Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) User Reviews

Captures None Of The Fun Or Magic Of The Original

[zkonedog · 3/10 · 18 July 2021]

In 1996, the original Space Jam "had something", so to speak. Seeing Michael Jordan on the big screen interacting with the Looney Tunes was a first-of-its-kind sort of experience, and despite the ridiculous concept it worked perfectly. Sadly, this long-await sequel captures absolutely none of that magic or fun.

For a very basic overview, Space Jam: A New Legacy sees Warner Brother's sentient artificial intelligence Al G. Rhythm (Don Cheadle) hatch a plan inside the "server-verse" to finally get the recognition he feels he deserves. Central to that mission? Abducting LeBron James and family to play in a high-stakes basketball game that pits father against son. Along the way, James must root out the old Looney gang for the epic court contest.

I will readily admit that nostalgia for the original got me into the theater to see this sequel. Absolutely no doubt about that. However, I will not concede that the same nostalgia is preventing me from giving this one a better rating than 3/10. "A New Legacy" is just a bad movie, plain and simple, for numerous reasons...

-Whereas Michael Jordan just had to show up and be himself in the original, here LeBron James is given the emotional heavy-lifting tasks. Predictably, it does not go well. He cannot believably convey a single emotion.

-A lot of people are criticizing the decision to showcase so many WB properties (Harry Potter, Superman, Batman, Matrix, Game of Thrones, etc.) in this film. That didn't so much bother me, and I actually enjoyed the concept of a tongue-in-cheek poking fun at those topics. But it all comes crashing down when the finished product looks suspiciously like an algorithm-created property that the plot was trying to skewer!

-The "Looney Tunes playing basketball" concept is no longer new (by virtue of the '96 effort), and nothing is done to spruce that avenue up whatsoever. Same old gags just replayed again. Also, the way we interact with athletes is so different now that James simply cannot command the cultural cache that MJ once did. Just having him physically present isn't enough like it may have been in the mid-90s.

Overall, "Space Jam: A New Legacy" is a clunker, no two ways around it. It isn't the worst film I've ever seen (it got me to chuckle a few times), but it is almost completely devoid of any real emotion or fun, in stark contrast to its predecessor that is still considered one of the most fun films ever made.

Don't bother

[rcossio-98855 · 3/10 · 22 July 2021]

Not well scripted or acted. Hollywood needs to learn that highly paid pampered privileged athletes are not commanding endearing moments from audiences. If you want to waste money because you love LeBron go ahead...guarantee you will walk away feeling like you put money in a shredder!

Why?

[guppie2335 · 4/10 · 16 July 2021]

Space Jam was the epitome of the 90's child life. It was corny, Michael Jordan couldn't act, but it had its charm. This movie was absolutely atrocious. LeBron is so wooden it's just obnoxious. I can honestly say this was one of the worst movies ever made out side of the way they pieced together the other Warner brothers properties. Still would never watch again.

This "film" epitomizes everything that's wrong with the film industry today

[DavID93560 · 1/10 · 18 July 2021]

Films today rely on quick plots, with little to no character development to draw in movie goers who'll spend their hard earned cash on some awful excuse for a picture, so that the movie studios can make their profit. They don't actually care if the story is good or not, just what will they get back for their investment.

And that's what this film is in a nutshell. Not a single person who worked on this "film" cared if it's good or bad. I can literally picture them sitting around a table at one of Warner's offices saying "how are we going to steal their cash?". There's NO saving grace. The acting is awful, and that's putting it nicely. The direction (or lack there of) is just as bad. It's a directors job to push the actors to get the most out of them. However, Malcolm D. Lee evidently didn't care, as the final product is trash. Then again, what was I expecting from the director of Scary Movie 5? Oh and don't get me started on the "comedy" (palms face).

Lets call this what it really is, a cash grab. I even took my nephews and niece (who're young) to see this and they didn't even like it. They threw Looney Tunes in there because hey it worked once, why not spoil an old films legacy like Hollywood loves to do with lame remakes.

I feel most bad for Don Cheadle. This Is a huge stain on what was a respectable acting career.

Please do better.

