Nike's New Soccer Film Is a Monster of a Tall Tale

Another epic romp from the brand

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For years, the world has become accustomed to Nike’s soccer ads being reliably excellent. Over two decades ago, 1996 marked the brand’s first audacious interpretation of the sport with “Good vs. Evil,” a film for the Euro 96 tournament that reinvented the genre. The Wieden+Kennedy spot was legitimately epic and pitted Nike’s European stars against a team of monsters. It was so different—and so good—that Denmark banned it from theaters, and FIFA, soccer’s governing body, lobbed criticism at the work.

From that point, the blueprint for this cinematic approach was set as the brand, and others, use this longer-form technique to celebrate the world’s most popular sport.

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