SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY REVIEW ROUNDUP

The original Space Jam is one of my favourite movies of all time largely down to the fact that it saw simply mind-blowing to see the Looney Toons team up with one of the best basketball players of all time. Fast forward almost 20 years, and then it's happening again with a much-anticipated sequel that sees yet another Basketball legend/Looney Toons team-up. So is this a new MVP? Or another bench warmer? Here's the roundup:

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 
'The animation, consisting of both traditional 2D and CGI, is impressive, and there’s certainly a lot of it. But it never feels as joyful as you’d hope, too often coming across as corporate machination rather than inspired imagination. That becomes particularly apparent when the classic Looney Tune characters are eventually rendered in CGI form, which just feels wrong. Another problem is that James lacks the charismatic appeal of Jordan, who, although no actor, anchored the previous film with his sheer likability.'

For the full review please visit here.

VARIETY 
'Even here, the question is asked if James will continue to be considered one of the all-time greats. “The jury’s still out on that,” cracks Rhythm. But at least while James continues to define his own legacy, he can say he’s bested Jordan with this decent-enough kiddie flick.'

For the full review please visit here.

THE WRAP 
'Viewers who, for whatever reason, love the first “Space Jam” may well find themselves delighted all over again, but as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to plunge a beloved sports figure into a century’s worth of pop culture iconography, “A New Legacy” is a big fat airball.'

For the full review please visit here.

EW.COM
'There are no other living American athletes who could really get away with Space Jam: A New Legacy (a lack for which we should all be grateful), and James basically does. The man's stature, already impressive, grows a little bit more when he gets to stand atop this enormous chunk of movie, now piled up with his many other achievements. Just as a film, though, for people to actually watch? Algorithmically speaking, it's no slam dunk.'

​For the full review please visit here.

ROGER EBERT
'I won't spoil a surprise guest appearance or a funny "Casablanca" joke. I'll just say that the more you know the Looney Tunes characters, the more you'll appreciate how they bring their special skills to the game. There may be a big, corporate, algorithm-like formula deciding that a quarter-century later it's time for another "Space Jam," but it's good to see that the insouciant anarchy of Termite Terrace is still pure, unrepentant id.'

For the full review please visit here.

IGN (VIDEO REVIEW)

In the end, the film amassed a critical score of 36% from 103 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Interesting enough, the original managed a 44% from 80 reviews making it clear that if you were a fan from 1996, you are most likely be happy with the 2021 version. 

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