With theatres finally being able to open up in my city, I can now do reviews on new releases that I can actually go out of my way to see without paying thirty or more dollars. So, to kick off the next few weeks of fresh reviews, let's start with the sequel to one of the most strangest films to come out of the 1990's. LeBron James is a legendary basketball player, but he has an issue communicating with his son, Dom, in regards to their interests and wants. When James is invited to WB Studios for a movie deal he refuses with Dom, the two get sucked inside the digital space by the rogue A.I algorithm, Al-G Rhythm. Al-G challenges James to a basketball game after the latter refused his deal, giving the superstar one day to get a team that will crush whatever Al-G throws at him. It just so happens that he meets Bugs and the other Looney Tunes where his plans get thrown out completely. The story is similar to that of the first film, but having a more conventional narrative formula and even including a basic moral and lesson, something that was oddly missing in the original. Tonally, both films are just as insane in their executions and energy, but the sequel attempts to have a bit more heart and weight compared to the original because of the moral it carries. Generally, the sequel feels more like a movie than the original in a strange way. The humour is where things get dicey for people as the sequel focuses a lot on the pop culture references and modern-day motifs that can range from charming to cringy. Despite this, there are a few good jokes and it's mostly the Looney Toons characters that deliver them, thanks to the writers managing to retain what made the characters funny in the first place. The original film was an odd time capsule of a 90's family film, whereas the sequel will act as a time capsule for the modern era with the addition of the WB catalogue. You can say all you want about how corporate or dated it will be, but the inner child in me simply enjoys the hell out of it.
As much as I enjoy Micheal Jordan's deadpan charisma in the original, LeBron James is clearly the better actor in almost every way. James knows how to have energy and personality in a fictionalized version of himself that acts genuinely to the wacky situations he has got into. However, it's almost laughable that James proves to be the best live-action actor in the movie when compared to everyone else. Don Chedle as Al-G Rhythm is clearly a far better villain than Swackhammer from the first film simply due to Chedle's performance for chewing up the scenery and his manipulative nature towards Dom. The problem with Al-G though is that he does have a fair share of cringe humour with his partner, Pete, and the motivation for him to have a grudge against James is pretty random. Dom, played by Cedric Joe, isn't a bad child actor, but he's just way too generic as the son who has difficulties bonding with his dad because he loves video games. If Dom was more eccentric or nerdy, it will work, but as is, he's just there a lot, which is an issue when the film focuses a lot on him for the story. The rest of the family and one-off "characters" act way too sitcom-esque to take seriously or funny and it makes the side cast from the first film far more memorable in hindsight. When it comes to the Loony Toons though, the sequel not only gives each one a moment to shine, but also rectify the issues made from the original. While the Loony Toons were enjoyable to watch from the original, their humour and characterization lacked the wit and charm that made them special, which essentially made all of their comedy slapstick-focused. Here, all of the characters feel genuine in their spirit and the talented voice cast of veterans make it all the more enjoyable. Even when certain characters say these bizarre lines, jokes or references, it manages to feel like they are still in character. Again, my favourite characters are still Daffy, Wile E and Sylvester. As for Lola Bunny, now voiced by Zendaya, she actually feels more like an actual character that's more tomboyish and spirited compared to the promiscuous personality she had from the original. Strange how despite wanting to have the character less sexualized, the film still manages to give fans enough material to work off. Lastly, there's the Goon Squad, who are recognizable NBA stars that are mixed with various elements and animals. While their designs do fit the film's identity and it's nice that the stars themselves voice their respective characters, the MonStars do actually have more comedic energy and personality than the Goon Squad. Overall, the cast offers its ups and downs. James and Chedle act better than Jordan and Swackhammer, and the Toons are far better portrayed than before, but the human side cast and the Goon Squad does prove to be weaker than their counterparts from the first movie. However, the improved leads and Toons manages to beat out the odds to make them enjoyable throughout the runtime.
Malcom D. Lee takes over as director from Joe Pytka and it's noticeable who is the better director in the live-action segments. While Pytka's direction doesn't truly stand out from the original visually, it's far better than Lee's artificial and cheap-looking direction. For such a big-budget blockbuster, the live-action segments look really amateur and makes the film have a bit of a bad impression in the beginning. The cinematography by Salvatore Totino is also bland and boring for this type of movie, showing how the production clearly didn't give a crap about the live-action portion of the movie. While that's a blow-back for the movie, it's a godsend by the time the animated segments of the film kicks in. When James gets launched into the Toon World, the filmmakers actually manage to use hand-drawn 2D animation and, my god, I miss it so much. The 2D animation isn't on par with the original, but it still looks great for this day and age. When the 2D characters get turned to CG models, they look fantastic as they still move and behave fully animated while given nice details in the fur, feathers, and clothing. The animation and effects, both 2D and CGI, look great and it's obvious that the filmmakers put their most effort in that aspect, much like the original. Last to mention would be the music. While Kris Bowers's original score is on par with James Newton Howard's, the soundtrack is perhaps the only thing the original outclasses the sequel in every way. While the songs featured in the sequel from a wide assortment of various hip-hop artists that are decent enough, they are just no match for the legendary compilation that was the "Space Jam" soundtrack that included R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly", Seal's "Fly Like An Eagle" and the Quad City's DJ's "Space Jam". The soundtrack for "Space Jam" is beyond iconic, while the soundtrack for the sequel is simply forgettable. Regardless, the animation is just a breath of fresh air and I hope other studios try to do more hand-drawn projects in the future.
"Space Jam: A New Legacy" surprisingly outclasses the original in a large amount of ways. The story and tone has more structure and has an actual message to it, the crossover elements and humour makes me smile a lot gimmick be damned, James shows that he's a fairly capable and charismatic actor, Chedle proves to be far more memorable as a villain compared to Swackhammer, the Loony Toons themselves are far more better represented in their humour and characterization than ever before, Lola is given a far better upgrade as a character, Bower's original score is decent, and the animation offers great-looking CGI renders of the classic Toons and bringing back hand-drawn 2D animation to a mainstream production! While that's all and good, the sequel does have its fair share of drawbacks. The humour can be pretty divisive depending on your tolerance of pop-culture references and modern tropes, the human side cast are just horribly acted or entertaining, the Goon Squad isn't as charismatic than the MonStars, the direction by Lee looks lazy and cheap, Totino's camerawork makes a child Youtuber have more skill with the camera, and the soundtrack is embarrassing in comparison. The sequel does, at the end of the day, overcomes the shadow of the original in a lot of areas and is an enjoyable romp for Loony Toons fans and unapologetic crossover fanatics like myself. However, your enjoyment on the film is very much dependent on the humour and gimmick of the sequel, which is certainly not going to win everyone over.
Verdict: 7/10. Good, but very much flawed as a result for what it brings. The fact that it does manage to improve from the original actually shocks me.
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