career and only seals the deal more through this gut-busting ad. In the commercial for the eco-friendly Kia Niro, McCarthy is called up for several missions to save the environment — from saving whales to hugging trees and saving rhinos, only to have nature get the best of her at the end. While the ad can be commended for several things, including its special effects and use of the Bonnie Tyler hit, “I Need a Hero,” what really makes this ad is McCarthy herself. She brings it all, using her natural talent for body humor and wild reactions to keep you chuckling heartily. If this ad isn’t enough to prove that McCarthy is a comedic heavyweight, then you need to be the one being pummeled by a rhino.
2. “Food Truck” WIX
In this ad for the website creator WIX, a man trying to start his own food truck service is constantly interrupted by the action-packed adventures of Jason Statham and Gal Gadot, who’s outrageous antics constantly make him have to relocate. This ad most certainly felt the biggest of any of the commercials that night. With its slightly more lengthy runtime, sharp editing, great stunts and speedy camerawork coupled with a wise setting and some clever humor, this was easily the most cinematic of the commercials on Super Bowl Sunday. For those who seek excitement and energy from their ads, this is a must-see.
1. “Stranger Things 2”
The Super Bowl has a history of getting audiences pumped for new movies and TV shows coming soon, and while there were some pretty good ads for upcoming films such as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2,” “Logan,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” and “Transformers: The Last Knight,” the sneak peek that really left us wanting more was the ad for the second season of the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things.” The trailer doesn’t reveal a whole lot but shows off our favorite characters again, faced with bigger problems and the upside down seeming like a more serious threat than ever. We also get a quick glance of Will, Dustin and Lucas in “Ghostbusters” costumes, demonstrating that the show’s 1980’s pop culture-heavy environment has most certainly not worn off. With bigger threats, pulse-pounding questions and our favorite characters back for another round, this ad makes it look like this season of “Stranger Things” won’t disappoint.
Mikael, 18, is a freshman at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta where he majors in animation. Mikael has made a host of stop-motion and claymation short films, including his award-winning short film “The Tree That Refused To Fall,” and all of them can be found on his YouTube channel, Cyclops Studios.
Related: Click here for Miranda’s review of Super Bowl LI halftime performance.
