I remember when Space Jam was released in the 1990s, and it was a fun movie. With age, I became more conscious of the flaws in the film. Even though it remains fun, I would not call it perfect. A sequel to Space Jam had been talked about for a long time, but it never seemed to happen.
However, the discussions intensified during the last few years, and the resolution was achieved. My reactions to the idea were mixed, because I would have preferred some more original take on it. No matter what, I did not see any problem with updating Space Jam to the newer generations.
Compared to the original, this film does not stand out as anything exceptional. Rather than writing a clever plot, the original movie set up a premise well. The first film is much more magical than Space Jam: A New Legacy. We are given a few lines of introduction to this villain, but his character is never fully developed. Furthermore, I’m generally fine with a film doing something and accepting it for what it is. A fatal flaw in this film is that it tries to explain everything in a manner that is realistic and serious. There’s no need for that!
While the last ten minutes of the film have some emotional impact, the rest of the film is impersonal. It lacks emotion and thought. In addition, Warner Media’s properties appear to be used extensively in this film. The two hour commercial was non stop. Not to mention Michael B. Jordan’s bait and switch!
Although LeBron’s basketball skills are numerous and world renowned, his acting skills pale in comparison to Jordan’s. In other words, he is wooden without a basketball in his hand, and frankly, he is boring to watch. Supporting cast also fails to impress. There is no good outcome from any of it.
There was some connection between Space Jam and space. Even that isn’t in this movie because I felt like the name of this movie was used as a trap to exploit the branding name of what we remembered when we were all kids.
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