Space Jam: A New Legacy — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
I’ll be honest right off the bat and say that I’ve only seen the original Space Jam a total of two times. I find it to be mildly enjoyable, but it wasn’t a film I ever latched onto. The nostalgia of the 90s is all over it and that’s what makes it entertaining to this day, but I still don’t think it’s great. When I heard they would be making a very loose sequel and Lebron James wasn’t going to be filling the shoes that Michael Jordan left, I was intrigued. With the technology today, this concept could be big and fun. Well, Space Jam: A New Legacy definitely had its moments, but it’s ultimately just the same concept all over again. Here’s why, unless you’re showing it to your kids, it’s really not that special.
Here’s the premise in a nutshell. Lebron James is having issues connecting with his son Dom and has nothing in mind for him but that he wants to make him a basketball star just like himself. After stumbling across a room on the Warner Bros. lot, Lebron and his son are sucked into what the film calls the “server-verse”. This is where all the worlds from the movies Warner Bros. have ever made all exist. Being sent to the land of Looney Tunes by Al G. Rhythm, who runs the so-called “server-verse” and has challenged Lebron to a basketball game in exchange for his freedom, comes across Bugs Bunny. Bugs then helps Lebron assemble the rest of the “Tune Squad” and the second half of the movie is basically the basketball game.
Other than some incredibly impressive visuals and a fun soundtrack, there really isn’t much substance here. It’s really just a story of a father winning the love back from his son. For that, this film is not that engaging and the screenplay is very, very standard as well. The final act of the film goes on way too long and it just felt like a massive commercial for Warner Bros. as a company. At least all their famous movies are good and have memorable characters, right?
As far as the positives go, Don Cheadle as Al G. Rhythm completely held the movie together for me. His over-the-top and campy performance made me smile and he’s in a lot more of the movie than I expected. I also really enjoyed the portion of the film where Lebron became a cartoon character with the rest of the Looney Tunes. That aspect was not a part of the original film and I found that to be a very nice addition. Other than that though, Space Jam: A New Legacy really doesn’t have anything that suggests it needed to be made.
In the end, the life lessons for kids throughout this film have all been done better in other family films. The aspect of meshing Looney Tunes with live-action Basketball still kind of has its charm, but again, the movie just feels like a giant corporate commercial. Lebron James is fine in the movie because he’s in his element, but he’s not the best actor overall. I smiled a few times and loved a cameo that occurs in the latter half of the film, but it wasn’t enough to warrant a recommendation from me. It’s just not that good of a movie. If you’re a fan of the original, I’m sure you’ll find moments to enjoy here, but it ultimately feels like a tired premise when looking back.
Rating: 2/5
Check out the trailer below:
