Complete Airball
SCORE: 3/100
****BEWARE SPOILERS AHEAD****
REVIEW:
I don't know what I was expecting from a second Space Jam film. The beautiful posters (like above) and a decent trailer had me second guessing that this film would've been at least mediocre. After watching the original for the first time only recently, and finding it mediocre, I thought this had nowhere to go but up.
But I was DEAD WRONG. Not only is this film a two hour advertisement (yes you read that correctly, two hours), it is completely devoid of logic, fun, and sidelines its own characters in favor of nothing but references.
However, before I dive into my heavy critique of the film, I'd like to point out the three things that give this movie the points out of 100. First is the setup, which is somewhat original. The game played to save LeBron's son is the game made by his son, and not a typical basketball game. This allows for some unique visuals and a reason for the antics that ensue, with the players earning style points for what they do. Second is LeBron James when he's acting as his animated self. He's showing more effort there than anywhere, or anyone, else in the entire movie and it partially works. Finally, there's a genuinely funny moment with the Roadrunner and Wily E. Coyote that takes place in Mad Max: Fury Road, with the characters in full apocalypse mode. It fits both characters surprisingly well, and was the only moment in this film where I had a semblance of a smile and not grimace.
After that, there is not a single positive thing I have to say about the film. The biggest problem with the film is that it can't tell an engaging story without dropping a reference to something in Warner Bros.' extensive list of properties. Every shot of this film has a reference to something, or something is being discussed that isn't a part of the Looney Tunes world. In doing so, the film sidelines those characters in favor of Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and DC jokes and references. It doesn't work, and feels like the recent Scoob!, where the studio seemingly didn't want to make a movie about those characters and instead focusing on other properties and characters.
The story here is also laughable here at best. It's taken the concept of AI and videogames, and attempted to bring it to the level of parents being able to understand. As a gamer AND an advocate for AI, this felt incredibly lazy and poorly written, which I guess is to be expected when it comes from six writers. Also, they give LeBron a horribly unrealistic backstory regarding giving up his passions and pursuing only basketball. It makes him into a sort of bully for his children, but more on that later. The Tunes are split up because Don Cheadle's villain told them to explore the Server-verse, conveniently setting up a reason to bring these characters back from established Warner Bros. properties, and create the opportunity for more references. It's lazy, and it shows.
LeBron James isn't completely awful here, but he's a significant downgrade from Michael Jordan. Where Jordan had a bit of a quirkiness to his character, and felt just as silly as the cartoons from time to time, James feels like he was backed into the narrative corner of being a bully of sorts. He treats his son awfully in the movie, and while it's all a half-baked setup for an emotional ending, it just comes off as mean spirited. This extends to the Tunes, who he forces to use the "fundamentals" as he calls it, the typical ways to play basketball. Again, it feels mean spirited, and when he eventually comes around and lets the Tunes be Looney, his change of heart doesn't feel natural or earned.
Besides LeBron, there are two other main(ish) characters. Don Cheadle's villain, the moronically named Al G. Rhythm, is an AI whose motivations never seem to be quite clear. It seems like he wants LeBron's popularity for some reason, but never really explains why. I feel like there are more people out there with a larger social media following than LeBron, but I guess it's hard to come up with an original villain these days. Cedric Joe, who plays LeBron's son, is almost completely emotionless and lifeless, and encapsulates what I fear from child actors. While not completely awful, it's still a bad performance, and brings nothing to the table emotionally for me. The other actors in this film honestly don't really stand out, only getting about 5 total minutes of screen time or less.
Let's get to the Tunes, the reason I watch these movies. While they're not as big of a factor in this film as I'd hope, they're not really that good either. Zendaya's Lola is the only real standout, with all of the other characters being played by actors who can't quite seem to nail their voices. Bugs' "sacrifice" means nothing, and was perhaps a joke or reference to Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. Besides Bugs and Lola, everyone else gets their 10 seconds to shine, but no one really makes an impact which is so unfortunate, because they are what made the original stand out. Also there is a sequence regarding Porky Pig rapping in a rap battle, forgot to mention that little nugget of cringe.
Let's also talk controversy for a second. They cut Pepe LePew out of this movie because of the insensitive things he does toward women. Now, I'm always someone who defends the updating of a property to fit with a changing culture, that's fine by me. However, when the film includes the Droogs from A Clockwork Orange, who actually rape a woman in their film, I wonder where the line is drawn. It sends a message of hypocrisy, and while the children won't know, the adults will. They're the ones who understand and see these things, not the kids. It comes off incredibly distasteful and insincere.
Space Jam: A New Legacy feels like no one in this movie made it because they were fans, it was clearly made as a payday from the cast and crew, and as a cash grab from Warner Brothers. I haven't been left angry after a film in some time, and for someone as positive as me, that's saying something. It's pathetic, painfully cringey, offensively awful, and absolutely angering. If this is the future of Hollywood and the movies, I will have to give up on my lifelong passion. Yes, it's that bad. No LeBron, just because it made lots of money and beat Black Widow in its second weekend doesn't make it good. I never say this, but I wasted two hours of my life that I will never get back.
Conclusion: Space Jam: A New Legacy is a painful, agonizing, and angering failure of not just film, but entertainment as a whole. Don't waste the hours of your lifetime on this, going to the bathroom is far more entertaining.
Score: 3/100
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