Space Jam: A New Legacy

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Space Jam: A New Legacy

Postby [Hyperize] on Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:15 am

Solid... not really a ton to say about it. One of the more bizarre things is the NBA players were much more prominent in the original film. I literally think Klay Thompson said one word and Anthony Davis didn't speak until he transformed. There must've been some scrapped stuff cause Penelope Pussycat appeared in promo art but wasn't in the movie at all and Kyle Kuzma wasn't either.

The beat 'em up game was fine but I don't understand why it wasn't an NBA Jam clone given that's what LeBron's son is designing in the film and ultimately what they play the game in.
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Re: Space Jam: A New Legacy

Postby mp3 on Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:23 pm

How many trades did lebron pull off in this movie lol
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Re: Space Jam: A New Legacy

Postby Andrew on Sat Apr 16, 2022 3:31 pm

Razzie Award winning! I mean, the original wasn't a critical darling either, and neither of them are supposed to be. It seems like they appealed to the intended audiences of their time, at least to some extent.

I haven't seen it, but one criticism of it that I've seen echoed quite frequently is how cynically commercial it was. Obviously the original had its commercial tie-ins, but Wayne Knight's character had a line poking fun at all of Michael Jordan's endorsements, so it arguably came across as being more self-aware.

Indeed, the other thing that the original had going for it was that the story was a bit of a joke at MJ's expense. It acknowledged that his baseball career wasn't a roaring success, and had fun with the idea that the real reason he returned to basketball was because he helped the Looney Tunes defeat some evil aliens. Sure, it celebrates him and casts him as a hero, but it's also absurd and not entirely fawning. It also came first, so there was a semblance of originality and freshness to it that a sequel - regardless of quality - simply can't have.

Looking back though, I do think the fact that the original poked a bit of fun at MJ and his baseball career, and that he was willing to do that, worked in the film's favour. If you look at a lot of celebrity appearances on shows like The Simpsons, traditionally the ones where the guest stars who play themselves are willing to be caricatures and the butt of jokes are better-received than appearances where the show seems to fawn over the guest. A smidge of self-deprecation can go a long way, as can tying the plot into a fictionalised version of the celebrity's real life/career. From the reviews I've read, that was one of the big turn-offs for people, along with the product placement, shoe-horned cameos, and general style of humour.

These are second-hand observations, and like I said, I'm sure at least part of the audience it was aimed at did enjoy it, just like the original. Maybe I'll give it a watch some day, but from everything I've heard, it turned out to be the unnecessary sequel a lot of people predicted it to be. That's arguably the biggest issue here. By all means make a kids/family film starring LeBron James, but do something new with it, instead of just rehashing the plot of Michael Jordan's celebrity vehicle.
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Re: Space Jam: A New Legacy

Postby sevin0seven on Sat Apr 16, 2022 3:45 pm

to be honest, I didn't really enjoy this movie...even though I was trying to. It was just a one time watch for me...unlike the original I keep going back from time to time.
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Re: Space Jam: A New Legacy

Postby [Hyperize] on Mon Apr 18, 2022 3:15 am

sevin0seven wrote:to be honest, I didn't really enjoy this movie...even though I was trying to. It was just a one time watch for me...unlike the original I keep going back from time to time.

Agree 100%, though I suppose I did kinda enjoy it though.

After having some time to let in sink in, the original is league's better. The relationship between Mike and Stan... even the scene with Michael getting dropped off at his house. The original had more soul... idk if that's just a product of the '90s being better in that regard or what. I'd definitely go back to the original and yearn for being a kid opposed to this new one.

The blend of the original was better too with being live action opposed to the strictly-animated segments in A New Legacy which felt cheap.

And yeah, Andrew, if you haven't felt motivated to watch it by now I'd say it's not worth it lol. There's a scene at the end where Bugs is animated in the real world with LeBron (something that doesn't happen at all in the rest of the movie)... I'm like, "this is what the rest of the movie should've been like".
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Re: Space Jam: A New Legacy

Postby Andrew on Fri Apr 22, 2022 3:23 pm

That seems to be the common criticism, that A New Legacy lacked a personal connection to LeBron similar to the one the original had with MJ. That could've been done just as well today, it just sounds like they missed the mark in that regard.
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