Weird and wonderful ads are one of the most anticipated parts of the Super Bowl (besides the big game itself, of course). This year was filled with some wins and a fair few losses, but surprisingly, it's Dunkin' Donuts ad that's got fans talking.
Across the years, the best Super Bowl ads have been a mixed bag of brilliant, bizarre and heartwarming campaigns. While Dunkin's '90s sitcom ad should've been a nostalgia-baited success, the eerie de-aged visuals have triggered some scathing AI slop allegations.
An innocuous parody of the film Good Will Hunting (with a 90s sitcom spin), 'Good Will Dunkin' stars Ben Affleck as the maths whizz cum Dunkin' worker, Will Hunting. Alongside Affleck are other '90s icons like Friends' Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc, as well as Seinfeld's Jason Alexander and the Fresh Prince's Alfonso Ribeiro.
On the surface, it all seems pretty tame until you take a close look at the actors who have been digitally de-aged. With a quality more akin to early deepfake technology, the bizarre faces subtly warp and contort, while that signature AI soullessness leaves the ad feeling distinctly hollow.
"Easily one of the worst ads so far. The CGI (AI?) was creepy, the pacing was terrible (it felt like five minutes long), and it was just a never-ending stream of cameos that barely mentioned the product. what a waste of a talented cast," a fan on Reddit responded. "Honestly, this would have been funnier without the de-ageing. The technology added about five layers of uncanny valley to it and sucked out any potential joy," another added.
Perhaps because of the bizarre editing or simply because '90s sitcoms were before my time, I struggle to appreciate this ad. Packed with IP's, famous faces and TV references, it relies heavily on nostalgia, rehashing old tropes that will no doubt appeal to '90s babies' nostalgia. While there's some debate as to whether the de-ageing is the work of CGI or AI, there's no denying the irony of the ad. Like AI, it's a derivative rechurning of existing media, resulting in a strange, soulless amalgamation that ultimately feels empty.
For more Super Bowl news, check out why Super Bowl ads are building all-star lineups or take a look at what makes a great Super Bowl ad.
