Space Jam (1996) (Movie Review)

  Time passes, people grow up, and it’s once again time to re-evaluate something I loved from my child hood. Today's topic is the 1996 animated sports comedy “Space Jam”, and I'm curious if anything really holds up after all these years. The short answer is ... it’s by no means a great movie ... it isn’t even good ... but dang it all ... I still “LOVE” this film! This goes to show the power of nostalgia, because as I’ve grown up, I can see just how stupid, and one-note the film is ... yet, it’s also a special time capsule of a film that takes me back to a treasured time from my youth. So, I just can’t bring myself to hate it, or say that its completely awful. I mean, I grew-up with the 90's, and this movie is about as 90's as they get ... honestly, I think it's the most obvious product of it's time, it's actually quiet amusing in just how dated it is. The movie is based on Nikes marketing ads for their “Air Jordan” shoes.

Their advertisements were big hits, with the main attractions for their campaign being Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan paired together. With these two iconic titans at high points in their popularity, it’s no wonder that Warner Brothers came up with “Space Jam” to bank on their success, and boy did they make “bank”. You could call it a corporate sellout, but so was “The Lego Movie”, and that film was outstanding. As far as sports movies are concerned, “Space Jam” still remains the highest grossing Basketball themed movie of all time. Now, ever sense 1975, there have been several theatrical animated movies themed around the classic Looney Tunes cast, most of them being compilations of their episodes, with additional scenes added in. “Space Jam” by contrast was the first real feature length movie to star them, and the first of their films to utilize a similar style to “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit”, namely the concept of combining live-action with cartoon characters.

  Well, if you’re going to have a movie starring the Looney Tunes, then you’re going to have a pretty loony plot to go along with it. Here’s the set up, a group of small aliens are looking for fresh new forms of entertainment for their theme park, and their evil leader decides to have the Looney Tunes abducted, and brought to their Moon to live as slave entertainers. Naturally, the most iconic of the Looney Tunes being the clever Bugs Bunny, is able to trick the aliens into a wager. The challenge is a Basketball Game, if the tunes win, their free, but if they lose, then they’ll be comedic slaves. The aliens don’t pose much of a competition at first, but then they steal the talents of five NBA champions, transforming them into formidable creatures colorfully called “Mon-Stars”. This is where Michael Jordan enters the picture, to give the tunes the winning edge they need. Thus, the game is on, and the fate of the Loony Tunes is in the hands of Basketballs most iconic 90's sports champion. It’s a ridiculous plot to say the least, but the concept of Michal Jordon teaming up with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes to battle aliens is just too cool to pass on. 

 

  Lets first look at the Looney Tunes, and how their portrayed in this film. Truthfully, while I was exposed to the Looney Tunes, and some of their classic shorts as a kid, I was never really drawn to them, at least not to the same extent I was to other cartoon characters I grew-up with. It's embracing to confess that, while I've come to admire these characters as an adult, all my real child hood love for them began and ended with “Space Jam”. Obviously, I’m very aware that the films portrayal of these characters is very distant from their cartoon show counterparts. Long time Loony Tune director Chuck Jones hated the movie, and found the films portrayal of these characters downright offensive.

He stated that Porky Pig for example would never stoop so low as to “wet himself”, and Bugs Bunny would never need help getting out of any situation, be it invading aliens or Michal Jordon’s family dog. I can definitely respect this criticism toured the film, and I’ll definitely talk about the juvenile hummer later in this review, but like I said, I’ve never been a real fan of these characters. I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with them, and I even respect their impact on the overall legacy of cartoon animation, as well as influences on modern comedy. However, I didn’t always enjoy their shorts, and I never even liked Bugs Bunny that much when I was a kid, as he just lacked the traits I loved in other iconic childhood mascots. He didn't have the same warm heart of Kermit the Frog, or the mischievous innocents of Mickey Mouse, or the adventure prone heroism of Super Mario. Now, I’m not saying that Bugs Bunny needs to be any of those things ... he is who he is, and others can find him perfectly appealing, and humorous by his own distinct merits ... he just didn't appeal to me and what I looked for in my cartoon characters. As such, the changes to him, and the Loony Tunes in general really didn’t bother me in this film. In fact, minus the juvenile comedy, I was actually very open to some of the movie’s character changes.

 

  There’s one stand out moment for me that really highlights why I liked "Space Jam's" portrayal of Bugs Bunny, and why it was the only portrayal of the character that appealed to me as a kid. Said moment being when Bugs Bunny risks his life by pushing Lola Bunny out of harm’s way before getting body slammed by one of the Mon-Stars. This scene, while short, and admittedly out of character, was just plain awesome, and made Bugs Bunny look good.

It was my impression that Bugs Bunny in general was a smart, but very “Care Free” individual, who had no real feelings for anyone, or even himself, he just needed to outsmart whoever he came across. However, this one little scene told me that the rabbit dose in-fact have a heart, and would put his own life at risk for someone he cared for. Congratulations “Space Jam”, you actually got me to respect Bugs Bunny in a way that none of his other incarnations did before. Again, I can respect that this action wasn't in his character ... but it's the one time I really fond myself liking him.

I suppose I should quickly comment on Lola Bunny, as this was a character created specifically for the film. Just to further emphasize how little I knew about the Looney Tunes, for years I was under the impression that Lola was a classic cartoon character from the Looney Tune's roaster.  Well, that’s not the case at all, as she was an original character, and one solely tied to the popularity of this film. Something I never noticed as a kid was just how little she actually appears in the film. Like, the movie has a run time of 88 minuets, and her total screen time is just under five minuets, and that's including group shots. Seriously, Lola actually comes very late into the film, and aside from being the only cartoon character who can actually play Basketball, she just sort of posses there in the corner, and doesn't contribute as much as I'd like her too. In Lola's defense, she had team spirit, she obviously contributes to my favorite scene in the film, and she looks great among all the different Looney Tunes characters. Honestly, I feel the Looney Tunes need a female character like her as a figurative Minnie Mouse to his Mickey ... just need to work on that personality, characterization, and I could see her fitting in just fine.

  Let’s finally talk about Michael Jordan, who’s respectfully an icon in his own right. Some have complained that his acting is a little stiff ... which is a fair point ... but at least he's a good looking stiff. In his defense, Jordan isn't playing a character, he’s just being himself. To be honest, there’s something charming about his laid back, every-man performance, which appropriately counterpoints the zany nature of the toons. Most celebrities are written as over the top versions of themselves, so I admire the restraint in Michael Jordan’s portrayal.

He does in fact have a captivating screen presence, and he feels like a living Superman whenever he’s in front of the camera. It should be noted that ... while the plot is themed entirely around the Looney Tune characters ... the focus of the movie is all on Michael Jordan. The movie even begins with a flashback scene with Michael as a child, casually shooting hoops one night with his dad, and it’s a great little scene that kind of gets me in the feels. In fact it's almost too good, as this scene puts me in a mind set that we’re about to watch an honest biopic movie revolving around the life of this legendary Basketball player. Then when the cartoon characters come into play, it really feels out of place. Seriously, this film does not set itself up as a Looney Tunes movie at all ... they just sort of pop up, and it clashes with the real world. At least “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit” set-up its cartoon mixed with live action world from the beginning.  

   

  The main villain called Mr. Swackhammer is nothing too special, but he is still kind of memorable in his own simplistic way. He’s voiced by Danny Devito, which is great, as he never fails to give villains a menacing charm. Actually, if it wasn't for Mr. Swackhammer, I probably wouldn't have been as interested in watching "Space Jam" back when I was a kid. My first exposure to this film was through a colored comic book, and I remember being intrigued by his unique alien-monster design, and I so badly wanted to see what animated movie this villain was linked to. Granted, I was disappointed by his short screen-time, but he gave me just enough to be satisfied.

   The Mon-Stars were also some of my favorite animated villains from the 90’s, and I even had a small collection of their action figures. Admittedly, the smaller versions of the aliens are extremely annoying, and even in their monster forms, there still subject to some really stupid jokes. Never the less, they still look cool, and the animation on them is terrific. Actually, one of my favorite animated highlights is the scene when the aliens make their first transformation into the Mon-Stars. It’s a short animated spectacle, with some terrific creepy imagery, and it definitely hearkens back to my nostalgia for “Night on Bald Mountain” from “Fantasia”.

  On that note, the animation in this film is outstanding, and a perfect combination of CGI laced with traditional hand drawn animation. Looking back, I forgot just how colorful the film looks, as every frame of animation just pops before my eyes. I love that there’s a lot of dimension to the animation, as it creates an environment that the characters can really move around in.

I also love all the little details, like when the tunes are playing basketball, and we can see ruff reflections of them on the floor as they move. That must have cost some extra money to animate, but it looks terrific. One minor complaint is that the cartoon characters mostly stay in their own cartoon world. One of the many charms of “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit” was seeing these cartoon characters in the real live action world, and moving real props. There is at least one great scene where Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck venture into Michal Jordon’s house to retrieve some of his Basketball equipment. This scene has all the good stuff, animated characters interacting with a live action environment, and on a side note, even though I’ve never been a fan ... there's still something special about seeing Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck together, exchanging witty remarks, and getting into comedic situations. 

