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There is a case for Space Jam 2 being better than the original. Let’s talk.

OP
OP
Durden

Durden

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
12,511
I will say I'm leaving it at that. I know I keep tagging you and I'm sorry, but thanks excelsiorlef.. Your discussion has continued to be legitemialy fascinating and made me feel less crazy over obsessing 2 movie players basketball stars and a bunt,
 
GMM

GMM

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,482
Haven't seen the new one, but the original is pretty bad and it's only remembered fondly because of nostalgia, some people liking the new one better wouldn't surprise me since it's not exactly a high bar.
 
excelsiorlef

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,325
GMM said:
Haven't seen the new one, but the original is pretty bad and it's only remembered fondly because of nostalgia, some people liking the new one better wouldn't surprise me since it's not exactly a high bar.
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I disagree

It's remembered because it's a genuinely strange approach to commercialism

Like this is the same movie but played completely straight... it's going to be forgotten next week.

The original is remembered because it's genuinely a weird movie using real world truths about MJ to yell a irreverent story about the Looney Tunes playing basketball to secure their freedom

The side stuff with the other NBA players and the entire Bill Murray subplot, plus the legitimate top tier of all time soundtrack, create in Space Jam something that just stays far beyond what you'd expect.

It's not nostalgia. Not really
 
MoonToon

MoonToon

Banned
Nov 9, 2018
2,029
There is no world to me in which the treatment of the LTs in ANL is "better" than the original in any way.
I hope to never see that CGI Lola ever again. They were all terrible, but IDK how they got that silly dumb then it came to Lola's face.
 
TheBryanJZX90

TheBryanJZX90

Member
Nov 29, 2017
3,017
Just from the trailers, my whole family was in agreement that Lebron is a better actor than Jordan. Both are bad, but Jordan is just completely incapable of acting.

Luckily I don't actually have to watch either of these. The trailer for the new one and my memories of how bad the first one was are more than enough.
 
BassForever

BassForever

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,930
CT
I feel the first film hid Jordan's bad acting better behind a story that basically what Jordan went through IRL. LeBron may be technically a better actor, but the new film requires him to carry it more and he can't handle that weight.
 
random88

random88

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,287
Not US
I may be too old, but I can't imagine ANL having a special place in any kid's heart as much as the original had in OP's. No one was bigger than MJ at the time, Looney Tunes were incredibly popular, and we ate it up. I rewatched it every other day.
ANL is fake and soulles, and it feels forced. Tunes aren't that big anymore, Lebron is nowhere near MJ's popularity, and it assaults you with tons of other properties to make it an even bigger mess. And it also has the gall to have a running time of two hours, which is way too long.
 
digitalrelic

digitalrelic

Weight Loss Champion 2018: Biggest Change
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,124
After watching both back to back, A New Legacy is unquestionably better than the original.

But yeah they're both pretty awful.
 
Betty

Betty

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,604
No there isn't, I watched both back to back, Space Jam 2 has it's moments but Lebron is no Jordan and it's needlessly convoluted.

They are both just advertisements for merchandise and properties but only the original does it without feeling so dirty and cheap.

Plus there's small issues that makes Space Jam 2 much worse

- how could Bugs' friends all abandon him like that?
- why wasn't there more display of Lebron's prowess as a player like Jordan had in the first film?
- what happened to the relationship Bugs had with lola?
- why did the aliens root for the enemy team and why weren't they in Tune Land like they wanted to be at the end of the first film?
- the extremely cheap fake death at the end wasn't at all needed or sold well at all
- the basketball court felt tiny compared to the one in the original, it lacked scale and spectacle

Above all, the soundtrack for the original blows Space Jam 2 out of the water.
 
Parthenios

Parthenios

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
13,610
I feel like the OG Space Jam should be and is graded on a curve for being an original idea (yeah yeah I know there was a commercial first). If you're going to remake a bad movie then you need to be clearly better which ANL is not.
 
SPRidley

SPRidley

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,233
You know what is sad about all this? That the only movie that did this right was Roger Rabbit and we are never gonna get a sequel to that (and if we did it would probably be artistically much worse in comparison).
So... that we are never gonna get anything the quality of Roger Rabbit ever again is probably the saddest part of it all.
 
excelsiorlef

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,325
BassForever said:
I feel the first film hid Jordan's bad acting better behind a story that basically what Jordan went through IRL. LeBron may be technically a better actor, but the new film requires him to carry it more and he can't handle that weight.
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MJ not really acting actually makes him come across as more authentic especially as you say with it being based irl

