ICYMI: Xfinity’s Superbowl ad spot this year featured a spoof of Jurassic Park (1993) featuring original cast members Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their iconic roles (the last time this happened was in Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022). The spot, directed by Taika Waititi, explores what might have happened if the park hadn’t lost contact and the dinosaurs had never escaped. I watched the extended version when it was released last Monday ahead of the Super Bowl, and it completely rocked my world.
The ad refuses to take itself seriously. There are a couple of moments where it’s very unclear what year we’re in. The clip of Hammond and Arnold being shut out of the system is pulled straight from the movie and features the classic boxy ’90s computer. This is then followed by clips of our main protagonists using iPads and Bluetooth headphones as they enjoy a perfectly functioning park (Alan livestreaming a T. rex encounter made me giggle, I can’t lie). It’s also very referential, calling back to and spinning off iconic lines.
One thing that bothered me about this ad (and also what inspired this article) was the use of de-aging CGI on Neill, Dern, and Goldblum. It’s especially obvious on Neill. His face is almost unrecognizable at times, leading to an uncanny valley vibe whenever he is onscreen. It was so off-putting that I (and many others) fully believed it had to be an AI-generated rendering. Never have I been more relieved to find out something was made by humans. The released behind the scenes content also made me wonder why the decision to use de-aging CGI was even made. Neill, Dern, and Goldblum in costume without CGI appeared no different from their appearances in the original movie. In my opinion, simply letting the actors exist might have made the ad feel less unsettling and could have leaned into not taking itself seriously even more than it already does.
Speaking of BTS content, the little drops we got leading up to Super Bowl Sunday paired with the release of several short promo videos featuring the trio hanging out carried me through last week. Turns out I missed seeing them on my screen so much it was a little embarrassing. This ad is so obviously nostalgia bait but I fell for it absolutely. I’m not more likely to use Xfinity now, but I am talking about them, so I suppose they succeeded in what they set out to do. Watching Dr. Alan Grant endorse Jurassic Park will always feel odd to me, though.