Review: Chaotic 'Space Jam' occasionally rises above its self-congratulatory noise

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Space Jam: A New Legacy
2.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Writer: Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Keenan Coogler
Starring: LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy
Rated: PG for some cartoon violence and some language

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Synopsis: LeBron James is one of the world’s greatest basketball players. He’s not nearly as skilled in being a father. When James dismisses a business opportunity from Warner Bros. as one of the worst ideas he has ever heard, the project manager, Al G. Rhythm, has James and his son digitized and sucked into a virtual world.

Review: Several years ago, when I saw Prince in concert, a video clip of Alicia Keys inducting him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over and over again. It was a little bizarre. Not because Prince isn’t an incredible musician but because we were already there to see him. We were already sold.

Too much of “Space Jam: The New Legacy” is devoted to self-promotion. It’s a highlight reel for both LeBron James and Warner Bros. Not that you’d expect the film to be completely void of vanity. The Space Jam franchise exists less to tell a story and more to capitalize on the popularity of its star. If a story happens to appear along the way? All the better.

The film begins with a young James being dropped off at a basketball game by his mother. She is unable to attend. There’s work to be done and bills that need paying. We see James’s coach demand that he focuses on being a basketball player and tune out all other distractions. It’s the only way that he’ll be able to improve his and his mother’s lives. This is immediately followed by a greatest hits montage of some of James’s most notable moments on and off the court.

I don’t know if any part of this story is true. It does, however, set up the film’s narrative that adult LeBron is unable to connect with Dom (Cedric Joe), his 12-year-old son, who prefers videogame programming to basketball. For James, it’s basketball or nothing. Which isn’t exactly the wisdom that James’s coach was trying to pass on, but advice is often warped and distorted over time.

After a chastising from his wife (Sonequa Martin-Green), James invites Dom to attend a pitch meeting with Warner Bros. The pitch, which has been put together by a sentient computer program named Al G. Rhythm (Don Cheadle). James hates the idea. So, Al digitizes and kidnaps his son. It’s essentially “Tron.” Warner Bros. doesn’t own “Tron.” They do own “The Matrix,” so they say it’s just like “The Matrix.” It’s totally “Tron.”

James gets digitized as well and then makes a Faustian bargain with Al. If James can assemble a basketball team that can beat Dom and his videogame’s basketball team, Dom can go free. Which is kind of weird because it sets up a plot where the audience is asked to root for a grown man as he competes against his 12-year-old boy. It's for the boy's own good. Right?

Anyway, James is sent to planet Looney Tunes to recruit his team. Unfortunately, Bugs Bunny is the only character that remains. Everyone else has left to take part in other Warner Bros. intellectual properties. So, James and Bugs travel to a variety of film planets like “The Matrix” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (you know, R-rated films that kids love) to recruit the toons to join LeBron’s team. Okay, they also include “Wizard of Oz,” The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and a variety of DC comic characters. It’s sort of like “Ready Player One,” Warner Bros. does own that. The film's final act is primarily just the basketball game.

“Space Jam: A New Legacy” is an incredibly ambitious film. It wants to dazzle with spectacle and pull at your heart strings. It excels as a self-indulgent celebration and is filled with more Easter Eggs than any basket could ever hold (the crowd watching the basketball game is made up of characters from numerous Warner Bros. films). It’s not nearly as effective when the script requires James to show emotion. He’s not a terrible actor. He just doesn’t have the range the role requires.

There is an undeniably great scene that takes place during the basketball game’s halftime that is just good enough to justify the price of admission. From that point on the rest of the film is just noise, James making goofy faces, and chaos. It works as a fever dream. Maybe.

The message is good. The movie is okay. Proceed with low expectations and you'll be fine.