I’m of an older generation, but for a certain set of millennials, the original Space Jam is a classic film. Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan versus cartoon aliens worked; even if MJ wasn’t much of an actor. So to update the series to modern-day, this time it’s LeBron James teaming up with Bugs.
The story starts when Al G. Rhythm (Don Cheadle), a literal computer algorithm inside the Warner Bros. servers, has an idea to reboot all Warner Bros. properties with LeBron James. The WB Servers aren’t just normal servers, they’re the “Serververse” a Matrix/Narnia/Toon Town type place where all of the Warner properties live on their own themed planets. Some Warner execs bring LeBron in and pitch the algorithm’s idea to him. He hates it, and Al is embarrassed. So he sucks LeBron and his son Dom (Cedric Joe) into the Serververse. Al turns Dom against LeBron and then issues him a challenge, beat his Goon Squad at Slamball and he can leave. Slamball is hyped-up video game version of basketball that Dom created, and Dom is going to lead the other team.
Bugs Bunny ends up helping LeBron recruit players throughout the Serververse. Lebron keeps trying to recruit heroes like Superman and Batman but ending up with Looney Tune characters. Al G. Rhythm ups the stakes, if LeBron and the Toon Squad lose, LeBron will be stuck in the Serververse forever and the toons will be deleted. But Dom doesn’t know this, he thinks he’s just winning his father’s respect.
The Goon Squad consists of exaggerated caricatures of NBA and WBNA stars. The Slamball game is appropriately wacky, with plenty of “style points” and Looney Tunes gags. I’m sure you can figure out how it ends.
LeBron is a better actor than Jordan, if not by much. But James’ relationship with his son gives him more of a motive to win the game than Jordan had in the original. It’s a nice emotional storyline that gives this version more stakes.
The original was the last time most of us saw the Looney Tunes. But their characters still hold up, and my kids have been quoting them since. The one attempt to modernize them is the nadir of the movie. Nobody wanted to see Porky Pig battle-rap.
There are a lot of gags jokes, references, and shout-outs in this movie. Not all of them hit, but plenty do and they come out fast and loose. What is a little curious is a lot of the jokes are aimed at adults; what kid is going to know Chappelle Show sketches, Mad Max: Fury Road, or Denzel Washington quotes from Training Day?
While there has been a lot of criticism of the movie’s look, I enjoyed it. It’s a mixture of live-action, animation, and CGI. The palette in animated sequences is reminiscent of the first movie but slightly updated. The hand-drawn animation looks like classic Looney Tunes and the CGI conversion looks like a faithful update. I don’t really get the hate for the visuals.
It must be said, no, I don’t think this soundtrack slaps like the original. It’s fine, but I doubt we will be reading the oral history of this soundtrack on the web two decades from now.
Is this movie better than the original? My kids think so, and I do as well. There is more emotional depth and the plot is a little more coherent. The jokes, at least at this present time, are funnier. But if you’re really nostalgic for the first one I don’t think you’ll like this. And compared to other modern kid’s movies? It’s not up to the standard of a Disney/Pixar, Dreamworks, or even an Illumination movie.
If you’re a big Looney Tunes fan, it’s hard to say. You may enjoy that the characters are back in the spotlight and seem pretty faithful to the originals, or you may hate all the minor changes and missing toons. If you’re a big NBA/LeBron fan, I don’t know. The basketball parts are good, the Slamball stuff is fun, but do you want to see LeBron as a dorky dad?
I guess what I’m saying is this is an HBO Now.