Cinema Wednesdays - Ivan Garcia
Twenty-five years after the first opus, Space Jam is back. This time, basketball player LeBron James enlists the help of Bugs Bunny and the Tunes to save his son. A deliciously funny film that takes us back to childhood.
The 90s were a matrix of innovation: rap culture, walkmans, early Game Boys, And, in the middle of it all, a few cult films, including the famous animated feature Space Jam (1996) which, for its time, deployed a relatively confusing concept: a basketball star like Michael Jordan teaming up with the Looney Tunes to take on Martians in a cartoonishly high-stakes basketball game. A must-watch for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
A new era, a new cast
Fortunately, the good thing about modern times is that audiences are fond of sequels (or sequels). Sometimes to our dismay, sometimes to our delight. Such is the case with the new opus in this animated saga, entitled Space Jam: New Era. With Michael Jordan having aged, the film's hero is none other than Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who will form a Dantean team with the Tunes to get his son back.
The story in a nutshell: in addition to his sporting activities, LeBron James, aka «King James», devotes his time to a few representational tasks and looking after his family. But in this respect, life isn't rosy, as he struggles to understand his son Dominique, aka «Dom», a video game fan who wishes his father were a little less despotic - especially when it comes to basketball. During a visit to Warner Studios, King James taunts an ultra-sophisticated algorithm, Al-G Rhythm, who wants to use LeBron's aura to make himself known to the world. The digital despot kidnaps Dominique and propels LeBron into the world of the Tunes with one idea in mind: if the basketball player wants his son back, he'll have to put together a team and win a basketball match against him.
Space Jam: New Era, as its title suggests, sets the story in our own era. Social networks play an important role in the film, as Al-G Rhythm - note the villain in need of recognition - is keen to steal the limelight. followers of LeBron, as well as live-streaming the game on smartphones around the world. The film's opening scene shows a young LeBron (1988) in his hometown of Akron, as a friend gives him a Game Boy with a game of Bugs Bunny; a scene that offers many keys to the film's interpretation, notably by showing that, deep down, Dom and his father are not so different...
Children's games
After so many years, seeing Bugs Bunny and his pals pulling pranks and using their Tunes powers is a real treat. The film mixes animated images, such as when LeBron immerses himself in the world of the Tunes, with live action and 3D animation. For example, during the game, the Tunes will be upgraded to 3D by the villain so that everyone can see them properly. In terms of storytelling, as with other Marvel and Disney productions, we can see that the scriptwriter has taken advantage of the Warner universe and played with it to build his story. As Al-G Rhythm reigns over Warner's «server-world», it has access to a vast number of worlds (the world of Matrix, the’Harry Potter, of Game of Thrones, and Looney Tunes...) which he manages as he sees fit. On his arrival on the Planet of the Tunes, LeBron listens to Bugs Bunny's account of how his companions have left for other worlds. The two heroes decide to set off in search of them and, for example, find Daffy Duck (disguised as Superman) in Metropolis. The film is studded with references and nods to other films and other universes.
The great charm of Space Jam: New Era, is to take us back to childhood with well-known characters who are never short of ideas for this game of «custom basketball», as Bugs Bunny puts it. For example, we see Porky Pig engaging in a rap battle to earn the Tunes «style points», Coyote building a cloning machine and Sylvester making a cameo with Michael Jordan due to a misunderstanding. And for viewers who have seen the first film, there's no shortage of winks: we'll see the Monstars in the audience or, in the course of a conversation with Lola, we'll hear that she's «already been to a basketball game».
Space Jam: New Era offers a great deal of entertainment for young and old alike, and for the space of two hours, takes us back to childhood amidst the Looney Tunes. As Bugs Bunny explains to LeBron James, «it's fun, Doctor».
Write to the author: ivan.garcia@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved
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