When the original Space Jam came out, I was slightly too old to be into it. When I heard about a sequel to this beloved film, I assumed it was an attempt to cash in on the nostalgia factor with a cheap sequel to rake in the bucks. I’m quite happy to say that I was wrong, and while Space Jam: A New Legacy doesn’t do anything that different from its predecessor, it is quite enjoyable and worth multiple re-watches to catch all the Easter Eggs and one-liners you’re bound to miss the first time through.
New Legacy opens with LeBron James’ rise from teenager to NBA superstar, but it becomes painfully obvious that his skills as a father don’t match the ones he shows on the court. His son Dom (Cedric Joe) has absolutely no interest in basketball, preferring to hone his video game skills into making one of his own. LeBron isn’t happy with that, but on a trip to the Warner studio to learn about a new technology, the two get sucked into the digital Serververse by the nefarious Al-G (Don Cheadle) who gives LeBron 24 hours to put together an ace basketball team to rival his own revamped Goon Squad. LeBron travels through the many Warner worlds encountering the Looney Tunes to reform the Tune Squad who literally must play for their lives in a basketball game for the ages.
Without the warm fuzzies from growing up with the first one, I didn’t think there was much that would keep me interested. In fact, the first 20-30 minutes of Legacy don’t do it any favors as it walks and stumbles across the line of boring and contrite. Stick with it, though, because once LeBron crosses into the Serververse, everything picks up.
Apparently, I was the only one not in on the gag that this was essentially going to be the Ready Player One take on Space Jam. Taking full advantage of their film library, Warner Bros. ties in elements from tons of their classic movies and weaves them throughout. The Matrix, Mad Max, Austin Powers, and many others pop up so quickly that it becomes nearly impossible to catch all the references, and while fun, it can be heavy-handed at times which makes the Tunes themselves feel like side characters and not the focus of the story.
Michael Jordan also left behind big shoes for LeBron to fill (pun intended), and the results are decidedly mixed. Much like the film itself, LeBron’s worst moments are in the first 20 minutes, and he doesn’t find his stride until he’s wandering around with Bugs Bunny, Marvin the Martian, and my favorite Tune, Granny. If anyone steals the show, though, it’s Cheadle as Al-G who knows exactly what type of movie this is and relishes every scene-chewing second he’s in.
New Legacy is cheesy, at times hilarious, and occasionally cringeworthy, but it never stops having fun or asking the audience to do the same. It’s not required viewing on the big screen but easy to recommend on HBO Max. Parents who grew up loving the first one should have a blast introducing their kids to a new generation of the Looney Tunes, and those new to the film series will find more than enough to keep them entertained and laughing throughout.