Space Jam (1996)

I grew up watching Looney Tunes and I loved them (I still do. I just bought a Daffy Duck mug the other day and it's so beautiful I can't even) which is why I used to watch Space Jam all the time. I remember laughing so hard as a kid and I was curious to know how adult me would react to this. So I rewatched it. And it was dreadful. 

I'm pretty everyone knows the "plot" of this film but just in case you somehow managed to escape from it, Space Jam follows Michael Jordan as he decides to retire from basketball and play baseball instead. He sucks at baseball though. Meanwhile, in the cartoon world, five tiny aliens go over to Looney Tunes land and capture all the Looney Tunes and take them on their planet. As a way to escape from slavery, Bug Bunny (voiced by Billy West) challenges the aliens to a basketball game. But the aliens cheat and steal the bodies of five NBA stars, so the Looney Tunes seek the aid of Michael Jordan. 

Saying Space Jam's plot is weak is an insult to all those movies with a weak plot as Space Jam's is a poor excuse for a plot. It's brainless, makes no sense whatsoever and it isn't even that interesting. I know what you are thinking, it's Looney Tunes, it's not supposed to be smart. Well, any Looney Tunes episode has a better plot and it's more interesting and engaging than this film.

Then there are the characters. I frankly don't know how the filmmakers managed to do it, but none of the Looney Tunes has any charm. They are bland, they don't make laugh you as they usually do. In other words, they are pretty disappointing. Not to mention how obnoxious and annoying those tiny aliens are. Or Michael Jordan's horrendous performance and goddamn awful/non-existing comic timing. 

Just like the Looney Tunes, the whole Space Jam lacks humour. There are a lot of jokes but they are uninspired and pretty miserable, and they are never funny.

Warner Bros. Family Entertainment

However, the worst aspect of Space Jam easily is the animation. It is horrifying as it looks horrendously cheap. The Looney Tunes characters under this point of view too lack the charm of the classics. They look more like a bunch of caricatures than the original characters. It's not like the CGI is any better though. 

Ultimately, rewatching this film was quite a dreadful experience. There are still some things I liked about it. Wayne Knight and Bill Murray, for example, are quite amusing, and the soundtrack is awesome.