If you were hoping that Space Jam: A New Legacy was going to be a good movie... Yeah, maybe think again. The sequel to 1996's original Space Jam, featuring basketball megastar LeBron James, has received what can probably best be described as a panning in its first wave of reviews, with its Metascore average sitting at a lowly 40/100.
Warner Bros Pictures' production was always going to throw a heap of diverse franchises into the final product - but the wildly disparate array of cartoon favourites on screen have only served to leave the majority of reviewers cold. As we saw in the movie's most recent trailer - check it below - there's a lot more than just Looney Tunes on show in this one.
Over on Polygon, reviewer Joshua Rivera writes that this explosion of not-totally-compatible brands has led to a film "so overwhelmingly suffused with corporate propaganda that it seems like the filmmakers are seeking exactly that sort of praise: not satisfying cinema, not a worthwhile story, not a fun time at the movies, but 'a great product'." Ouch.
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Again referring to these grossly swollen ranks, Total Film's Neil Smith writes that the movie "ultimately finds Bill and Ted's Death, Pennywise from It and Joe Dante's Gremlins thrown into the mix for no other reason than to swell the climax's fantasy crowd of spectators", and rewards the picture with a two-outta-five score.
The Washington Post's Kristen Page-Kirby calls Space Jam: A New Legacy "corporate synergy fired up to a terrifying new level", and Empire's John Nugent says that it's "a mess of celebrity and corporate cameos that fails to capture the weird spirit of the original". The Guardian offers perhaps the most scathing critique of all, writer Charles Bramesco calling A New Legacy "garish and soulless", and adding that it's "a creative dead end for a studio reliant on classics that they've stopped minting".
So Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and company have really taken a beating on this one, so far as reviews go. There are a few positive outliers - The Playlist says it has "real heart", and IGN praises its visuals and Don Cheadle's performance as the baddie of the story, Al-G Rhythm (yes, that pun wounds me, too). But for the most part, reviewers agree that this is a stinker.
What the box office tells us, though, might be very different. Bad movies have made a lot of money in the past, and the pure star power of LeBron James will put bums on seats - despite the pandemic, and even if his acting isn't up to much, which it apparently isn't. Space Jam: A New Legacy opens in both stateside cinemas and multiplexes in the UK on July 16, 2021, and will also be available on HBO Max.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures