Space Jam (1996)

• Year: 1996
• Released: 15 Nov 1996
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 5 wins & 8 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117705/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Space_Jam
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/space-jam
• Available in: 720p, 1080p, 2160p
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
• Runtime: 88 min
• Writer: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris
• Director: Joe Pytka
• Cast: Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Theresa Randle
• Keywords: sports, alien, doctor, cartoon, live action and animation,

	6.5/10
	59/100
	44% – Critics
	63% – Audience

Space Jam Storyline

After winning the third championship with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan announces his retirement from basketball and declares his intention to play baseball. Meanwhile, deep in space, on another planet called Moron Mountain, an outer space theme park, Mr. Swackhammer sends five tiny aliens known as the Nerdlucks to go to Looney Tune Land and capture all the Looney Tune characters and take them to Moron Mountain. But the Looney Tunes think of a plan to find a way to escape slavery on Moron Mountain. And Bugs Bunny decided to defend themselves by challenging the Nerdlucks to a basketball game. Then the Nerdlucks use their strange powers to steal the talent of five NBA stars such as Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, and Shawn Bradley which they’ll ultimately transform themselves into the tallest and muscular Monstars. It’s up to Michael Jordan to help the Looney Tunes play a basketball game vs. the Monstars. But if the Monstars win, then Swackhammer gets the Looney Tunes, and along with Jordan to Moron Mountain.

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Space Jam Movie Reviews

Silly but hard to dislike

Movie about Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Roadrunner etc etc). An evil animated monster runs Moron Mountain–a planet with an amusement park. They need a new ride so he sends five helpers to Earth to kidnap the Looney Tunes characters. Then they can be used as a new act at the amusement park. Bugs and the others agree–IF they play them in a basketball game and win. Bugs and the others convince Michael Jordan to help them–but the aliens have evil plans up their sleeve.

Michael Jordan meets the Looney Tunes. Sounds like a sure recipe for disaster. I was positive this film was going to be a bomb when it was released (with HEAVY publicity) in 1996. Yes–it’s silly but if you love Looney Tunes (like I do) you’ll probably love this. The characters are treated (more or less) respectfully and during the climatic basketball game the stands are full of every Warner Bros. cartoon character ever made. One small mouse character who talks nonstop I remembered from childhood and I literally broke up laughing when he appeared! The animation is just great, the merging of live action with cartoon figures works and the script is fun. There are groaners and stupid lines but, all in all, it was pretty amusing.

The debits: Michael Jordan just can’t act. I’m sure he was a wonderful basketball player but his acting was as wooden as a basketball court. Also various other sports figures pop up and prove they’re worse actors than Jordan! Bill Murray (who can be good) is just lousy in a supporting role. And Wayne Knight is just SO annoying. Also I could have lived without seeing the Warner Bros. logo popping up everywhere. At one point it’s on Daffy Duck’s butt…and he kisses it! And there’s a brief take-off on “Pulp Fiction” which isn’t as funny now as it was in 1996. So, these things lessen the movie but don’t destroy it. Worth catching if you’re a Warner Bros. animation fan. Kids will love it. I give it a 7.

Authentic fun on everyone’s behalf

NOTE: This film was recommended to me by Ryan Clevenger for “Steve Pulaski Sees It.”

Living in Illinois, Space Jam is a film that hits the tender spots of the last two generations; one generation that got to experience Michael Jordan’s unfathomable legacy as arguably the greatest basketball player who ever lived, and the other, mine, that reflects on his legacy through highlights and documentaries to keep the memory of such an all-star alive. Jordan’s legacy didn’t stop at on-court talent, as he was one of the most marketed athletes of his time and helped popularize the NBA, let alone the Chicago Bulls, on a previously unforeseen international level.

If we remove the nostalgia factor from Space Jam, which is a very difficult thing to do by the way, then the film serves as Jordan’s versatility. After retiring from the NBA at a relatively young age to pursue a career in baseball, Jordan only became more of a fascinating person, in addition to someone with impeccable charisma. Space Jam exists as a response to Jordan’s departure from the NBA to the MLB, as the Looney Tune gang of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Porky Pig, and Lola Bunny all call Jordan out of retirement when they challenge a group of intergalactic invaders from “Moron Mountain” to a basketball game in exchange for the planet.

The Looney Tunes thing this will be an easy win, until the aliens from Moron Mountain, who are relatively puny in size and strength, find a way to steal the talents of star basketball players like Charles Barkley and Larry Johnson and become the “Monstars” of the court. Meanwhile, Jordan agrees to play for the Looney Tunes team, but it takes all of the five minutes of practice to show that the team is disproportionately talented towards Jordan. As a result, the team indulges in some aggressive training tactics to beat the Monstars and save the planet.

As an amalgamation of live-action and animation, especially in an age where Pixar was coming on the scene and traditional animation was soon to be phased out, Space Jam is bright and vivid. The real-life characters of Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, who has an amusing role, like he always does, Larry Bird, and even Bill Murray’s interactions with the animated characters of Bugs Bunny and the like in a convincing, believable manner. The result is a beautifully colored and nicely executed mix of whimsy.

Because both worlds of reality and animation are explored here, Space Jam has the luxury of being a film that can go beyond traditional boundaries of a sports film, and the Looney Tunes are no better characters to incite such zaniness. The animated bunch are quick-witted and ecstatic, and Jordan is clearly doing this for fun and excitement rather than a phoned-in project or another endorsement. Had Space Jam been more of a lackluster cash-in, sports fans and Jordan fans would’ve seen it from a mile away and dismissed the film immediately. However, because everyone involved recognizes what a zany project this is, they don’t try to fight the lunacy, but instead, play along, and that provides us, the audience, with a wickedly entertaining stride into a lively sports film that is so fun you almost, almost miss the clichéd underdog element.

Starring: Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Bill Murray, and Larry Bird. Directed by: Joe Pytka.

Hit em high (low)

What a soundtrack … I just rewatched this to be ready for the new one … and wow! I was quite blown away by all the songs on this, that I almost had forgotten about too. I’ve watched the new one too and while for me MJ is the one (you can feel differently about that, we can have different feelings on who is the GOAT, it’s all good), when it comes to acting … well LeBron is better for sure.

That being said, in a movie like this, there is not much you have to do acting wise. What I did like is that MJ does not take himself too seriously. While he has serious moments in there – the sub story with his dad, that I am certain was very important to him – maybe not so important to viewers who are unaware, but it’s a nice touch for sure – overall this is a funny affair.

Add to that some really good actors who have some hits and misses with their jokes (I love Bill Murray, but certain scenes did not age well) – of course this completely ridiculous story (or shall I say … “looney”?) is aimed at a younger audience. A now maybe grown up audience that went ahead and watched the new one with their kids. It’s been 25 years since this was released.

There is some lessons to be learned here … but overall you should watch it with a grain of salt .. and a lot of suspension of disbelief.