Review: ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ strands LeBron James in a swirling CGI garbage tornado

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How soullessly mercenary can one movie be? The long-delayed follow-up to 1996's 'Space Jam' is not worth the wait.

undeservedly crashed and burned like a mail-order Acme rocket — it’s taken 25 years for this reboot to arrive.Perhaps the correct term is reload, given the sheer number of references to “The Matrix,” among other popular Warner Bros. titles dredged up for this dubious occasion. Unlike the first “Space Jam,” “A New Legacy” doesn’t limit itself to Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes. Slickly directed by Malcolm D.

Mr. Rhythm, played by a scarily committed Don Cheadle, seeks to maximize his conglomerate’s reach by challenging LeBron to an impossibly high-stakes basketball game. Forced to do battle with evil superpowered versions of Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and Nneka Ogwumike, among other NBA and WNBA stars, LeBron must, like Jordan before him, join forces with the Looney Tunes.

Once the climactic game begins, LeBron will revert to live-action mode , placing him in direct competition with not just an opposing team but also a fast and relentless visual-effects onslaught. He holds up OK, all things considered. “Athletes acting, that never goes well,” he playfully grouses during that early pitch meeting, but James, an innately likable screen presence, handily disproved that notion years ago.

Lighten up, you might think. There’s precedent for this kind of maximalist IP-cribbing spectacle, right? Surely it’s just an extension of something this particular studio has been doing for a while. Just as the Warner Bros. water tower is a fixture of the American comedy landscape, so the studio’s history of sending up its own brands — and also the tight proprietary reins it exercises over those brands — belongs to a proud and glorious entertainment tradition.

 

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Once again, Jordan was better.

😂 pretty sure that’s how the original space jam was too

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Hey, I know the Lakers went out quickly, but no need for the name calling

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