Does The New ‘Space Jam' Live Up To The Hype? Here's What We Think It Gets Right

The long-awaited Space Jam sequel is officially out this Thursday and not only does A New Legacy live up to the hype, but it establishes itself as its own entity and fixes a number of problems the 1996 offering had.

Before you catch LeBron James and the Looney Tunes on the big screen, here are five things we learnt from the film.

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A New Legacy separates itself from the original

Despite the film’s premise, the best basketballer of his time being forced to play alongside the Looney Tunes, Space Jam: A New Legacy doesn’t feel like a sequel to its 1996 predecessor. In fact, it’s refreshing, catering to both those who loved the original release AND a younger audience. 25 years feels like just the right amount of time for a follow-up film.

OG fans will appreciate the occasional nod to the Michael Jordan classic, with various characters making passing comments to its existence, but it isn’t bogged down in trying to imitate or pay homage to 1996’s Space Jam.

Nostalgia isn’t forced upon you, but it’s there if you want it

Outside of a few notable sequences early on where the Looney Tunes and LeBron James are brilliantly edited into key scenes from Mad Max, Austin Powers, The Matrix and more, nostalgia falls more to the background.

You forget just how many iconic characters fall under the Warner Bros. umbrella until they’re used as an audience for a basketball game. From Game Of Thrones to The Mask to The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and so much more, you could seriously watch the film 100 times and notice new things on each viewing. As that’s more a background effect than anything, you can really choose how much nostalgia you decide to take on, and those unfamiliar with the various franchises or fandoms won’t feel alienated.

It fixes one of the original film’s biggest mistakes

Back in 1996, young fans watching Space Jam were blown away by the visuals of the film, but upon a re-watch in the lead up to A New Legacy, it kind of looks like garbage. It’s still fun, but something isn’t quite right and that’s the portions of the film where a real-life Michael Jordan is immersed in a fully-cartoon world alongside the Looney Tunes. It just looks tacky.

And it seems the team behind A New Legacy agree. When LeBron James is thrown head-first into the Looney Tunes’ cartoon world, he’s transformed into a cartoon character himself and it just feels right.

Another element of the original that feels jarring is when the Looney Tunes leave their cartoon home and play basketball in a real-world setting while still being cartoon characters. In A New Legacy, they’re transformed into CGI renders when in the real world.

‘Cancel culture’ hasn’t ruined your childhood

It’s been widely reported in the lead up to the film that Lola Bunny, voiced by Zendaya, would be less sexualised than in the first film.

As IndieWire reports, director Malcolm D. Lee said there was “super weird” backlash when that was made public.

"I had no idea that people would be that up in arms about a bunny not having boobs," Lee said.

“Listen, I understand people don’t want things to change, but I think we needed some evolution with her, not by objectifying her but by making her strong and still feminine. And, yes, we had all these other women who were like, ‘Oh, you can’t be strong and have big boobs?!’ Sure you can, but we’re talking about a cartoon bunny, not women!”

The updated appearance of Lola Bunny in A New Legacy has no impact on the quality of the film, whatsoever. And the fact people thought it might in the first place is bizarre.

Likewise, the absence of controversial Looney Tunes character Pepé Le Pew, who was removed from the film following a New York Times article that highlighted how the character “added to rape culture”, also doesn’t take away from anything.

We can’t let cinemas die out

You can watch this film at home and enjoy it plenty, but it almost demands to be watched on the big screen. It’s just so much fun. 

Outside of the visual effects from Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic, the animated sequences and bright, bold and charming and its soundtrack is one that can’t really be played too loud. 

After 15 months of limited access to the cinema, Space Jam: A New Legacy is a reminder of why they’re so important.

Space Jam: A New Legacy is showing in advance screenings now in cinemas. Check out the official trailer below.