This Year's Best, Worst, Super Bowl Ads

Seinfeld , Matrix revived
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 3, 2014 1:16 AM CST
Updated Feb 3, 2014 3:04 AM CST

The much-anticipated Seinfeld reunion turned out to be a Super Bowl commercial, although commentators say it wasn't one of the highlights in a "middling" year for ads, which was a lot lighter in gross-outs and raunchiness than many previous years. Some highlights and lowlights, as rounded up by the Washington Post, AdWeek, and Variety:

  • Kia: "The Truth." Laurence Fishburne reprises his role as Morpheus from The Matrix, now a valet who offers a couple the choice of a blue key or a red key.

  • Toyota Highlander. The Muppets meet Terry Crews on a dusty road and launch into a new jingle: "We ain't got no time for boring."
  • Budweiser: "Puppy Love." This heartwarming ad about a puppy and his Clydesdale pal was a big hit even before the game, with more than 33 million pre-Super Bowl views on YouTube.
  • Chevy Silverado: "Romance." A rancher takes his bull on a little field trip—to a field full of cows.
And a couple of duds:
  • Maserati: "Now We Strike." Dramatic and well produced, "but I have no idea what the hell it has to do with cars," writes Brian Lowry at Variety.
  • Subway: "It's Crunch Time." Olympians praise sandwiches in an unexceptional ad that appears to have been created at the last minute.
(More Super Bowl stories.)

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