Every February, there are those that tune into the Super Bowl just to watch the best in advertisements. Companies and brands are at their best with millions watching one of the most-viewed sporting events of the year. Here are the best commercials that aired during Super Bowl LIV. 

Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew’s Super Bowl advertisement for their new zero-sugar beverage was a clever throwback. 

The commercial was a reenactment of the famous axe scene from the 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining” with “Breaking Bad” actor Bryan Cranston as Jack Torrance. 

With an axe in one hand and a Mountain Dew in the other, Cranston menacingly describes the benefits of the new zero-sugar beverage before breaking down the bathroom door. Cranston then delivers a spin on the classic line: “Heeere’s Mountain Dew Zero!”

The horrific ambiance and the woman’s screaming then come to an abrupt halt as she takes the beverage, replying with “I am thirsty.” 

This anticlimactic, almost cheesy yet still self-aware rendition of something so familiar made for a witty ad that got the job done.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s, despite being a multi-billion-dollar corporation, took a simple route for one of their Super Bowl ads this year. 

The commercial consisted of a single overhead shot of a McDonald’s tray that cycled through several celebrity go-to orders set to a quirky a cappella track that progressively got faster as orders got more outrageous. 

Celebrity orders included chicken nuggets dipped in honey for Kim Kardashian-West, a Filet-O-Fish for Magic Johnson and three coffees with cream for Keith Urban. They even went as far as to make a few pop-culture references, such as a caesar salad for Julius Caesar, a mountain of ketchup packets for Dracula and a burger, fries and shake in McDonald’s’ original 1950s packaging for Marty McFly.

At the end of the commercial, the orders of prominent Super Bowl LIV figures were shown, including 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice, sportscaster Erin Andrews and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Relying entirely on framing, balance, color and exceptional food photography, this commercial was quick, unique, nice to look at and to-the-point without sending an overt message. It wasn’t selling anything specific; it was just McDonald’s.

Planters

Friends including Wesley Snipes, the Kool-Aid Man and Mr. Clean among others gathered to celebrate the life of the Planters mascot, Mr. Peanut. But how did they get there? In a pre-Super Bowl advertisement when a road trip went askew, Mr. Peanut did one of the bravest things anyone can do: he sacrificed his life to save his friends Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh. 

During the funeral, the Kool-Aid man shed a tear into the soil where Mr. Peanut was buried. Soon after, something sprung up from the ground — a baby nut with a Sailor Mouth.