Has it really been ten years since The Matrix: Revolutions tarnished the Wachowskis’epic saga? Time flies, but while we’d rather forget the third and final Matrix installment, we’re happy to once again see Hugo Weaving as the relentless Agent Smith, whose dapper yet menacing visage appears along with several doppelgangers in this latest effort from BBDO New York for GE called “Agent of Good.”

The spot, which was directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), debuted over the weekend and showcases GE’s industrial internet technology and how the corporate giant connecting its medical hardware to its software is benefiting hospitals–or something to that effect. Despite being a decade removed from the Matrix films, Weaving shows no signs of rust as he brings the snarl of his most iconic character to the most sterile of environments. Stick around for the final moments for your most obvious Matrix reference, minus Morpheus. Credits after the jump.

Read more

If General Electric’s “Brilliant Machines” campaign was a movie, the brand’s “Robots on the Move” commercial would only be a teaser trailer. Although it’s full of intrigue and suspense, the ad fails to actually promote anything other than pop-culture nostalgia.

BBDO New York and GE teamed up for the sixty-second spot, which premiered on Thanksgiving and was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the husband/wife duo who helmed feature films such as Little Miss Sunshine as well as several music videos including Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight.” The pitch itself is clever: famous machines looking for new, powerful machines that will make the world better. If we were to grade the effort, we’d have to say incomplete. What are these revolutionary machines? Do they look any different? How will they make the world a better place? Will they cost less than the retail price of an iPhone?

Regardless, sci-fi geeks across the country won’t be able to hide their vinegar strokes. Star Trek fanatics will appreciate a Data sighting. Props on including K.I.T.T. as well, but GE needs to follow up this style-over-substance spot with something concrete—a fridge, a washer, anything that isn’t swiped from an 80’s TV show. The knockoff Avicii soundtrack is pretty fresh, though. All that’s missing is some Hasselhoff. Credits after the jump.

Read more