ALL HAIL THE KING

[jessieortiz-88747 · 1/10 · 20 July 2021]

Bow down, you are about to be brought before the KING. This movie is all about why you should love and praise LeBron. Forget about story telling, let's gather to witness the greatness that is LeBron. With a capitol G. This is a huge middle finger to the original Space Jam. Michael didn't have to shove his reputation down your throat because his reputation preceeded him. He's the best, that's it. LeBron tries to recreate that here artificially. He doesn't have the weight or presence that Michael had, so he's over compensating. Why make a second if it's not for story? Can Hollywood really profit off of such a failed story if they throw in some characters you know? Get ready for the commercial about LeBron that is space jam 2. Hollywood has become the employee that everyone hates because they hate their job and do barely enough to not get fired.

lousy

[jorgeesc · 2/10 · 19 July 2021]

Lebron already said it in the movie, "it's the worst idea I've ever heard", but, you see, nobody believed him ...

I wish I would have gouged my eyes out with an Ice Cream scoop and plugged my ears with them...

[jeh374 · 20 July 2021]

It's trash like this that makes Game of Thrones Season 8 look like it had a great script with tight narrative logic.

Lebron: just only ever play Basketball. You don't need anything else. ISN'T THAT A THEME IN THIS 2-HOUR LONG COMMERCIAL FOR YOUR EGO?!!!

It's a movie for kids ...

[robinjames-27925 · 6/10 · 18 July 2021]

Took my kids it was fun for them ...I see so many reviews clearly attacking lebron and probably haven't even seen the movie ... this is for children not for your old grumpy self ... calm down .. look at the insane 1 votes ... haters have arrived and oh it just beat black widow.

Ego-filled and just plain awful.

[bigbang-13097 · 2/10 · 29 August 2021]

Possibly one of the worst films I've seen this year.

LeBron can't act to save his life, and it feels like the film was just made to appease his massive ego.

I only gave it 2 stars because the animation was well done, and Don Cheadle as the villain had some chuckle-worthy moments.

Not Great by any means - but very pleasing to watch.

[joshgordonisgood · 7/10 · 16 July 2021]

I will start this review by calling out the vital thing holding this movie back. Lebron James's acting. Now, to be honest, I thought he would be even worse than he turned out being. And for the most part, the writers did a great job of, almost, hiding his lack of acting skill, by not giving him to many emotional lines etc. But that being said, whenever Lebron did need to perform these types of scenes, it sometimes became hard to watch, notably at the start of the movie.

That being said, I did find myself enjoying this movie. No, the plot isnt one of great twist, amazing originality, and amazing character development - But it didnt need to be. What the movie does well, is implementing good references and jokes without them feeling forced. Especially as somebody who watched basketball, i really found myself enjoying all the easter eggs during the game. Keeping me entertained and maintaining my focus.

There is alot the movie does poorly how ever, but overall, im satisfied, i didnt expect them to reinvent the wheel, nor blow me away, but i was entertained and can see myself watching this movie again down the line. I feel it will have the same nostalgia factor as the original.

Good animation but pretty lame movie.

[ghkhbvscqf · 2/10 · 20 July 2021]

This movie was absolutely AMAZING at being lame. Movie had good animation and that's all so I'll give it that. The acting and lines were just bad. Actually it was horrible. No joke, even the Looney Toons acting was bad. How do you screw that up? Wasn't even funny. I seriously don't think I laughed once. The first Jam was WAY better and this was nothing like it. This movie is literally probably good for kids under 5 years old who laugh at anything and wouldn't notice the horrible acting and hack job they did on the Looney Toons. Not good enough for me to watch it again that's for sure. We watched for free on HBO Max, It's definitely not worth paying theater money for.

Pretty good

[cartermagalogo · 8/10 · 16 July 2021]

I dont know why the reviews are so bad its not better than the original but it was still good.

I didn't hate it

[haw-98949 · 6/10 · 24 July 2021]

Space jam a new legacy is a pretty ok movie. I wasn't really a fan of the story that much. In my opinion not as good as the first movie but I recommend watching if you've seen the first space jam or if you love the looney tunes 👍

Just a Poor Effort

[walker5040 · 1/10 · 20 July 2021]

The acting in this movie is so inauthentic. The whole film felt like one big money-grab. They knew the movie would do well financially because of the title and the characters. The finished product is just a huge mess.

Shallow so shallow

[mj1884 · 1/10 · 20 July 2021]

I've been waiting 20+ years to the comeback of space jam, The first movie back in 1996 was a classic movie.

And that is the most disappointing movie sequel I've ever seen. So shallow, so lame, where is the storyline?

What about acting classes? What about respect for the audience?

WB got lost with the years 👎🏻

2 hour long advertisement

[swimnichols · 2/10 · 17 July 2021]

This movie sold products and movie franchises from beginning to end. Hardly a space jam movie. Mentioning Warner Brothers studios several times is a horrible look. WHO CARES... stop selling ads and create an actual movie. Only highlight was a Bobby Knight reference that I bet 1% of all viewers actually recognized. Horrible acting, subpar character development, and skimpy plot. So sad to see Space Jam fall so far.

