231. Space Jam - A New Legacy; movie review

 

 

SPACE JAM - A NEW LEGACY

Cert U

115 mins

BBFC advice: Contains very mild slapstick, language

It would be interesting to know how many people in the UK have heard of LeBron James.

He is, I now realise, the most successful basketball player since Michael Jordan and his career earnings have topped $1billion.

Indeed, he is so popular that this collaboration with Warner Brothers is ahead of Marvel's Black Widow at the US box office.

But so much of Space Jam - A New Legacy is about him that I would be surprised if it did as well here.

James plays a version of himself as a dad who pushes his children, especially his younger son (Cedric Joe) in his sport.

However, the teenager would rather develop computer games than go to basketball camp.

The sporting and digital worlds collide when Lebron is invited to Warner Brothers' studios to discuss a potential movie concept.

He hates the idea, much to the disappointment of his son and to the dismay of Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle), the Artificial Intelligence who is behind the proposal.

Yep, an algorithm which is a life form.

He drags Le Bron and his son into a digital world which is inhabited by the famous Warner Brothers cartoon characters, prompting a basketball match to decide whether the superstar should remain in animation hell for all time.

It is convoluted in the extreme and we know the outcome before the tip-off but it gives us a chance to reacquaint ourselves with the likes of Daffy Duck and the Road Runner.

To be fair to LeBron, he can act - indeed, he is probably better than Michael Jordan in the original Space Jam.

Malcolm D. Lee's movie is also wholesome family entertainment which is a rarity nowadays.

So, even though the plot barely makes sense and they might not have heard of its hero, the kids could well go for it.

 

Reasons to watch: Favourite cartoon characters and basketball superstar

Reasons to avoid: If you are not into basketball

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 5.5/10

Did you know? Le Bron James's family was poor and his father was an ex-convict. Fortunately, his basketball coach, Frankie Walker, took LeBron under his wing and let him stay with his family where he could get away from the projects and focus on school and basketball. 

The final word. Don Cheadle: “In every way it’s different. It’s a family story, it’s a story about a kid finding his way to individuate himself and follow his own path and his own journey, and none of that is in the first one." Supanova

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