Space Jam: A New Legacy Provides Nostalgia Yet Falls Short In Delivering A Slam Dunk Sequel To Its Cult-Classic Original

   

      For anyone growing up during the 90's era, Warner Brothers Space Jam served as the epitome of its culture. Released in 1996, the film became a cult-classic along with its unforgettable soundtrack. Fast-forward 25 years later, audiences are finally delivered a sequel that aspires to create its own legacy while distancing itself from the original. Whereas that film capitalized on the fame of then Basketball star Michael Jordan, the sequel places Lebron James in the main role with less satisfying results. Though mildly entertaining, the sequel strives to make a winning team out of both James and the Looney Toons, yet often finds itself missing the magical feel, meta-humor, and heart of its iconic predecessor.

      Space Jam: A New Legacy has basketball star Lebron James trapped in a digital space while attempting to rescue his kidnapped young son (Cedric Joe) from a rogue AI (Don Cheadle). To get him back, he teams up with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Toons squad for a high-stakes basketball game against the AI's digitized champions. The first film was a hit with audiences because of its clever pairing of The Looney Toons with Michael Jordan. It was the latter's star power along with the combined talents of Bill Murray, Wayne Knight, and Danny Devito which made it a success. The sequel tries its hardest to make lightning strike twice with James as the main celebrity attraction, though the problem lies with the film utilizing the exact same formula as the original yet feeling half-hearted in its intentions. Despite the sequel having a positive message behind it for kids, its tone feels uneven with the stories human focus feeling too pretentious at times. The newest film aspires to be a worthy follow-up to its original while building its own legacy. While it doesn't succeed on that front, it's not a full-blown letdown with it managing to be passable at best.

      The first Space Jam was elevated by Jordan's presence, which gave it a larger than life feel. His acting wasn't the greatest, but his performance managed to be serviceable enough in propelling the story. When audiences watched Jordan, they were looking at a real star. The performance that Lebron James puts in here is passable considering his lack of acting experience, though he doesn't match the presence that Jordan had in the original. Don Cheadle hammers it up as Al-G Rhythm with him making the most out of his role in the film. Cedric Joe impresses as Lebron's fictionalized younger son Dom with both sharing convincing chemistry, which allows the audience to buy their father-son relationship. Sonequa Martin-Green shines as Lebron's fictionalized wife in the film Kamiyah James, with Ceyair J. Wright as Lebron's oldest son Darius. Harper Leigh Alexander does well as Lebron's daughter Xosha James. Despite the film centering around Lebron James and the Looney Toons, the supporting cast does well in filling James' family tree. The voice actors all do terrific jobs in the roles of the Looney Toons with Zendaya giving a smooth character upgrade of Toon character Lola.

      Malcom D. Lee's directing provides a more colorful and visually dazzling atmosphere in comparison to its predecessor with the films digital look drawing comparisons to Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. The original Jam was immersive with its blending of the natural world combined with the animated one. Although it's visuals look outdated by today's standards, they achieved a perfect balance of reality and fiction that the sequel often struggles with. The cinematography, though colorful, feels uneven with the film shifting from a realistic documentary style look in the scenes focusing on Lebron to the animation generally used for Looney Toons cartoons, and the digital computer universe that Cheadle's character controls. Another area where the sequel pales in comparison to the original is its soundtrack, which lacks a memorable theme. The original film had hit singles that 90's audiences still recite such as Fly Like An Eagle and I Believe I Can Fly. Despite the sequel being longer in length, the pacing keeps everything moving relatively fast. On a visual level, Lee gives the sequel a significant technological upgrade, particularly when the Toon squad is transformed into 3D animation. Considering this is his first effort in handling CGI/animated characters, he does a solid job but doesn't balance things as well as original director Joe Pytka's work on the first.

      The first Space Jam was about making dreams become reality with the writing showing Michael's struggle with choosing between the profession he loves, and that of his fathers which was Baseball. The story was structured around Michael leaving the game behind, but slowly finding his way back to the court through his helping with getting the Looney Toons to stand up to the space aliens trying to imprison them. The script for A New Legacy takes a different angle yet still carries a strong message for young kids that says adversity is part of the process of pursuing a goal, while encouraging them to dream big. The core of the film lies with the relationship between Lebron and his son Dom with the latter desiring to pursue his own dreams rather than be the Basketball player his father wants him to be. The character of Al-G never matches the intimidating presence of Swackhammer (Danny Devito) from the original nor does the audience feel what's at stake in the sequel like in comparison to the first with the Looney Toon's potentially becoming prisoners to the Nerdlucks. The sequel carries a more serious tone along with a more corporate-driven approach that's evident with the overstuffing of Warner Brothers properties (Game Of Thrones, Superman, The Matrix) and endless cameos being showcased throughout the film. Although those moments provide nostalgic laughs, they also take away from the sincerity of the films storytelling. The most interesting aspect about the firsts story was that it wasn't just a personal character arc for Michael Jordan in choosing between two professions, but other Basketball players were shown struggling without their skills at playing Basketball. The audience cared about the side characters in addition to Jordan and the Looney Toon's such as Bill Murray's character wanting to play professional Basketball and even appreciated Wayne Knight's role. Al-G trying to get Dom to choose his side over his fathers in winning the Basketball tournament feels like a subplot lifted from Steven Spielberg's Hook with Lebron's character arc not being as engaging as Michael's. Despite the scripts noble intentions with the message it aims to convey to young kids, the script for A New Legacy doesn't feel like it has its full heart invested in it.

