Space Jam: A New Legacy Review: Great Animation and a Game LeBron James Carry an Overwise Forgettable Sequel

There’s a moment in Space Jam: A New Legacy where Porky The Pig transforms into Notorious P.I.G. and has a rap battle. If you find the idea of such a scene nauseating as opposed to corny, then you shouldn’t watch this film.

LeBron James is a much more charismatic actor than Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, the film around him really only works when LeBron is riffing with Bugs Bunny. When the film tries to do other things, it drags quite a bit. The six screenwriters make a mistake early on by showing James as a father with high and very specific expectations for his game designer son. James simply isn’t great in these scenes, but he suddenly comes to life once he’s in Tune World. The screenwriters do a great job of connecting Bugs and James’s story together.

The animation on display is truly outstanding. Unfortunately, the animation is so good, it makes you wonder why they didn’t just make a Looney Tunes film. Lola Bunny (voiced by Zendaya), Daffy Duck, Porky the Pig, and all other Tunes are great. When it comes to visiting the rest of WB’s properties, Space Jam: A New Legacy is a more shallow experience. If you have children, they will probably get a kick out of the DC world and Lola’s Bunny’s homage to Wonder Woman 84‘s opening on Themyscira.

Comparisons to the 1996 Space Jam film are inevitable. James being a better actor than Jordan and the animation quality are the only improvements over the original film. The goon squad looks great, but how they get their basketball abilities is a disappointment compared to the first Space Jam film. Music was such a significant component of the original film. Unfortunately, there’s nothing memorable about the music.

Don Cheadle does what he can as the antagonist, but he’s not given much to work with.

If you have children, I’d suggest giving this a watch on HBO Max. Otherwise, this is a pretty forgettable experience.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the adventures of King James, Bugs, Lola Bunny and more. Space Jam: A New Legacy is currently streaming on HBO Max and in theaters.

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High Expectations

The first mistake in the new iteration of Space Jam is turning James into a father with lofty and specific expectations for his sons. While LeBron has two sons in the film, the story mostly centers around his relationship with his youngest son Dom played by Cedric Joe. Dom loves video games and wants to attend a camp for coders instead of going to a basketball camp.

Most of these scenes aren’t very good. The only moments that work are when LeBron starts acting like a corny Dad. In an attempt to bond with Dom, LeBron takes his son to Warner Bros to listen to a pitch. LeBron isn’t interested in Al-G Rhythm’s (Cheadle) pitch. The spurned Artificial Construct kidnaps LeBron and Dom. He challenges LeBron to a game of basketball that will be broadcast around the world. LeBron is turned into a cartoon and sent to Toon World. Dom stays with Al-G Rhythm.

A very pedestrian start. As a cartoon, the movie finally starts to have signs of life.

Tune World in Space Jam: A New Legacy

The one area Space Jam: A New Legacy improves upon the original is dovetailing LeBron and Bugs Bunny’s stories together. LeBron arrives in Tune World to find the planet largely abandoned except for Bugs Bunny. Turns out, Al-G Rhythm made the citizens an offer they couldn’t refuse.

LeBron needs Bugs’s help to create a basketball team that can defeat Al-G Rhythm to save his son. Bugs can trick Marvin the Martian and steal his spaceship. Once on the ship, LeBron and Bugs are on a trip through WB Intellectual property. Game of Thrones, Mad Max, The Matrix and Casablanca are some of the worlds shown. The highlight is probably the trip to DC World, which features The Justice League. The DCEU has its trinity in Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Going to the DC World is a fitting place to reunite the most important Looney Tunes trio Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny and Daffy Duck.

Once the tunes are gathered, LeBron tries to come up with a serious basketball strategy. Except for Lola, none of them show much focus.

All of these animated scenes are great. Not only is the animation quite breathtaking, but LeBron is really good in these scenes. His chemistry with Bugs and Lola is the best part of the film. The WB properties tour is as shallow as you can imagine with the only creative moments being the short stint in the DC world.

The Game

Al-G Rhythm convinces Dom that his father doesn’t care about him. Dom responds by using his video game to create Al-G Rhythm’s Goon Squad. Damian Lillard, Sue Bird, Anthony Davis, Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike and Klay Thompson are used as the voices for the Goon Squad. Unlike the first film, the players don’t lose their basketball playing abilities. Dom simply uses his coding skills to map the players to the imposing Goon Squad.

The CGI is impressive, but the basketball game is too long. The game between the Tune Squad and Goon Squad follows a simple and predictable pattern. Al-G Rhythm’s squad takes advantage of the Looney rules, while LeBron takes a fundamental approach to the game. When LeBron finally loosens his grasp and embraces the fun of the game, the game starts to become more competitive.

There are a couple of creative moments, but for the most part, the last hour of the film is a slog to get through. However, I think children would probably get a kick out of the game. For me, there was an inevitability with where the story was going that hindered the experience for me. If the game was 20 minutes shorter, then the film would have been much better.

Space Jam: A New Legacy Final Thoughts

Space Jam: A New Legacy works best as a cartoon. When the film goes live-action, it struggles to take advantage of LeBron’s charisma and Cheadle’s acting chops. The first film was filled with fantastic music. You can watch the original Space Jam and know you’re experiencing perfect 90’s nostalgia. There’s none of that in this film.

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