Although at first glance it looks like a movie dreamed up by a marketing committee (and in some respects it probably was), Space Jam actually defies the odds against it to become a dazzling display of family entertainment. There's a kind of demented genius to the idea of casting NBA superstar Michael Jordan in a live-action and animated movie costarring the beloved characters from Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes cartoons. They play off each other like seasoned veterans of vaudeville, and Jordan never falls into the kind of awkward, amateurish showmanship that you might expect from a sports idol. He's comfortable in the cartoon land of his costars, who include Bugs Bunny and sexy newcomer Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester & Tweety, Speedy Gonzalez, the Tazmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, and Yosemite Sam. They've all been hijacked to an outer-space amusement park run by the Nerdlucks, who strike a Faustian bargain with the Looney heroes: if Bugs and Co. can defeat the Nerdluck "Monstars" in a basketball game, they'll win back their freedom; if they lose, they'll be doomed to stay there forever as enslaved entertainers. So they kidnap Jordan as their coach and "secret weapon" while the nefarious Nerdlucks suck out the basketball skills from such stellar victims as Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing. It all leads to reckless abandon on the basketball court, and Bill Murray pops in for some hilarious support. Combining traditional animation and computer-generated Nerdlucks with its live-action cast, Space Jam was made in the anarchic spirit of the Looney Tunes cartoons, where anything goes as long as it's funny and off-the-wall (or the ceiling, or the door, or the floor...). Technically astounding, it's also witty enough to entertain adults and kids alike. --Jeff Shannon
Additional features Director Joe Pytka apparently has little to say about the making of Space Jam; he leaves most of the commentary to voice actors Billy West and D. Bradley Baker (who took over some of Mel Blanc's voices) in this enhanced edition of the film. The commentators spend most of their time complimenting the actors ("He's a great guy") and the film itself ("Rich, beautiful colors"). Although he made them sound spontaneous, Mel Blanc never ad-libbed: Talented writers crafted his lines. West and Baker aren't exactly raconteurs, and the result is like watching the movie while two guys in the next row talk about it and do so-so impressions of Bugs and Daffy. Also includes three music videos and an alternate music-only audio track. --Charles Solomon
(15 votes)
2.
"Space Jam" marks the film debut of basketball legend Michael Jordan, who plays himself opposite some rather "colorful" co-stars...
When the Looney Tunes bunch are kidnapped to another planet by the dastardly Swackhammer, Bugs Bunny challenges them to a basketball game to win their freedom. But when the hulking opposing team, the Monstars, sap the talent from such popular hoopsters as Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley, the Looney Tuners realize they're in deep trouble. In response, they enlist the aid of Michael Jordan, who trains and later joins the squad.
It's gonna be a wild 'n wacky, high flyin', slam-dunk of a game -- with everything at stake for Bugs and company. Can "Air" Jordan lead them to a victory?
(15 votes)
3.
His Airness and His Hareness: what a team! Michael Jordan slams, Bugs Bunny jams and a cavalcade of Looney Tunes stars hoop it up in Space Jam, the rim-rattlin' animated/live-action roundball romp from Hollywood talents who refuse to let their imagination be earthbound.
The jokes fly and the fun never stops as the Tune Squad takes on the Nerdlucks in a hardcourt game to decide if the Looney Tunes remain here…or become attractions at a far-off galactic off-ramp called Moron Mountain. The Nerdlucks have a monstrous secret weapon on their side: They've stolen the skills of top NBA stars like Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing and become Monstars. But that's not all, folks. The Tune Squad also has a secret weapon. And he just happens to be the finest player in this or any other universe. He's outta this world. So's the fun.
(15 votes)
4.
His Airness and His Hareness: what a team!
Michael Jordan slams, and Bugs Bunny jams and a cavalcade of Looney Tunes stars hoop it up in Space Jam, the rim-rattlin' animated/live-action roundball romp from Hollywood talents who refuse to let their imagination be earthbound.
(15 votes)
5.
His Airness and His Hareness; what a team! Michael Jordan slams, Bugs Bunny jams and a cavalcade of Looney Tunes and NBA stars hoop it up in the rim-rattlin', out-of-this-world, roundball romp: Space Jam.
(15 votes)
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