Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) slams into theaters this weekend and the first reviews are in.
Space Jam: A New Legacy, which stars LeBron James in the lead role (taking the place of Michael Jordan from the original 1996 Space Jam) is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and produced by James and Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler.
To say the reviews are mixed is mathematically sound as the film currently sits at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. This means that the amount of "Fresh" and "Rotten" reviews set the initial score at a midway point. The film has been shown to a handful of critics in Australia and New Zealand. Currently, there is a small sum of eight reviews published. We'd figured we’d read them all for you and let you decide if this changes your excitement level for the film.
Let’s start with the positive, shall we?
Graeme Tuckett: "There is a very real sense that Space Jam: A New Legacy is a love letter to the movies and to the people who make them."
Anthony Morris: "It works thanks to a fast-moving plot, a decent dynamic between father and son, [Don] Cheadle clearly having a lot of fun and a final game that, for some reason, has Warners most cartoony bad guys in the audience whether they're kid-friendly or not."
Hagan Osborne: "What is most thrilling about A New Legacy is the liveliness of the worlds created, with each destination carrying with it a varying style of animation that brings with it added freshness."
Dave Lee: "An absolute SLAM DUNK! Loaded with Easter eggs, classic Tune gags, and a punch of nostalgia, fans of the original will have a blast - while new audiences will be blown away by the modern spectacle (as it moves) in bigger and bolder directions."
And the less-than-positive...
Wenlei Ma: "It's hard to not feel like you've been swimming in some WB marketing executive's wet dream for two hours."
Peter Gray: "Mostly child-friendly fare that proves a colorful, inexplicable distraction that's unlikely to retain, ironically, any type of legacy for itself.
Doug Jamieson: Splashes of nostalgia and homage can be a wonderful thing, but this sequel rarely takes the time to stand on its own two feet.'
Luke Buckmaster: "To get to the final message about What Really Matters we are required to sit through the sensational whoop-de-do of the big game, which seems to go on for an eternity."
Does this move your nerd needle one way or another? We'd love to hear from you in the comment section. Space Jam: A New Legacy delivers nothing but net in theaters on July 16, 2021.