Has there ever been a film where you questioned how does anyone come up with the idea alone? Not because it's a fantastic premise with excellent writing to back it up, but because the idea is just so bonkers that almost no one would ever green-light it to existence? Well, "Space Jam" is the perfect example of how any film, no matter how insane or ridiculous, can be made and released with a big fanbase that will loyally defend the quality of the film. Based on the commercials (yes, I'm not kidding), the film follows basketball superstar, Michael Jordan, as he briefly retires from basketball and attempts to take up baseball, which he's not really good in. He is suddenly pulled into an animated world when the Looney Tunes ask for his help to play with them against the Monstars, a group of aliens who took the talent of other famous NBA players and are employed by Mr. Swackhammer, a businessman who wants to throw the famous cartoons into slavery for his failing amusement park. If you can't clearly tell by the story, well, it's over-the-top and ridiculous. However, you should really have expected this as the tone and pacing of the film. The story goes by really fast as not only is there's not much of a story to begin with, but there's barely any pointless filler. Although one can say that seeing the world's reaction to the NBA stars losing talent or cancelling the season is not needed, it adds some fun comedy and references for older audiences. The tone is also perfectly silly and insane as even the live-action world has a goofy nature to it as people don't react to Jordan being sucked down a golf hole as a huge problem or being way too harsh on their beloved stars. The humour surrounding the Looney Tunes though is a mixed bag. While there is an occasionally funny line and some chaotic, almost dark, slapstick violence, that's all there is. Sure, I love seeing characters who barely get hurt like Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Granny, or the Road Runner get absolutely demolished, but it wears out its welcome if the whole joke is just them getting hurt again and again. The perfect energy and timeless humour isn't replicated and it has divided fans of the characters because of it.
Micheal Jordan plays himself as a straight-man to the Looney Tunes wackiness. He's very deadpan and not very emotive, but there's something about his performance that's just fun to watch. I think that because he's just playing himself as a very chilled-out dude with a lot of tolerance to the hijinks going on around him, he comes across as enjoyable, even though his acting skills are limited. The Looney Tunes then fill up the rest of the main cast and the majority of the supporting. Because there are way too many characters, I will just say that they are the same characters that we have seen before, except they work as a sort of community and their humour extends to pop culture and even the fourth wall. My favourites from the group have always and will still be Daffy, Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, and Martian the Martian. The only character that's noteworthy in the group is the debut of Lola Bunny, which I feel enough people have said plenty of her from the lack of personality to the animated crushes discussion. The Nerdlucks are the aliens who take the talent of various NBA players and become the Monstars. As the small, child-like aliens, they are pretty annoying and are one of the most unfunny characters in the line-up. When they become the Monstars though, their personalities actually improve as their original personalities are now mixed with a specific NBA player as well as a more aggressive, hostile attitude. It's actually pretty creative and some of the designs even match the NBA stars. Mr. Swackhammer, voiced by Danny DeVito, is a very forgettable villain, serving as just the evil businessman who just wants to win at any cost. As for the side characters that aren't animated, there's Wayne Knight's Stan Podolak, Micheal's loyal publicist who Micheal finds annoying and clingy, Micheal's family members who are barely in the film since they aren't really important in the story, the five NBA stars who lose their talent as they attempt to use every type of medical treatment to find out what's wrong with them, and Bill Murray plays himself as a golfing friend of Micheal who not only asks if he's NBA material, but even joins in at the game as a fifth player when all options were out. What I like about these human side characters is that they themselves act as if they were in a cartoon from their over-the-top portrayals and quotes. The acting is pretty good across the board and you can tell that everyone had fun being on set. In fact, the majority of the characters are enjoyable on their own right, with the only bad characters being the small Nerdlucks and the generic Mr. Swackhammer.
Joe Pytka is not a director known for his feature films as this was his second and final film he has made. He's mainly known for directing various music videos, so his direction is pretty standard to say the least in the live-action segments. The only thing to really say about his directing is that he does know how to make some comedic timing. Outside of that, any other inexperienced filmmaker can pull off these scenes the same way. Pytka never really got hands-on during the animation segments, since it's not his field, hence why I'm not really going to judge his direction as a whole much. The cinematography by Micheal Chapman is also very average in the live-action segments, but does get more creative with the green-screen scenes with Jordan and the Tunes. However, it's the animation that really shines in the film. Not only is the 2D animation really good and allows a multitude of characters to be very energetic and chaotic all in the same shot, but Jordan actually looks like he blends into the animated scenes with some great green-screen work. It's not extremely convincing, mind you, but it does give off the illusion that Jordan is acting onscreen with these cartoon characters. You can't deny that the animation is great and put on a ton of effort, especially in the basketball game where a crowd of obscure characters had to be filled up by any means necessary. However, what's not really convincing are the CGI effects, which makes the movie looks more like a video game than an actual film such as Moron Mountain and Stan's inflation. To be fair, there's a bit of charm seeing really dated effects like this and it gets a chuckle out of me. If there's one thing that can rival the film's animation, it's the soundtrack. James Newton Howard provides the score and while it's not bad by any means and fits the Looney Tune aesthetic, it's the pop songs that everyone remembers. From R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly", Seal's "Fly Like An Eagle", "Space Jam" by the Quad City DJ's, and various others, this soundtrack is filled with memorable beats and hip-hop songs that it remains as one of the best movie albums to date.
"Space Jam" is a film that is easy for people to both really love and hate. If you're a hardcore Looney Tunes fan, chances are that you won't like the change of humour and tweaks to the personalities of these loveable characters and the new Tune characters such as Lola, Swackhammer, and the Nerdlucks might cause you to hate this movie. However, if you just love basketball movies, Micheal Jordan in general, and are familiar with the Looney Tunes enough, this film will fly high enough. From its insane story that complements the zany tone and pacing, the live-action segments offering some nice comedy, Jordan being fun to watch as a deadpan straight man, the side characters, Looney Tunes and Monstars being enjoyable and tolerable enough depending on your patience, the fantastic hand-drawn animation and use of green-screen to make Jordan share the same space with Bugs Bunny, and of course the killer soundtrack with plenty of great pop songs along with Howard's decent original score. The film is not perfect though with very dated CGI, the humour still being hit-or-miss at times, and the live action segments being a bit flatly and shot directed despite Pytka's comedic timing. Really, your enjoyment of the film is just based on whether or not you love over-the-top comedies or a Looney Tunes elitist.
Verdict: 6.5/10. A fun watch that's a solid piece of entertainment. Can't wait for the sequel next year with LeBron James and a return to 2D animated hybrids!
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