Super Bowl LX may still be a few days away, but Xfinity has already released its Jurassic Park-themed ad that features a digitally de-aged Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.
Directed by Thor: Love & Thunder's Taika Waititi, the commercial includes clips from the original Jurassic Park intercut with new scenes starring its leading trio — albeit with some wonky CGI to make them appear 30 years younger.
While Xfinity's concept — what if Jurassic Park didn't go wrong? — is fun, viewers are already criticizing the ad's odd-looking de-aging, which was worked on by Industrial Light & Magic — the visual effects studio that also de-aged Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian to a mixed response.
🚨 ‘JURASSIC PARK’ returns in a new advertisement for Xfinity 🚨 pic.twitter.com/W2xcg4NmGU
The commercial begins with Jurassic Park's technical systems failing, as seen in the original movie. Luckily, here a jolly Xfinity technician shows up to plug in a new router, saving the day. With Jurassic Park now open and operating safely, a CGI-faced Sam Neil goes dinosaur watching, while a similarly altered Jeff Goldblum enjoys a mountain of shrimp.
"Yes, uh, Wi-Fi finds a way," Goldblum says, lounging at the pool with a tablet.
"He doesn't look like a younger man," responded one fan on social media, referring to the CGI behind Sam Neil's de-aged look. "He looks like a mannequin of a younger man, dreamed up by an AI that's only ever seen '90s movies through a vaseline-smeared lens. It's a CGI embalming."
"The actors look so uncanny," wrote benmannxd on reddit. "The Jurassic franchise is renowned for using CGI to reanimate dinosaurs!" responded Pitbullpandemonium.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ad has been made possible because Xfinity owner Comcast owns NBCUniversal. Jurassic Park is owned by Universal, while NBC is airing Super Bowl LX.
"Bringing Jurassic Park back to life for this campaign has been an extraordinary collaboration across Comcast NBCUniversal," said David O'Connor, chief brand officer, Universal Entertainment. "For more than three decades, the franchise has captured the imagination of audiences around the world, and this partnership with Xfinity allows fans to experience that world in a completely fresh way.
"By combining the timeless characters and iconic moments of the original film with modern technology, we’re celebrating the legacy of Jurassic Park while introducing it to a new generation," O'Connor went on. "It’s a testament to the enduring power of the franchise and the kind of creative, cross-company storytelling that only NBCUniversal can deliver."
Image credit: Xfinity.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
