Staring: Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green
Directed by: Malcom D. Lee
The highly anticipated sequel to the 1996 movie Space Jam finally released in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday July 16th. As expected, the movie was somewhat underwhelming. As a sequel to a classic movie staring this generation’s best player in the world, there will definitely be some doubts from audiences everywhere.
Director Malcolm D Lee and producer Ryan Coogler try their best to put a modern spin on the themes from the first Space Jam while staying true to the original so much. The plot is basically Lebron being thrown into Warner Bros’ everlasting catalog of films and television characters in order to recruit a super basketball team so he could defeat Don Cheadle’s Goon Squad. The ultimate prize if you win? Lebron’s son. A very original concept that left me at the edge of seat! (Just Kidding lol).
The Blending of silly and slapstick comedy with some hilarious references to Lebron James’ basketball career, actually worked well throughout film. It was definitely a little corny at times but I had to keep reminding myself that this movie is aimed for kids. Mix that with everyone’s favorite Looney Tunes and some surprisingly gorgeous animation and you have yourself a pretty decent watch.
Now if you decided to watch this film to check out Lebron James’ acting chops then this isn’t the film for you but Michael Jordan wasn’t no Denzel Washington either. Don Cheadle however, was the probably the best part of the film in my opinion. He was very charismatic with great comedic timing. He honestly put the movie on his back like Bron did in the 2016 NBA finals.
Anyway you slice it, you have the Looney tunes, Lebron James and a ton of cameos from cartoons and NBA stars alike. Its a fun watch if you come in with low expectations. Thankfully, this movie was on HBO Max because it not worth the price of admission (unless you have kids).
Highlights
- Great looking CGI/Animation
- Hilarious References to Lebron’s basketball career
- Don Cheadle’s comedic acting
LowLights
- Very bland plot with super low stakes
- Terrible execution when it came to using the Warner Bros “Server-Universe” as a plot device
- Majority of the film is the fianl basketball game so there not that much antication/build up but then again if this movie was any longer it would defeintly be bit of a snooze fest
- Lebron is a terrible leader and needed to recruit the Looney Tunes to win just one basketball to get his fake son back! This is why he’ll never be Micheal Jordan! ( Just Kidding lol)
Rating: 3.6/10
Live Scenes 