Super Bowl Halftime Show 2018: Twitter Reacts to Justin Timberlake Performance

As the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles were inside their locker rooms at halftime, the spotlight at Super Bowl LII turned to Justin Timberlake, who received the honor of performing at the Super Bowl halftime show.

It's the second time Timberlake was part of the event. He was among the many stars to appear during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, which included Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction.

The NFL shared a brief clip from his second go-round:

CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli asked the one question on everybody's minds:

There was some controversy surrounding Timberlake's performance in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. TMZ reported he was planning to use a hologram of Prince, who not only performed during halftime of Super Bowl XLI but was also a native of Minneapolis.

Many pointed to a 1998 interview with Guitar World in which Prince said the idea of collaborating with a deceased musical artist was "the most demonic thing imaginable." Sheila E., who performed with Prince, said she had spoken with Timberlake and that there would be no Prince hologram during the halftime festivities.

However, Timberlake included an image of Prince projected onto a large screen behind the stage, much to the chagrin of social media:

As part of the Prince tribute, the NBC broadcast also showed his logo superimposed over U.S. Bank Stadium and the city of Minneapolis:

Timberlake had the misfortune of following Lady Gaga, the featured performer during halftime of Super Bowl LI. She treated fans in Houston to a grand spectacle and a performance that was generally well-received among fans.

As a result, Timberlake had a high bar to clear in order to meet expectations Sunday. Perhaps that's why many felt underwhelmed by what he delivered:

"

Nothing but respect for MY JT pic.twitter.com/g6SDIxduKF

— Matt Brown (@MattSBN) February 5, 2018"

The negative reaction wasn't universal, though:

The Ringer ultimately summed up what made the performance underwhelming. Timberlake had a number of opportunities to provide something unexpected for the fans—most notably an NSYNC reunion or an appearance by Jackson. Instead, the halftime show was light on surprises:

Adding to the disappointment, many complained about the audio levels of Timberlake's microphone.

The lackluster halftime show was in stark contrast to the first half of Super Bowl LII, which included 34 points and 673 yards between the Patriots and Eagles. The back-and-forth half set the stage for what's likely to be another dramatic Super Bowl finish.