A Look Back at Space Jam (1996)

 

With Space Jam: A New Legacy arriving in theaters soon, it's time we look back at the movie that started it all.

Space Jam is a 1996 live-action/animated sports comedy movie. The film was produced by Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Feature Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Space Jam was written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel Weingrod and directed by Joe Pytka.

The story is unexpected visitors from the amusement park Moron Mountain have come to Earth to abduct the Looney Tunes and force them to be their newest attractions. The Tunes soon come with a plan to challenge them to a game of basketball but that didn't exactly work out, the Tunes manage to get another challenge out of them, only this time they'll have help from the one and only Michael Jordan.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

One thing that's alright with Space Jam is the special effects. Some of them are pretty good, others not so much. Like, when Bugs & Daffy meet with Charles (Michael Jordan's dog), the close up shots of the dog are so bizarre. It was very off-putting.

Another alright aspect of the movie is Michael Jordan's performance. Personally, I don't really have that much of an issue with it. No, this isn't the best acting of all time, but I've seen much worse. Much, much, much, MUCH worse.

The other mix bag was how the Looney Tunes are slightly out of character. They still do things that you'd expect from them, but yes, you do get those moments where they do something that they've never would've done in the old cartoons. I didn't mind it too much, sometimes I didn't like it, other times I just felt like people should just let it slide for the time being.

• Positives

Now for the more positives aspects of Space Jam and one of those being the humor. Not every joked work, but the ones that did really did get a good laugh out of me. And think one of my favorite lines were, when Bugs & Daffy were talking about how they haven't gotten a single cent from the merchandise that has their faces on it. It's a simple, yet pretty funny line.

Another good thing about Space Jam was the animation. It's still holds up to this day. And honestly while re-watching it, it really makes me wish we'd go back to 2D animation for theatrical releases. Sure, I got no problem with 3D, but since everyone's been doing for over a decade now, having a 2D animated movie would be a big surprise.

The last thing I'll give the movie credit for, and it's really the sole reason why I could never hate it like some people do, the reason there is kind of charm to it. Despite just being a cash grab to all of those shoe commercials with Bugs & Michael Jordan the film still has some sort of entertainment factor to it. And because of that, I just can't hate this movie.

Space Jam is by no means a spectacular film, but when I rewatched I really can't understand how sometimes people treat this movie like it's the worst thing to happen to the Looney Tunes. It has some good jokes in there, great animation, and it can be charming. The really grey areas are some of the special effects are outdated, Jordan's acting is just okay, and the Looney Tunes can get out of character sometimes.

My final rating is Okay.

So yeah, I kind of like Space Jam in an unironic way, sue me. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Jul 17th for my review of the sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.