Rating:  -
Space Jam is a great movie for Looney Tunes animation but the acting was terrible therefore making any and all live action sequences bad by default. I'm a big fan of Looney Tunes however so the actual animation portions of the film redeem the time spent watching it.
This review is for everyone who is a fan of the extra cartoon shorts on this dvd realease. When I saw that "Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers" was added as a bonus feature I was pumped. I bought the dvd immediately and was greatly dissapointed by the fact that it is the censored and cut version! HOLY COW! Warner Bros! How could you do this?! "Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers" is amazing and you happened to transfer the version in which Yosemite Sam is completely cut out from the cartoon? The only reason this version exists is because it needed to be cut for time on television at some point.
Warner Bros, please release the uncut version of "Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers". Possibly as an extra on Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. III.
Props for releasing "The Duxorcist" and "Night of the Living Duck" which alone make this Space Jam dvd worthy of purchase.
Please consider also releasing other newer shorts like "Box Office Bunny", "Carrotblanca", "Chariots of Fur" and the half dozen Chuck Jones shorts made in the 90s before he passed away.
Rating:  -
SPACE JAM is now available as a deluxe 2-DVD set, and it's
about time! Drastically misunderstood and ridiculously
panned, Joe Pytka's madcap hook-up of Bugs Bunny,
Michael Jordan, and the wackiest basketball game in
film history is really a gem of a charming folktale,
playfully letting the viewer in on "the real reason"
for Jordan's 1st return to the game that he has
mastered so well.
It's unfortunate that so many apparently have some
serious problems dealing with an African American
celebrity respectfully placed in a Fantasy situation.
Nevertheless, the film is a load of laughs, with
some wicked satirical pokes at several of the NBA's
most testosterone-happy superstars, suddenly
deprived of their professional manhood!
Check the scene with macho-man Charles Barkley
getting a serious dose of comeuppance from a girl's
team on a playground court! Whether you know the
sport or not, the scene is a riot!
For all the disdain that this film has gotten for being
an apparent boardroom idea, SPACE JAM itself is
a well-made film, with a solid story cleanly told.
Jordan -in being smart enough not to play anyone
but himself- comes off very warm and highly
personable. Too, for one who's not a professional
actor, he works remarkably well, considering that
cartoon characters that he's with onscreen had to
be put in (via computer and traditional animation)
long after his performance. All in all, Jordan
copes with the camera far more competently than
one would have reason to expect.
Truth to tell, Shaq could learn a thing or two
regarding underplaying here!
As for Bugs and company, they receive the royal
treatment in a tale which places the freewheeling
Looney Tunes at odds with the terror which has
dogged their trail from their conception: corporate
disrespect, and commercial belittlement.
Their solution is a bizarrely logical melange
of live performers and fleshed-out cartoon
characters hitting the hoops with all the zeal
of a Globetrotters gig, and twice the crazy
antics to run through!
Between a sterling job bringing the Warner
Bros. characters to full-dimensional wit and
performance, guest shots from Theresa Randle,
Bill Murray, and Wayne Knight, a lunatic
nemesis voiced by Danny DeVito and a
heap of NBA players having a good ol' time
getting zapped, seanced, or pulled down
the daddy of all rabbit holes, SPACE
JAM is one great ride.
Add to all this a sleek new character
in the form of Lola Bunny, and some
serious Carl Stalling-inspired symphonic
scoring from the superb James Newton
Howard, and the sum result is easily the
finest achievement in this mode of
storytelling since WHO FRAMED ROGER
RABBIT.
Certainly, JAM's rollicking big-hearted
mythos is far and away superior to the
cardboard narrative of the more recent
LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION, where
live performers as capable as Brendan
Fraser, Timothy Dalton, and Steve
Martin were pathetically hemmed-in
by a bland storyline and cheesy
characterizations which were thinner,
and more non-dimensional than the
Toons themselves!
With BACK IN ACTION, someone
missed the point. The LOONEY
TUNES never left the building.
Or the scene.
A wild hare,
searching for Air.
Viewer, be fair!
Try SPACE JAM!
You might have
some fun.
Rating:  -
Three stars is high praise for a show like this, it DID have it's great parts, but on the whole, it shows little indication that the directors or the voice artists even WATCHED payed attention to the characters they were basing it off of!
The characters are unlike the originals. Case in point:
DAFFY DUCK -- One of the worst voices for Daffy I've ever heard! He has his funny lines, but when making a movie with Daffy Duck in it how CAN you even AVOID funny lines? This classic character (created by Fred Avery) is my favorite cartoon character. Why did they have to spoil him like this?
BUGS BUNNY-- Bugs Bunny's voice is bad, too. But aside from that, Bugs is OK (one of the few characters who is).
ELMER FUDD-- Yeechh! I could do a better Elmer voice than THAT! And the scene where Elmer Fudd makes a slam dunk is about as uncharacteristic as it gets.
PORKY PIG-- His voice is bad too. His lines aren't funny. He doesn't act like Porky...but besides that...
