Space Jam: A New Legacy Movie Review

Ain't this a stinker.... A sequel to 1996's 90-minute Nike commercial, Space Jam: A New Legacy is one of many sequel ideas that had popped up ever since the release of the first movie. After Michael Jordan refused to return, however, several athletes were in negotiations to come in, including Jeff Gordon, Tiger Woods, and Tony Hawk. Eventually, the ball returned to the basketball court when a deal landed with divisive superstar, Lebron James. Will he be the carrot that brings Bugs Bunny back into stardom, or will this be a cheap shot that loses the game?

Quick Thoughts on the First Space Jam

I'll be perfectly honest.... As a kid, this put me to sleep, and as an adult.... It still puts me to sleep. The idea is cool and has potential, but the actual execution is weak. Michael Jordan is an incredibly bad actor, the Looney Tunes are more obnoxious than they are funny, and the commercialism is overplayed to the point of making the experience more obviously flashy than amusing.

And unlike many of the other films I've reviewed on here, the idea of a sequel doesn't exactly give the franchise an opportunity to improve. Regardless, let's see what we got.

The Story

Lebron James plays.... Well, Lebron James, superstar basketball player who is trying to push his son, Dom James, to improve on his basketball skills, but Dom holds more of an interest in video game design. One day, the whole family travels to Warner Brothers Studios where Dom gets sucked into the studio's mainframe and captured by an algorithm named Al G. Rhythm (ha ha), played by Don Cheadle. In an attempt to acquire more attention, Al challenges Lebron to a basketball game that, if he loses, he and Dom will be trapped in the mainframe forever. Lebron then gets sent to the "rejects," AKA the Looney Tunes, who agree to be Lebron's team for the game.

What Works About It

Don Cheadle is Delightfully Over the Top

I'll discuss the acting in this movie later on, but I will say that Don Cheadle is most likely the only live actor that's aware he's in a cartoon. It's not a good performance, per se, but compared to the rest of the performances, he was a delight.

Some of the IP Usage is Fun

Again, I'll discuss the IP usage later on, but towards the beginning, it works the Looney Tunes into IPs like The Matrix and Mad Max: Fury Road in a way I found amusing. There's one instance with Lola that I found especially cool and creative.

Other Bits:

-The Visual Style Looks More Appealing than the First Movie's

What Doesn't Work About It

The Acting (Aside from Cheadle) is Bad

I haven't seen Trainwreck, so I don't know what Lebron's acting range is like, but here, he's really bad, as is the rest of the live action family here. Everyone has a monotone delivery where they just say their lines with little to no expression. You can tell when they're supposed to hit their emotional notes, and they never do.

The Photorealism on the Looney Tunes Serves No Purpose

When I saw this in the trailer, I thought the Looney Tunes were going to look realistic in the same environment as the live actors, but the only time they look real is during the basketball game when Al just decides to say "We need an upgrade!" It's not as unappealing looking as Sponge on the Run, but it's.... pointless. 

On a side note: You could replace the Looney Tunes with any other group of characters and it would make no difference. In the first movie, the aliens were trying to acquire the Looney Tunes as an attraction, but here, Al is trying to acquire Lebron. Why does he need the Looney Tunes?

The Movie Relies Far Too Heavily on IPs

Easily the biggest problem with the movie is that, towards the end, it relies far too heavily on external Warner Brothers characters. One or two easter eggs in the background is one thing, but this movie fills its background audience with identifiable characters, which makes it hard to pay attention to the characters in the foreground you're trying to get us invested in.

Where Should You See It? HBOMax

My fiancé and I watched the film on HBOMax and had no issues with it. There was nothing large scale or massive that made me wish that I had seen it on the big screen.

Overall Thoughts

I'll be fair here.... This movie gives exactly what it advertised, it just so happens that what it advertised wasn't very good. The acting is flat, the Looney Tunes are pointless and overly gimmicky, and the IPs end up stealing the show. If all of that sounds like your cup of tea, have at it, but for me, it's about time this franchise calls a time out.

My rating: