The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Second ‘Space Jam’ has LeBron, flow issues
LeBron James and the Looney Tunes turn in winning effort, if barely, in high-tech sequel
It should come as no surprise that “Space Jam: A New Legacy” doesn’t take itself too seriously.
It should come as no surprise that “Space Jam: A New Legacy” doesn’t take itself too seriously. ¶ Arriving 25 years after “Space Jam,” which saw basketball superstar Michael Jordan team up with Bugs Bunny and other “Looney Tunes” characters for a game of hoops versus nefarious aliens, “A New Legacy” puts former Cleveland Cavaliers and current Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in a relatively similar situation. ¶ “An athlete acting?” James offers at one early point in the movie. “That never goes well.”
Previously having portrayed himself in the 2015 comedy “Trainwreck,” James won’t be winning any acting awards for his work in this new “Space Jam” — arriving simultaneously this week in theaters and on HBO Max — but he gets the job done. And, to be fair to him, he had to perform many of his scenes before his co-stars even were drawn, “A New Legacy” mixing live-action with both 2-D and 3-D animation.
It’s technically impressive, to be sure, and the adventure is laudable enough — even if, at nearly two hours, it’s a little bloated for a movie more for little ones than those who shoot at a 10-foot hoop.
We are treated to an opening-credits montage that includes highlights from James’ days making national headlines as a phenom at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School; a taste of the night the Cavs made him the top overall pick in the NBA draft; and myriad clips from his pro career that include his two stints in
Cleveland.
Paramount among the latter are scenes from the night of June 19, 2016, when James delivered The Land its first major professional sports title in 52 years.
However, this is a slightly fictionalized version of the incredible athlete, who, while now playing in L.A. as in real life, is married to a woman named Kamiyah (Sonequa Martin-Green of “Star Trek: Discovery”) and whose children include a young son named Dom (Cedric Joe).
Unlike Movie LeBron’s older son, Darius (Ceyair J. Wright), Dom isn’t devoting a ton of time and energy to becoming great at basketball, much to Dad’s disappointment. Instead, Dom is devoted to developing a video game — a basketball game that feels like a modern take on old arcade fave “NBA Jam.”
Looking to bond with Dom, LeBron takes him to a pitch meeting at the Warner Bros. Studios lot. When King James slams the idea, he angers the artificial intelligence that came up with it, A. G. Rhythm (Don Cheadle, “Avengers: Endgame”), who takes revenge by zapping LeBron and Dom into his virtual “server-verse.”
This is the cyberspace all of the studio’s intellectual property resides. Quickly separated from Dom by Al and now a 2-D cartoon version of himself, LeBron encounters Bugs Bunny (voiced, as he has been for years, by Jeff Bergman) in Looney Tunes World.
Turns out, after Al lured Bugs’ pals Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the rest away to a supposedly better place, Bugs stayed in Looney Tunes World — and the lonely rabbit has been drowning his sorrows via a carrot juice tap and has constructed a new version of Porky from a bunch of pumpkins. (It’s … not great.)
With Bugs wanting his friends back and LeBron needing to recruit teammates for a game of hoops that may help him get his son back, Bugs and ‘Bron team up to get the gang back together.
However, even with King James on their side, the Tunes may be no match for the Goon Squad, consisting mostly of monstrous versions of pro ballers including LeBron’s Lakers running mate Anthony Davis. Especially, when Al — with Dom’s help — is changing the rules of the game to the point where the basketball fundamentals cherished by James aren’t as important as “style points.”
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” is directed by Malcolm D. Lee (“Girls Trip,” “Night School”), with screenplay and story-by credits going to multiple writers. Its producers range from James and his longtime friend and business partner Maverick Carter to filmmakers Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Ivan Reitman (“Space Jam”).
Like its predecessor, “A New Legacy” is a fairly herky-jerky affair, thanks in part to its blending of liveaction and animated components and its need to infuse constant doses of zaniness.
Now, some of that wackiness is pretty fun — including Bugs’ imitation of William Shatner’s iconic Captain Kirk from “Star Trek” after he and LeBron steal the flying saucer of Marvin the Martian (Eric Bauza, who, like Bergman, voices several of the classic Tunes).
Other voice talent includes one-time Disney Channel star Zendaya (“Spider-Man: Far From Home”), as Lola Bunny, first introduced in “Space Jam”; comedian Gabriel Iglesias, as Speedy Gonzales; and pro ballers Damian Lillard, Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike and Klay Thompson, as more superhuman Goons.
Too often, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” can feel like a flex from Warner Bros. as it reminds us of its vast library of IP, including DC Comics characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman; great ape King Kong; and the worlds of “Harry Potter” and “Game of Thrones.” Heck, in less than a minute, we go from a scene from “Casablanca” to an appearance by the titular stars of “Rick and Morty.” All that’s missing is a blatant reminder that you can experience all of this and more on the aforementioned streaming service HBO Max!
(That said, a riff on “The Matrix” — including a lategame callback — is pretty fun.)
In Northeast Ohio, adults are likely to enjoy Bugs referring to LeBron as “Cleveland” and multiple references to the Cavs coming back from down three games to one against Thompson’s Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Finals.
And there surely is plenty here for the younger audience members, including state-of-the-art visuals and supernaturally high-flying on-court action.
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” is no slam dunk, but it squeaks by with the win.