Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

Back in 1996, I remember being enthralled by Space Jam when I watched it on VHS. I was only six, and hadn't had the pleasure of seeing Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). But Space Jam was lunacy at its best, using Michael Jordan at the height of his powers to launch a film alongside the Looney Tunes. So why the need for a sequel twenty five years on? Well, twenty minutes into Space Jam: A New Legacy, the answer is obvious. ££££££££ for Warner Brothers. It may as well be called Warner Brothers: A New Legacy. It's a two hour advert for the company. LeBron James is the NBA star at the centre of it, and to be fair to him he does a perfectly fine job as the star, losing his son to baddie Don Cheadle inside the 'serververse' inside WB studio headquarters. Mad enough for you yet? At almost two hours, SJ2 is way too long, considering the attention span of the age group it's mainly aimed at, and it takes around twenty minutes to see a Tune on screen. Thankfully, once the Tunes are introduced, the film does pick up, it's fun just to see them on screen and some of them remain as amusing as ever. As we travel through various WB worlds to track down some of the tunes, including Matrix world, Harry Potter world, Metropolis (yes, really) one begs the question are Warner Brothers on the brink of some horrific collapse we don't know about? Or is it just crass commercialism of the highest order? We all know the answer. For the kids there is plenty to enjoy; presumably the plot that centres around a video game designed by James' son is to attract the millions of youngsters who spend all their free time glued to screens. But I did laugh several times; there's an excellent gag involving Michael Jordan towards the end that makes it almost worth it, and LeBron James certainly convinces you that he cares for his family, and that the reason behind all the mayhem is family. I believed that in a way you simply don't when Vin Diesel tries to persuade you of the same thing in the Fast & Furious films (that I'm a big fan of I might add). So it's pointless, it's crass almost beyond belief in its monetary ambitions, but there's enough in it that held both mine and my daughter's attention for two hours. Just. 5.7/10