Whereas LeBron is forced to play a completely fictional version of himself
 
TrashHeap64

TrashHeap64

Member
Dec 7, 2017
1,677
Austin, TX
The server-verse's only role was for WB to be like "look at all these properties we own, isn't it cool?!" and then never to reiterate other than some Family Guy tier references. All you end up with are Party City level cameos of people doing canned actions. All of the interesting characters are shoved in the background. The entire plot could have had the server stuff removed and it's still the same movie

As for the toons, they get like 4 minutes to actually go toon things. Absolute garbage movie imo
 
Creepy Woody

Creepy Woody

Member
Nov 11, 2017
2,625
Australia
I haven't seen the second yet, but I have asked my fellow workmates who are all mid gen z'ers if they knew what loony tunes is and they had no idea. Loony Tunes franchise dived off the face of the earth after the 90's it seems.
 
werezompire

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
11,353
I have not seen the sequel, but I went back and watched the first one as an adult a few years ago because my wife had never seen it and it was an eye opening experience. Enjoyed it as a kid, but as an adult, it was painful to watch.
 
RailWays

RailWays

One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
15,673
2nd movie isn't that bad, honestly. It has a more coherent plot than the original at least. Though the original's soundtrack is way better.
 
Pendas

Pendas

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,649
timrtabor123 said:
On a technical application of film making level? Sure. It hits a three-act structure with Lebron having a clear arc. Something MJ's Space Jam never had. As a Looney Toons vehicle? The comedic timing is pretty jank in New Legacy which neuters any concept for a joke they attempt.
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My issue is this arc took up WAY too much time in the Film, especially during the Third Act. We all know what's going to happen with Bron and his Kid. Why are we taking time away from the game to see he kid look look mopey, watch Don Cheadle chew scenery, and go back to reaction shots of his "who cares" family in the audience.
 
OmniStrife

OmniStrife

Member
Dec 11, 2017
1,778
Both movies are shit is such a lazy ass take.
SJ1 might not be a good film but it's better than ANL in almost every facet of film you could compare the two.
 
Violence Jack

Violence Jack

Drive-in Mutant
Member
Oct 25, 2017
41,743
The 1st film is more in line with what MJ was going through at the time. The 2nd turned Lebron into a shitty dad with an arc straight out of an after school special.

And while the Looney Tunes stuff may have been better in the 2nd (aside from that cringey Porky Pig rap) the villains were lifeless and devoid of personality compared to the Monstars.

There was also no need for the 2nd film to be as bloated and poorly paced as it was. It was nearly two hours while the first film was paced very well and didn't overstay its welcome.
 
TarpitCarnivore

TarpitCarnivore

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,226
BassForever said:
I feel the first film hid Jordan's bad acting better behind a story that basically what Jordan went through IRL. LeBron may be technically a better actor, but the new film requires him to carry it more and he can't handle that weight.
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I was thinking this whole watching it. The script offered no help to Lebron and asking the dude to carry a story of family in the way it did was odd. I thought Cheadle hammed it up with what he had so well
 

FantaSoda

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,992
lvl 99 Pixel said:
the first is better by being shorter



Being pulled into a golf course is certainly more in line with the cartoon logic. Turning the characters into one of many Intellectual Properties living as data just makes it extra hollow/cynical like the worst aspects of The Emoji Movie and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
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This right here. I watched ANL last night with my kids and I was so bummed out at how ham-fisted the IP placement was. Can a massive conglomerate company come off as insecure? It certainly felt that way, like WB was pointing at Disney and saying "Our vast IP library is just as good!" while trotting out media properties that haven't been relevant in decades.
 
Lmo2017

Lmo2017

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,115
To the east of Parts Unknown...
I'll challenge the premise that we got more Loony Toons with the fact we got lame Loony Toons. The classic gags were there but with none of the punch or comedic timing needed to make them work. Classic Loony Toons/Merry Melodies are heavily dependent on the soundtracks and timing for their jokes to really hit and I just didn't feel that here.

The movie almost feel like a 2 hour HBO Max commercial that ends with

The Apotheosis of Bugs Bunny?
 
Yautja_Warrior

Yautja_Warrior

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,699
United Kingdom
Watched it yesterday and the first film is superior in ever way.

The slapstick humour of the Looney Tunes was a lot more tame and toned down compared to how it used to be. Very disappointing.
 
BossAttack

BossAttack

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,978
No one is going to remember Space Jam 2 by next month. Yet, we're still talking about Space Jam, as shitty as it was, 24 years later.
 
transience

transience

Found the ultimate water hazard
Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,270
my 8 year old hadn't seen the original until we saw the new one last week. we watched both on the same day and he wanted to watch it again the next day -- but just the new one because he thought that one was better.

I'm pretty neutral on both movies. they're both fine things that exist as this weird adjacent thing to basketball, which is a sport that I really adore.
 
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