LOLA BUNNY-- Where in the heck did SHE come from? She isn't in any of the Looney Tune cartoons, so why is she in Looney Tune Land? Her voice is fine (just because she isn't in anything else, so I have nothing to go by), but if she had any personality to start with, she lost it halfway through the film. And when the giant alien is about to jump on Lola, she just stands there. WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HER??? At least Wile E. Coyote TRIES to run (he doesn't ever get anywhere, but his legs move). Did she WANT Bugs to get crushed (as in flattened.) Bugs loves himself too much to do that, anyway.
THE TASMANIAN DEVIL-- After you watch the picture, you forget he was even in it. His voice is OK, though.
TWEETY-- Awful! Terrible! Horrible! Embarrassing! Tweety's voice is the worst I've ever heard, Tweety isn't innocent like he is on the cartoons, he's MEAN (and he's not even FUNNY mean, like Clampett made him).
SYLVESTER-- Call me crazy, but he's the highlight of the movie. He doesn't do anything, but his voice is great, his lines are funny and his personality is "spot on". I don't like what he does with the fishing pole, but hey! I'm sure he was looking for fish!
WILE E. AND THE ROAD RUNNER -- Funny, but they don't do much.
For much (...) better results, watch Looney Tunes: Back in Action!
Rating:  -
How any critic can call Looney Tunes: Back in Action an exercise in franchise promotion but not puke at the 80-minute commercial that is Space Jam is beyond me.
Our plot has Danny Devito play the voice of an evil, monster type businessman who's theme park is failing. In desperation he sends 5 little creatures to capture the Looney Tunes and bring them back as the new attraction.
So...where is Looney Tune land? Apparently it's underground. And digging up any golf ball hole will eventually lead to it. When the Looney Tunes challenge the would-be kidnappers to a basketball game they kidnap Michael Jordan to be on their team.
The quality of the film nosedives from here on. Jordan's acting is so wooden it's mahogany. He expresses no confusion, joy or surprise at being yanked into Looney Tune land and confronted by all the toons. 'Bugs Bunny you're a cartoon you're not real', he says in the most flat, boring and dullest way (missing commas intended as he doesn't use them).
And then the big game follows. Once it's over, and there's no reason left to continue watching, the film goes on for another 10 minutes (to beef the running time up 'feature length') with the basketball/Jordan story. It's rubbish.
It's no surprise that the film is directed by Joe Pytka (he's NOT Joe Dante that's for sure), a man who has never done any other features but over a 1000 TV ads, or something. Space Jam is nowt but 100% proof Warner like to whore out their most famous creation to make a few quick, and cheap, bucks. It's heartbreaking, heinous stuff.
Casting Michael Jordan alongside the Looney Tunes is not inspired and imaginative. It's crass and desperate. Now they can attract sports fans AND kiddies. And Michael Jordan of all people! He's not a good actor and his fame outside of the U.S. is minimal to say the least. Moreso today.
The only part of the film that comes (very, very remotely) close to the true spirit of the Looney Tunes is the score. James Newton Howard (a truly bizarre choice, how about Jerry Goldsmith, Bruce Broughton or even Danny Elfman) recognizes the classic Looney Tunes themes and uses them appropriately in certain moments but the rest of the score is generic and uninspired.
Back in Action was intelligent, witty and satirical. Space Jam is corny, cheap and classless. It's an absolute travesty. How can we honestly take seriously a movie that has every cast member awe at Michael Jordan, has not too subtle product placement for McDonalds and has the Looney Tunes (one of the most ingenious creations in history) exploited in the most shameless and guilt free manner. With Space Jam, Warner showed that they'd cash in the Looney Tunes at a pawn shop for $5 if they could. A total lack of respect for Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson.
And they don't even act Looney. The only laughs come from Bugs and Daffy. And it's sporadic and inconsistent. Producer Ivan Reitman (who has no experience and no business with this franchise) managed to convince Bill Murray to appear in this drek (for about 10 minutes) so the trailer could boast an ACTUAL star other than Jordan. Murray's performance is the bare minimum and has a let's-get-this-over-with feel (though Murray working below-par is still miles ahead of many other actors at the top of their game). His appearance in the film is massively oversold.
It's just not fair that THIS is a big hit while Back In Action flopped horribly. I consider it the biggest miscarriage in justice ever. I still blame the marketing for Back in Action. It was bad, REAL bad. But still has some sort of quiet dignity about it when compared to the McDonalds promoted, in your face junk that was Space Jam's marketing. Is it any wonder Joe Dante had Back In Action nicknamed 'The Anti-Space Jam movie'?
And just what the hell is a Space Jam anyway? It's not even set in Space!!!
It took Warner 3 tries but the finally released the movie in its original aspect ratio. The DVD presents the film is 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with pretty active Dolby 5.1 sound. There are loads of features but they are all fluff. Some 80's Looney Tunes shorts are included too.
Rating: -
If you're a fan of the Warner Bros. cartoons,basketball,or golf,this film is for you. Basketball great Michael Jordan stars in this half-animated feature. At a basketball game,we see Bugs Bunny,Porky Pig,Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd in the audience. To the best of my recollection,Bill Murray and Danny DeVito have cameos in the golf scene(s). We also see Pepe Le Pew,Wile E. Coyote,Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales in this film. The featured song in this film is R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly",which was on hit parade in the fall of 1996 when this film was released.
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