Space Jam: A New Legacy isnt the sequel that the original deserved

Date:
Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:35:11 +0000

Description:
Space Jam: A New Legacy struggles to live up to its cult classic predecessor and thats a big shame.

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Space Jam was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Yes, it was cheesy the 1990s were notorious for it and it looks dated now but, as a Looney Tunes fan, I enjoyed seeing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the rest of the gang take part in an over-elaborate basketball game alongside Michael Jordan and Bill Murray (though I didnt know they were so famous at the time).

When news broke that, after 25 years, a sequel was finally in production, I was excited. If Space Jam: A New Legacy could even be half as good as the original, I thought, it would still make for a decent watch regardless of
what its plot was about.

Its a pity, then, that Space Jam: A New Legacy is a bloated, overly long follow-up that fails to recapture the heart and spirit that made Space Jam a cult classic to many 90s kids. Here's how you can stream Space Jam: A New Legacy The Batman : what we know about Warner Bros. latest Dark Knight reboot so far Should you cancel HBO Max in 2021?

The movie stars LeBron James yes, the legendary LA Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat basketball player as he attempts to rescue his youngest son Dom (Cedric Joe) from an evil AI program called Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle).

After the duo find themselves uploaded into the Seververse, Warner Bros MCU-style universe, by Al-G Rhythm, James is tasked with teaming up with the Looney Tunes to beat the AIs superpowered digital basketball stars in order
to be reunited with Dom and return to the real world.

So its a movie that focuses its themes around family, comes packaged with beloved Looney Tunes characters, and its a sequel to a cult classic animated feature. Whats not to love?

For starters, the unashamed stuffing of Warner Bros. owned properties into
the film is incredibly egregious. From the get go, Space Jam: A New Legacy doesnt feel like its about the James family or the Looney Tunes, who arent even introduced until half an hour into the film.

From Game of Thrones to Superman, and Harry Potter to Wonder Woman, A New Legacy is packed with references to Warner Bros other movies and TV shows
and it sucks. The constant allusion to various Warner Bros. properties, and meta commentary on the studio itself, is painful to listen to and it sticks around for the entire movie, which doesnt make for enjoyable viewing.

Sure, there are story reasons for their inclusions, but why were these properties used as plot devices to begin with? We dont need to be told about the DCEU , or have other properties thrust down our throats, during a child-friendly movie, especially when A New Legacy contains baffling references to R-rated and mature movies like A Clockwork Orange and It.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

It feels like unnecessary marketing and, if anything, it relegates the Looney Tunes to the sidelines in a film that theyre supposed to be co-starring in. Theyre part of what made Space Jam such a fun movie, so the fact that they dont show up for a while in their own animated flick means this isnt the
movie that I, and I imagine other fans, actually wanted.

And then theres LeBron James. To be fair, James isnt the worst part of the film in fact, hes not bad, all things considered even though his character also suffers from needless meta commentary by stating that athletes and
acting never goes well during one scene.

Just like Warner Bros. shoehorning its own back catalog into the film, however, we get product placement as part of James inclusion. For one, Nike are prevalent throughout. Yes, you can understand why the sports company features heavily, given James' longstanding association with them, but its irrelevant in a movie that, in essence, is about an evil AI program that
dukes it out with cartoon characters on the basketball court.

What makes A New Legacy all the more frustrating, though, is that there are good aspects that show what could have been if it wasnt for all of the shameless self-promotion.

Cheadles Al-G Rhythm, for instance, is a charismatic villain. Of all the supporting human characters, Cheadle does most of the heavy lifting acting-wise, and his role in the story actually has some weight and meaning
to it. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Lola Bunny (voiced by Zendaya), too, gets some much-needed character development. Upgraded from the femme fatale character she was introduced as
in the original (let's not get into the nightmarish world of debating her revised character design), Lola has an actual role in proceedings and gets more to do than just being Bugs love interest this time.

You sense that she could have a life (albeit a cartoon one) outside of the movies events, just like her fellow Tunes, which is progress from what we got in Space Jam. In this sense, Lolas arc is arguably the biggest plus that A
New Legacy holds over its predecessor.

Without spoiling anything, there are also a couple of standout callbacks to Space Jam. One particular bait and switch is so good, in fact, that it did make me laugh out loud a rarity where A New Legacy is concerned.

That this Easter egg and Lolas character arc are the best parts of Space Jam: A New Legacy, though, speaks volumes about the rest of the movie. It starts
to come good as it enters its final 30 minutes but, by then, its too late to salvage what could have been a decent summer flick.

Sure, Space Jam: A New Legacy is a family-oriented animated film that will entertain the kids for a couple of hours. Some viewers, too, may not care
much about Warner Bros. filling the screen with its metatextual commentary
and numerous other properties.

Space Jam: A New Legacy, though, could have been so much more in my opinion. It feels weighed down, tacky and that it just doesnt get what made the original a cult classic to so many '90s kids, myself included.

Its all about the fun, remember? Bugs says at one point. I do, but I wasnt having much of it throughout Space Jam: A New Legacys 115-minute runtime and thats the biggest disappointment of all.

Space Jam: A New Legacy is available to watch in theaters and on HBO Max via its ad-free tier now. Aquaman 2 : release date, plot, cast, trailer and more



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/space-jam-a-new-legacy-isnt-the-sequel-that-the -original-deserved/


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