I wonder if aliens and predators, locked in a furious battle over the galaxy, have the same kind of concentration in a chess game. To be honest, the battle would be a whole lot more interesting – in fact, I’m guessing that these ads are a lot more interesting and a lot funnier than the movie.

There have been phases in sci fi history – the days when the aliens were all evil, then the days when they could lvie among us a la Men in Black or X-Men, and there’s even the idea that truly, aliens are just like us, but living someone else, like in Roswell or Smallville.

So maybe the aliens in their parallel universes are just like us, playing chess in the living room or shooting pool in a dingy bar. These ads are so well executed that I would believe it. The details are stunning, the graphics realistic – the smoke in the bar reminds me of my local. And I love the idea of aliens and predators, just airing their differences over a simple game of Swingball. Although it does belittle the greater unknown (if they’re out there): somehow they decide their issues the way five years olds do.

I think that we might be underestimating them. Not that I can claim to know a thing about alien warfare – but I’m thinking that the whole evolution thing has resulted in elevated IQs, the kind of brain which thinks long and hard before rushing into pointless wars. Not to go all political, or make note of some of the obvious defences in human warfare, or anything.

But this brilliant ad seems like a lot of effort from Sky to simply promote a film. And like I said, the viewers  might be disappointed – this is one ad which somehow sells itself (and its creative team) better than a product. Is there something about graphics guys in New Zealand? Given, my only knowledge of their work is this ad and Lord of the Rings. But in either case, I’m not disappointed.

Advertising Agency: DDB New Zealand
Executive Creative Director: Toby Talbot
Art Director: Gavin Siakimotu
Head of Art: Mike Davison
Designer: Cliff Li
Retoucher: Gordon Moir
Copywriter: Paul Hankinson
3d Artists: David Partridge, Ben McGrall, Ben Parry
Account Director: Danielle Richards

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