Describing this year’s Super Bowl ads as underwhelming would be considered an understatement. This is extremely disappointing considering how my fourth and final time reviewing ads for the big game on Pantherbook has to be, well, limited. Out of the 59 official ads that aired, very few impressed me. Let’s take a look at the five best commercials:
#5. Wicked
Did you know that the Wicked movie was supposed to release in 2019? You do now. Anyways, the long-awaited trailer finally dropped, and it looks like a theater kid fever dream. Ariana, what are you doing here? Serving as Glinda alongside Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, of course!
#4: M&Ms
In a massive comeback from last year, the candy brand decided to pull out the icon herself – ScarJo – for a quick, self-deprecating piece. Thank goodness my good friend, the purple M&M, didn’t get axed despite her controversial launch last year.
#3: e.l.f.
Okay, this was kind of clever. Maybe I liked this one more than most since I stan their Halo Glow Liquid Filter, but I do firmly believe there were some good punchlines in place. The Meghan Trainor jumpscare was great, too!
#2: Paramount+
The “Paramount Peak” ads from a while back were annoying, especially considering how there were multiple iterations broadcasted throughout the game (kind of like those terrible TEMU ads which were even more horrendous than the 2023 one). I did not have post-grunge band Creed appearing in a Super Bowl commercial to sing “Higher” on my bingo card… and I’m not complaining!
#1: Dunkin
Ben Affleck. Jennifer Lopez. Matt Damon. Jack Harlow. Fat Joe (member of hip hop collective Terror Squad/Mumble’s best friend in Happy Feet). TOM BRADY.
Unreal.
Instant classic.
Before I sign off, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the dumpster fire that was the Apple Music Halftime Show. I was rooting for you, Usher, but you blew it. The show was an overstuffed, low-energy presentation that didn’t even somewhat redeem itself until Lil Jon went “OKAYYYYY!” Here are five key reasons why the show fell flat:
- No “More”
- No “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”
- No “Scream”
- No “Without You”
- No Justin Bieber appearance
What could’ve been an 8/10 ended up as a 3/10 (I’m being generous). In order to be a 10/10, you either need to bring out a goofy shark or jump off from the top of a stadium. With that said, thank you for reading. It has been a pleasure providing you with the highest quality ad critiques since February 2021.
Now please watch this 2021 masterpiece from Oatly before it’s too late.