  Unfortunately, this leads me into my biggest issue with the film ... the comedy, for the most part in this film is plain awful! It’s a shame too, because this movie was produced by Ivan Reitman, the same talent who gave us films like “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes”. Well, something just went wrong with this film, as the hummer is about as juvenile and childish as they get. It’s clearly hummer aimed at little kids ... toddlers actually, and even though I never really watched any of the original Looney Tune shorts, I still know there methods of comedy were much smarter than this.

In fact, from what I understand, their style of comedy was a main influence for modern day cartoons like “The Simpsons”. Again, compared to “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit”, that film had a charm, and sense of hummer that could be appealing to kids and adults alike ... this film doesn’t. Even worse, the bad comedy doesn’t stop with the Looney Tunes, it actually gets more unbearable with the live action cast. Comedian Wayne Knight, who I’ve loved in other films and TV shows, is reduced to an annoying side character. Bill Murray makes an appearance, which isn’t that funny, but it is amusing as he clearly doesn’t care about the movie he’s in. Also, I love how he refers to Lola as just “the girl bunny”. There’s also a sub plot revolving around the NBA Basketball players who lost their talent, and their scenes are the worst parts of the movie by far. Their acting is terrible, their dialogue is atrocious, and we even have to sit through long ... LONG ... montage of them just acting like losers.

  I will admit that the basketball elements of the film were done fairly well ... but keep in mind, this comment is coming from someone who doesn’t really like sports movies. I will say that whenever I watched this film as a kid, it made me want to go outside and play basketball or other sports games. I was not a sports kid at all, so I’ll always have fondness for this film, as it made me want to go out and play sports.

Even at the climax of the film, when Michal Jordon scores the final shot, it still gives me a little thrill inside, and a triumphant feel of satisfaction afterward. Although, I did hate how abruptly the movie ends. After winning the game, the aliens return him back to the human world, no one questions where he’s been, or why he was on a space ship, then he rejoins the Chicago Bulls, and the film just stops ... like the plug was just pulled out. Even the Looney Tunes just seem to drop-out of the film, as they don’t get a proper good-bye scene. Although, there is an amusing little after credit scene with the characters parodying the famous “That’s All Folks” closing statement. On a side note, I do love the ending credits themselves, as we see still photos of the movie in the backdrop, as opposed to the more traditional and boring black background. Someone in Hollywood needs to bring this cliché back into form, because I love it. It’s kind of a nostalgic way to reflect on the experience we had, and I wish more movies would do it.

   Now, let’s talk about the soundtrack, because for me, this was the best thing about the movie by far. In fact, much like “Batman Forever”, this is one of those cases where the soundtrack to the movie is better than the movie itself. I listened to this soundtrack all the time as a kid, and these songs were every bit as memorable as any of the popular Disney songs of the time. I think most of us still remember the “Jam” theme song that played during the flashy opening credit sequence, and it certainly did it's job getting me excited. My personal favorite song is “Fly Like An Eagle” performed by Seal, which is one of those songs that really got me pumped to go outside and play. Of course the big song that we all still remember is “I Believe I Can Fly” performed by R. Kelly. Completely putting aside the many debated controversies of R. Kelly, this song on it's own still remains a classic product of the 90’s, and still gets me in the nostalgic feels every time I hear it.

   As a kid, I always wanted to see a sequel to “Space Jam”, but it never happened. There was however another theatrical live action crossover with animation movie in 2003 titled “Looney Tunes: Back in Action”, which I found to be very forgettable in comparison to “Space Jam”. There are rumors of a “Space Jam 2” in development, and that Lebron James would star in it. This idea has some potential, but I think the novelty of a “Space Jam” sequel has worn out its welcome.

It was something special for us kids in the 90’s, and a nostalgic gem to look back on, but unlike “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit”, it wasn’t a film to last over the ages. It’s a perfectly harmless film to entertain kids, but there are obviously better movies out there to show them instead. I will say that the “Looney Tunes” have become less popular for the newer generations of children, and maybe something like “Space Jam 2” could be a nice way to re-introduce Bugs Bunny, and his classic ensemble of cartoon characters to future generations of kids. What more can I say, "Space Jam" is undeniably a silly film, not for adults, or anyone that didn’t grow up with it, but the movie still brings a smile to my face, takes me right back to that special era that was the 90's, and leaves me feeling warmly nostalgic.     

Thanks for reading my review of the 1996 time-capsule “Space Jam” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!