Space Jam

A cult classic, right place and right time.

Basketball legend and global icon Michael Jordan is thrust into the world of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes to defend their freedom in a basketball game against the maniacal Mr. Swackhammer and his team of Monstars who have stolen the talent from NBA Superstars.

That's all plotwise folks, it's no masterpiece and goes for only 87 minutes but it is original, funny and has a fantastic soundtrack.

Michael jordan is no actor but he's very endearing and he's backed up with the comedic talents like Wayne Knight and Bill Murray along with some other great cameos from the NBA landscape.

"Spacejam" is a good time for families and basketball fans alike.

When i was a kid i used to watch it at least once a week.Now i'm a teenager and i still love it.

This movie is simply fun and entertaining and clearly aimed for children; its just great to see all the cartoons' characters which you like in a movie . The introduction about Michael Jordan's skills is epic as well as the final match.I really liked the soundtrack but not so much the graphic.

It sucks that this movie and Looney Tunes have been forgotten; 5.9 out 10 is just to low for this great movie, it must be rated and reviewed with the eyes of a child.

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.

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.

This movie is filled with nostalgia all the way back to 1996, back when having live action in an animated environment was mind blowing.

The looney tunes are entertaining and Michael Jordan isn't that bad, the animation on the looney tunes weren't that bad either for 1996.

This movie is just an interesting, fun and entertaining watch for the people who want to see the looney tunes.