Space Jam review round-up: Warner Bros film, starring LeBron James, is 'overwhelmingly suffused with corporate propaganda'

Space Jam: A New Legacy is a follow-up sequel to 1996 hit Space Jam with NBA icon Michael Jordan in the lead. The new film stars LeBron James along with the classic Looney Tunes characters. It’s among the biggest releases this year after F9, The Suicide Squad and In the Heights. Directed by Malcolm D Lee, the live-action sports comedy also stars Don Cheadle, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, Cedric Joe, Harper Leigh Alexander, and Ceyair J Wright. The voice cast includes Jeff Bergman (Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam), Eric Bauza (Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian), Zendaya (Lola Bunny), Bob Bergen (Tweety), Jim Cummings (Tasmanian Devil), Gabriel Iglesias (Speedy Gonzales), Candi Milo (Granny), Paul Julian (Road Runnder), Klay Thompson (Wet-Fire), Anthony Davis (The Brow), Damian Lillard (Chronos), Diana Taurasi (White Mamba), and Nneka Ogwumike (Arachnneka). The first reviews of Space Jam are out and critics are less than pleased with what the film has to offer. Here is a round-up of the reviews: AV Club: “Space Jam: A New Legacy takes almost nothing but wrong turns, all leading to a glittering CGI trash heap of cameos, pat life lessons, and stale internet catchphrases.” The review adds, “Still, in at least one respect, A New Legacy is successful: Even those who hated the first Space Jam may find themselves suddenly nostalgic for its comparably quaint charms.” IndieWire: “Space Jam: A New Legacy is as relentlessly odd as its predecessor, but its even giddier interest in corporate synergy turns it into a far more cynical outing.” The Film Stage: “…it feels inexplicable why this sequel is 30 minutes longer and makes its predecessor resemble some example of strong, classical storytelling. At the very least, Michael Jordan rediscovering his love of the game with help from the Looney Tunes feels like a more coherent, honest assertion of a superstar’s brand than some message about “doing you” inside a giant ad for what’s available to stream on HBO Max.” The Hollywood Reporter: “Arriving a belated 25 years after the original, which was no great shakes to begin with, Space Jam: A New Legacy doesn’t live up to its grandiose, overly optimistic title.” Variety: “Point, LeBron — though it’s a low bar to clear. Space Jam: A New Legacy is chaotic, rainbow sprinkle-colored nonsense that, unlike the original, manages to hold together as a movie.” The Guardian: “That a sentient algorithm happens to be the bad guy would suggest a pass at satirical undercutting, a healthy attitude of subversion being part and parcel to the Looney Tune identity. No such luck, and that’s the most unforgivable offense against art of all. The suits at Warner turned their lovable hooligans into cheerleading mascots, and worse still, they’ve remade smartass jester prince Bugs out as a cornball. As commercial propaganda, this isn’t even convincing, portraying the studio it set out to glorify as a fading institution entering its decadent last-days-of-Rome phase. In this display of expensive corporate onanism, we arrive at a creative dead end for a studio reliant on classics that they’ve stopped minting.” Polygon: “…Space Jam: A New Legacy is so overwhelmingly suffused with corporate propaganda that it seems like the filmmakers are seeking exactly that sort of praise: not satisfying cinema, not a worthwhile story, not a fun time at the movies, but ‘a great product.’”