Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
After attending a meeting at WB headquarters, basketball legend LeBron James and his son Dom (Cedric Joe) are captured and trapped within the virtual Warner Bros. Serververse. In order to escape, James must beat their captor, rogue artificial intelligence Al G. Rhythm (Don Cheadle), in a basketball game. With time running out, James must turn to the Looney Tunes for help.
I was not too thrilled with the Trailers for SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY, but nothing can prepare you for what a chaotic and bewildering experience the Film is to watch. It wants to be a sequel to a 25-year-old film with vague continuity, at the same time as a story about the bond between a father and a son, a blueprint for a future video game series, a Looney Tunes film and a not-so-stealthy remake of Ready Player One using the vast library of WB films and TV shows. They also inverted the story so that instead of being a Looney Tunes movie with Michael Jordan as a supporting character, this is a LeBron James story with the Looney Tunes as supporting characters. Would you believe there are six Writers credited with writing the Script, along with 14 Producers/Executive Producers? This in itself might be reason for concern.
Making things worse, A NEW LEGACY has no idea who its target audience is. Is it for modern families or is it a purely nostalgic play? Are young children going to understand the references to Casablanca and A Clockwork Orange? Are parents going to chuckle at the references to late ’90s WB films, or be confused as to why Danny DeVito’s Penguin and Jim Carrey’s The Mask are such prominent background figures? In trying to appeal to everyone, the behind-the-scenes team ended up appealing to no one – except for that small subset of LeBron James fans who are nostalgic for the original film, the Looney Tunes and have an encyclopedic knowledge of every WB property ever produced. I will admit to smiling a few times at some of the odd references and homages (along with a Michael Jordan joke you will know the punchline of immediately). For the most part though, I was just puzzled at the Film throwing literally everything at the screen, including the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom sinks.
Thankfully, it is not all bad. While James is awkward and far too rigid, the tender and emotional moments between him and Joe are handled very well. I wish they had time to develop their relationship even further. Zendaya does a great job voicing Lola Bunny, giving her more agency and less sultriness (kudos to the Animators for making the right choice in modifying her appearance to something less overtly- sexual). The traditional Looney Tunes animation looks terrific, their antics are entertaining and their character voices are a delight. Their 3D redesigns could have used some finessing. And as the villain, Cheadle is having the time of his life. He is completely over-the-top ridiculous, but he understands the assignment and easily steals the show.
I am not sure what in The Matrix hell SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY intended to be. It feels like way too many ideas smashed together with more cohesion needed and even less of an idea of audience expectations. That said, there are nuggets of greatness sprinkled throughout along with an outrageously entertaining performance from Cheadle. For me, it does not match the original by any stretch. At the same time however, I am just as certain that young fans of this Film will be saying the exact same thing 25 years from now when they make the next follow-up with another NBA sensation.
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY in theatres
and on Premium Digital and On-Demand on Friday, July 16, 2021.
*Please ensure you exercise caution in observing COVID-19 protocols if seeing this in-theatre.*
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com