Lebron James and Don Cheadle star in this sequel to Space Jam in a gigantic advertisement for Warner Brothers’ intellectual property and a story about a father and son’s relationship.
Space Jam plot synopsis
In Space Jam: A New Legacy, Lebron James is confronted with differing priorities in his relationship with his son, Dominic “Dom” Jones, who is a fictionalized version of Lebron’s real son Bryce. Dom wants to build video games while Lebron predictably wants him to focus on basketball first.
When Dom is introduced to Don Cheadle’s “Al-G Rhythm,” an evil computer A.I. whose name is a pun on “algorithm”, things begin to take a turn for the worst. AI-G Rhythm convinces Dom that his powers and abilities supersede his father’s, both on the court and intellectually, enticing him to join him to develop a new version his video game and Space Jam itself, in which they will play for the fate of both the real real world and the digital realm which Toons live.
The movie has already earned a fairly consistent narrative. Many critics have questioned whether this was necessary and suggested the Lebron James’ produced sequel to Michael Jordan’s original Space Jam is a bomb.
Takeaway’s from Space Jam
For all intents and purposes, Space Jam is a coming of age story about a boy who has to both stand up to his father and then join him to defeat the hilariously evil AI-G Rhythm. Is it a bomb? Well, if you’re older than 10 and looking for a gut wrenching story with twists and turns, maybe so. But is it supposed to anything more than that?
Don Cheadle does us all a favor by not taking the role too seriously, almost as if he’s turning it down a notch so it doesn’t appear unbalanced when he’s sharing the screen with Lebron. This is no knock on Lebron – he holds his own for someone who’s primary job is playing basketball and not acting. But there is still a pretty clear level of experience between the two on screen, as would be expected if the shoe was on the other foot.
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Summary
The end result is a funny, serviceable, and I would argue enjoyable movie. The ending is predictable, the Toons are fun, and again, Don Cheadle was particularly great to watch if you’re a fan of his; it’s a pretty rare role for him to be in. The kids will enjoy it and it won’t bother you while they do, you might even enjoy it yourself just for the nostalgia of Toons that haven’t enjoyed this much tube time since the last Space Jam.
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