Space Jam: A New Legacy - A Standalone Sequel Which was OK but Less Satisfying Compared to its Predecessor

This movie was a sequel to one of the most popular films back in the 1990s and I was wondering what it would be like with the more sophisticated special effects now. So when it was announced that the movie would be released on HBO Go on 11 November, I made plan to watch it together with my wife. OK, let's find out more.

Brief Story Line

LeBron James (played by himself) was a great and professional basketball player who always taught his sons Darius (Ceyair J. Wright) and Dom (Cedric Joe) to take basketball seriously. However Dom who prefer to create video game instead, was not that keen with his father's teaching. And this was noticed by LeBron's wife Kamiyah (Sonequa Martin-Green - Star Trek: Discovery TV series etc) who encouraged him not to be so hard on Dom.

When LeBron was invited to the Warner Bros Studios to discuss on possible cooperation on a movie, he was somehow transported into the WB serververse together with Dom. This was done by the self-aware A.I who called himself Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle - No Sudden Move, Captain America: Civil War etc) and wanted to challenge LeBron to a basketball game. However, LeBron could only form a team with Bugs Bunny (Jeff Bergman) and characters from Looney Tunes show.

With so much at stake, what would happen to LeBron and Dom? Find them all in this movie.

End of Brief Story Line

When I watched this film, at first I thought it looked OK. It has a bit of comedic feel, but I got really excited when the Warner Bros Studio references started to appear. As soon as LeBron James entered into the Looney Tunes world, the movie became even more fun, especially because Bugs Bunny and his friends were always so funny. It reminded me why always loved to watch them many years ago.

If you have seen the original movie Space Jam starring Michael Jordan back in 1996, then you would have known that the main premise was a bit similar. The basketball star LeBron James had to create a team of Looney Tunes characters to face their opponents. However, the really significant difference now was the game play. Yes they still played basket ball but it was modified in such a way that made the game became a bit too complicated (my wife was not a fan of this game). It was still fun because of the lunacy of the cartoon characters, but the absudity of the opposition team, as well as the complexities of the game rules might not be too appealing for some.

I got to admit that after completing the movie, I actually thought it was not bad. I had some fun and few laughs, plus I was also amazed by the cool visual effects (done by Industrial Light & Magic, so should not be a surprise). But then I thought my experience would not be complete without seeing the original movie (yes even my wife was surprised I had not seen it). Anyway, as encouraged by her, I immediately watched Space Jam which is also available on HBO Go. And upon finishing that movie, I know now why it was such a success back then. I could imagine how it was such a breakthrough to see those Looney Tunes characters playing basketball with the great Michael Jordan using wonderful effects at that time. It also has the popular original sound track of I Believe I Can Fly sung by R. Kelly. 

So having experienced both movies at almost the same time, I could confidently say that this standalone sequel is pale in comparison with its predecessor. The original was more fun, had amazing visual effects for a film released 25 years ago, the Looney Tunes characters were given large screen time and the basket ball game was really basket ball game. Meanwhile this film still had wonderful effects but the Looney Tunes characters were a bit overshadowed by the live action characters & the weird opposition team (who were not funny unlike in the first film), plus the game's modification.

The cast in here were quite OK. LeBron James was pretty suitable as Michael Jordan's successor, while the support characters (aside from Don Cheadle and Cedric Joe) were really just providing support roles and did not leave too much impression. The background characters though were what I liked, because a lot of them were from other successful Warner Bros movies/series, including references from some scenes of those movies. Btw, there were appearances of well known names like Zendaya (Dune 2021 etc), Rosario Dawson (Zombieland: Double Tap etc), Lil Rei Howery (Vacation Friends etc) and many more. Oh the looney tunes characters were mostly voiced by the same actors/actresses who portrayed them in the cartoon, while some of the goon squad were voiced by real professional basketball players. It has a duration of 115 minutes including closing credits which showed some funny photos and directed by Malcom D. Lee (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Scary Movie 5 etc).

Overall, despite its inferiority compared to the original movie, I thought this one was still pretty fun as it was filled with the craziness and funny moments of the Looney Tunes characters. It also has some nice songs to accompany us and even better special effects (at certain time, Bugs Bunny and friends were shown in 3D). So if you liked Space Jam, you might still like this one due to the similar premise. But if you prefer a more traditional basket ball game and more Looney Tunes time, then the original would have been more satisfying, like it was to me and my wife.

Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars