Here are the best commercials and trailers aired during the 2020 Super Bowl event. The annual Super Bowl game is the highlight of the NFL season and one of the world's premier sporting events, but it might be fair to say that there's more attention paid to what happens away from the field than on it in the modern era, with the halftime show and the high-profile ads shown during commercial breaks often dominating post-match discussion. Movie studios also utilize this prime slot to promote their top releases of the year with a slew of hotly-anticipated trailers.
In 2020, another crop of A-list actors made light-hearted appearances in commercials, more lovable brand mascots were dragged out and movie & TV fans were afforded a closer look at some of 2020's biggest franchises, both on the big and small screen. J-Lo and Shakira were a key topic after their performance during the halftime break, a spot of tongue-wagging triggered a cultural debate and the Baby Yoda phenomenon was in full effect, as advertising executives took full advantage of the small, green man of the moment and put their own spin on The Mandalorian's cultural icon.
Of course, there was also plenty of joyless drivel. Sorting the halftime wheat from the commercial chaff, these are the most worthy trailers and ads aired during 2020's Super Bowl.
Bryan Cranston Does The Shining For Mountain Dew
Nothing sells sugar-free fizzy drinks like Stephen King's story of a deranged serial killer threatening his family with an ax. In a hilarious parody of Stanley Kubrick's cinematic classic, The Shining, Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad and Malcolm In The Middle fame does his best Jack Nicholson impression and the iconic flowing blood of the Overlook Hotel's elevators becomes sweet, sugarless Mountain Dew. Naturally, Cranston plays his part to perfection and the loving recreation of Kubrick's original movie isn't half bad either.
Marvel's Disney+ Trailer
By far the highlight of the 2020 Super Bowl's selection of trailers was the first look at Marvel's forthcoming TV range on Disney+, with early looks at The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Loki. There's plenty for Marvel fans to dissect from this brief montage, including Sam Wilson impressively hurling Cap's iconic shield, Wanda and Vision's quirky, era-hopping sitcom madness and Tom Hiddleston's Loki in a prison jumpsuit. Time will tell how the MCU fares in the world of streaming, but these early signs certainly look encouraging.
Baby Nut
In late January, a Planters' commercial achieved viral notoriety by killing off its century-old mascot, Mr. Peanut, in an Avengers: Endgame inspired marketing strategy. This bold move garnered the desired reaction online, spawning a wildly popular hashtag, and was intended as a build-up to the company's Super Bowl spot. Starring Wesley Snipes and various other assorted food & drink mascots, this new commercial introduces Mr. Peanut's baby successor, Baby Nut. Baby Yoda and Baby Groot won't be duly concerned by this nutty rival.
A Quiet Place II Trailer
Some of the trailers aired during 2020's Super Bowl slots were more or less curtailed versions of longer clips aired previously, such as the F9 footage, but the trailer for A Quiet Place II contained some major details to excite fans of the original film. Although his character died in the original, John Krasinski's Lee Abbott will return for this horror sequel (which he'll also direct), most likely via the use of flashbacks. One of 2020's most anticipated movies, this look at A Quiet Place II is a must-see Super Bowl offering.
Walmart's Excellent Adventure
In terms of pop culture references, there's no beating Walmart's effort, the centerpiece of which is the long-awaited return of Alex Winter as an older Bill S. Preston Esq. ahead of Bill & Ted Face The Music's release later this year. Aside from the clashing of old and young Bills, there are also great nods towards everything from Star Wars and Star Trek to Mars Attacks and Arrival. Aliens love Walmart, it seems, and this commercial will undoubtedly have science fiction fans hammering the pause button to pick up every Easter egg.
Black Widow Trailer
Much of the footage shown during Black Widow's Super Bowl spot will already be familiar to Marvel fans from the official teaser reveal late last year, but the clip does contain a few impressive new moments. There's mention of the Avengers, a closer look at David Harbour's Red Guardian and a gorgeous shot of the entire Black Widow family together on the battlefield. To top off the fun, there's also a new image of the Taskmaster coolly kicking up a shield, and a tease that the movie's logo might be more important than it seems.
Jason Momoa Pokes Fun At Himself For Rocket
Jason Momoa is widely known for his heroic, muscular roles as DC's Aquaman and Karl Drogo from Game of Thrones, but even the King of Atlantis needs a mortgage while living on the surface, and Momoa was prepared to make light of his physical attributes in a Super Bowl commercial for Rocket. Anyone who has ever wondered what Momoa would look like as a Bill Bailey tribute act need look no further, but the CGI isn't the smoothest here, especially compared to Walmart's high-production effort.
Sonic The Hedgehog Trailer
Due to release later this month, the Super Bowl trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog takes a less conventional approach to marketing by hiring real-life athletes such as Allyson Felix and Kyle Busch to big-up Sega's famous blue speedster. The interview-style parody is arguably more interesting than the actual movie footage shown, highlighting Sonic's snarky wit and the improved design. Elsewhere, there's a glimpse at the hedgehog's showdown with Jim Carrey's Dr. Eggman/Robotnik, combined with some material seen in previous trailers.
Bill Murray Relives Groundhog Day...In A Jeep
The Super Bowl more or less coinciding with Groundhog Day is a dream for marketers and, this year, Jeep took the opportunity to drive home their message about how exciting their vehicles are by showing how Bill Murray overcomes the mundane repetition of his ever-repeating day simply by driving a Jeep. This comedic commercial is a treat for Groundhog Day fans, with some amazing attention to detail in each scene, but the real star of the show is, of course, Murray himself, who is resplendent as ever, even when selling cars.
Wonder Woman & Charlie Day Do Laundry With Tide
Ever wondered how Wonder Woman gets her armor so shiny? By using Tide (probably), and this funny skit sees Gal Gadot's Amazonian come face to face with Charlie Day, who has decided to do his laundry in a mall. DC's iconic superhero stops Day from doing said laundry, presumably saving the world. Tying into previous Tide commercials, this Super Bowl ad packs plenty into its short run time and, more than anything else, continues to build excitement ahead of Wonder Woman 1984's release later this year.