I just feel sorry for the actors

[jason-edick-743-843960 · 1/10 · 19 July 2021]

WOW.... I had gone into this reading all of the reviews, saying this was a terrible movie. They were right. This was hands down the worst movie I had seen in a long time. LeBron, please promise the world this is the last movie you will ever be in. Nothing in this movie is believable. I really feel sorry for actors like Don Cheadle and Michael B. Jordan who somehow got roped into doing this snooze-fest. My guess is that they were fulfilling some clause in their contracts or just owed someone a favor, because no one in their right mind would have read this script and used it for anything other than toilet paper. I will leave you with my last thought, as I was going to rip apart all of the scenes, but I thought I would leave this as a no spoiler warning. Anyone over the age of 10 should walk, no, run away from this movie.

My kids enjoyed it!

[Cokagung · 6/10 · 16 July 2021]

Hey guys, this movie is not that bad, my kids got the jam! Maybe its not our era, but it's our kids era! Thank you warner bros!

Atrocious Disgrace

[dlinderman-55448 · 1/10 · 17 July 2021]

The first Space Jam was corny and goofy, but it had its own unique charm and a simple yet acceptable plot that made the involvement of Jordan and other NBA players make sense as much as a cartoon basketball game movie could.

This however is straight trash. It feels like one part feeding Lebrons ego, one part nonsensical abysmal story, and ten parts promotional work for everything WB owns.

The plot involving a computer algorithm as the main antagonist that somehow sucks LeBron and his kid into a server and then forced them to play the sons video game creation is the most half baked idea I ever heard. The acting by almost everyone involved is the furthest thing from believable possible. The whole thing is a lot of cgi flashy nonsense and nothing of real substance. This is just an embarrassment through and through.

Not as good as the original film with Michael Jordan but kinda fun

[murphdog1234 · 7/10 · 27 July 2021]

LeBron James isn't that good of an actor but the rest of the film was kinda fun. Love seeing the looney tunes and all the pop culture references, it was kind of like Ready Player One.

But the original 1996 film will always be the best.

I've never seen anything like this film, and I hope I never do again.

[JAS61446 · 1/10 · 18 July 2021]

This was honestly one of the worst things I've ever seen. I'd rather watch 2 hours of literally anything else.

Not a LeBron hater, but this kind of made me want to be.

Fun, Just Like Family Movies Should Be!

[lenak-67778 · 8/10 · 16 July 2021]

This is exactly what my title says, it is FUN! It's what family movies are meant to be! Its silly, dumb, amd nonsensical and it WORKS! Watched it with my husband and little son and we enjoyed the silly jokes and callbacks that we as adults who grew up with the OG movie got! The music is good the characters are great, and it was a good watch!

It will do

[jennikewell · 6/10 · 10 July 2021]

As a fan of the first Space Jam I knew they wouldn't be able to recreate the magic. I did enjoy all the tie ins with other WB characters. The set up of the storyline was not great but I extremely enjoyed the basket ball game (which is almost half the movie)

My kids (6 and 8) said it was better than the first. They are use to great computer graphics so compared to the diets that obviously had number 1 beat.

If you go in to it not expecting much I think you'll enjoy it.

Terrible try for a sequel

[usfder-70853 · 1/10 · 20 July 2021]

Where as the Original Movie had a really cool spin to it combining the Toon World and the Real World this movie just... stinks.

First of all LeBron doesn't have any charisma or acting skills what so ever second where as the first hat an intersting premise the premise of this is just terrible.

Furthermore this movie feels like Warner Brother just wanted to Jam every single Character they own into one movie for the sake of nostalgia.

Just: No.

Shallow in every way possible

[Shadowking1001 · 1/10 · 20 July 2021]

So awful. Completely a self-serving vanity project with no thought for the paying public. Sad to see my favorite Looney Tunes charcters being degraded by their association with this movie.

The story and characters are so superficial you don't care for either. LeBron could have been substituted by a piece of wood with voice-over, and it would have had more personality.

Agree that the original Space Jam wasn't some deep profound artistic achievement, but it was at least quirky and fun. This new version was so commercialized and shallow, that became intolerably annoying when it became evident why this movie was made.

It was made ONLY for grifting purposes by a bunch of grifters. So if you don't want to give your hard earned money to opportunistic billionaires, then skip this money-grabbing scam project (can't bring myself to call this a 'film').