Space Jam: A New Legacy Review: A legacy shattered

2/5

Story:

The live-action animated film is a comedy-drama that focuses on a fictionalised version of basketball star LeBron James, played by himself, and his deteriorating relationship with his son Dom. An Artificial Intelligence created by Warner Brothers called Al G Rhythm (Don Cheadle) pulls them into the digital world to take part in a no rules basketball game - Goon Squad led by Dom and Tunes Squad led by LeBron and Bugs Bunny.

Review:

The first film had none other than Michael Jordan in the lead. The basketball legend was a natural in his role which oozed charm and charisma. Unfortunately, LeBron is unable to convincingly portray his character nor does his jokes land at perfect comedic timing while delivering dialogues. The screenplay was also underwhelming which further stifled any potential that the story had. The story also featured the entire catalog of Warner Brothers IPs from Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, the DC superheroes, and of course the Looney Tunes. The script has an overwhelming amount of references to these characters. While some of these references are a pleasant addition, it gets to a point where it holds down the narrative. It gives the impression that the script is overcompensating for the lack of good writing.

The most disappointing part of the movie is that the Looney Tunes characters, whose iterations have always had plenty of humour, fail to truly be memorable or funny. Of course, these characters are not as popular as they were in the ’90s when the first movie came out, but that should have been an incentive to re-establish these characters and introduce them to a whole new generation. Instead, the film relies on fancy animation and high-profile character references. The core father-son relationship is underdeveloped and is not convincing enough to get behind the idea of a father versus son basketball match. The film also retcons the idea of the Tune World being underground in the first film, it is instead shifted to cyberspace. While the cyberspace concept does offer more creative freedom, it undermines the lore of the first film.

The filmmakers have taken efforts to distinguish it from the first film by opting for 3D animation for the Looney Tunes characters midway through the film, which killed the nostalgia element. The entire film is more like a presentation of the Warner Brothers’ catalog rather than an enjoyable film. The various uncertainties behind the scenes at WB regarding the future of Henry Cavill as Superman is also evident from the choice of using the 2000s Superman; The Animated Series version of the character instead, especially when the Gal Gadot version of Wonder Woman was used in the film in addition to the background score as well.

Verdict:

The abundance of pop culture references is simply not enough to cover the shortcomings of a film that should have been a guaranteed entertainer.