      Continuing the legacy of Space Jam for a new generation of audiences was always going to end up being dicey for its creative team. The film lacks the personal touch that the original had along with making audiences empathize with its main star. Whereas audiences cared about wanting to see Jordan continue playing Basketball, it's hard to find reason to like Lebron in the sequel considering how he pushes Dom to choose his profession. The film will delight young kids who just want to see Lebron James team up with the Looney Toons. For those who are fond of the original, they'll find this legacy to be one that doesn't live up to the originals name. Whereas the first had audiences feeling that they could touch the sky in regards to fulfilling their dreams, the sequel never exactly figures out what way it wants audiences to feel other than disappointment in watching it. 

Final Verdict: Stream It Only.

Images Courtesy Of Warner Brothers

F9 Is Insanely Over-The-Top To Watch That Its Level Of Enjoyment Cannot Be Denied

      When looking at long-running film franchises, few remain as transformative and popular as the Fast And Furious saga. Beginning in 2001, the series has spanned the course of 20 years on the big screen with 9 installments and one spin-off film: Hobbs And Shaw. Originally viewed as being a franchise that primarily showcased fast-cars, crazy stunts, and a charismatic ensemble cast, the series has seen itself expand from being only such to revolving around Spy-themed plots, which also include heists and fighting superhero like villains with this trend carrying into the series latest entry, F9: The Fast Saga. Released after a full year delay due to Covid-19, the newest sequel finally hits theaters and further pushes the envelope. Though F9 is the most-over-the-top chapter, its entertainment value cannot be denied, regardless of how preposterous it manages to be.

      F9 has Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel) raising his son in an isolated farm while attempting to live a quiet life. He becomes persuaded to take another dangerous mission when his team uncovers a previous nemesis causing new mayhem with Dom's long forsaken brother (John Cena) being implicated in the scheme. F9's plot is about as outrageous and unrealistic as the series can get with the film continuing the franchise trend of fast cars, explosive action, and the suspension of disbelief that further propels it to a new level of absurdness. Just when audiences didn't think things could get anymore ridiculous, director Justin Lin surprises with even more spectacular set-pieces that reshapes the series from where it originally began as mainly revolving around street-racing. Although self-aware in its craziness with zero effort being made to downplay it, the film holds entertainment value within its mayhem that can't be denied with it placing the films action on top form after briefly falling with its previous film.

      The main cast delivers once again with Diesel dominating the screen with his tough guy persona. He drives this vehicle with full throttle put into his performance, along with showing a different side of Dom that still harbors strong animosity towards his brother. John Cena proves himself to be a worthy rival to Vin with his role as Torretto's forsaken brother Jakob, now working as a master chief assassin. Despite Cena's brothers reveal feeling contrived, he sells it while sharing an equal screen presence to Diesel. Michelle Rodriguez delivers her typical female badass persona as Dom's wife Letty with her and Diesel still making for a dynamic ride-or-die together couple. Both Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris remain charismatic in their roles as members of Dom's team Roman Pearce and Tej Parker with both serving as the films comedic duo. The rest of the supporting cast consist of returning faces from previous films with everyone giving performances, that add a high level energy of the film. Nathalie Emmanuel once again shines as British computer hacktivist/member of Dom's team Ramsey along with Jordana Brewster returning as the latters sister Mia. Although audiences may not find themselves buying her characters return to the action given her link to Brian, her return is a welcomed surprise with the same being said for Sung Kang as former member of Dom's team Han, originally thought to have been killed. Charlize Theron returns as cyberterrorist Ciper from the previous film with her making the most of her marginalized role this time. Although their appearances are brief, Michael Rooker makes the most of his part as Dom's father's friend Buddy with Helen Mirren and Kurt Russell making noteworthy reprisals as Magdalene, mother of Dom's previous enemies Shaw and Deckard and Russell as Mr. Nobody. Much of the reason why the film is entertaining is because of the effort the cast puts into making it as such.

      Returning to the directors chair after previously helming parts 3 thru 6, Justin Lin brings the same high-style and kinetic energy that he gave previous entries in the franchise, while further expanding on its rather convoluted timeline. He has proven himself to be one of the key figures who understands what makes the franchise work, and continuously raises the bar. He directs the films action sequences with stunning cinematography and fast-paced action, that consists of unrealistic car chases including a train flipping on its back, cars swinging on rope, consistent hand-to-hand combat, and an unbelievable scenario resulting in a car being shot into space on the back of a rocket (You heard that correctly). Like past Fast soundtracks, this one fits with the films hip style while boasting a stellar lineup of established stars and up-and-coming artists in hip-hop, R&B and Latin music. Diversity has always been a main driving point for the franchise with the films choice of music reflecting that. The film finds itself suffering from having one too many flashbacks, although they don't slow it down severely as the action keeps things moving. Overall, Lin appears to have a genuine understanding of what audiences want with delivering insane set-pieces, while adding more depth to the characters. The series often does better when he's behind it with F9 proving that. 

      With how unrealistic F9 appears, a believable story isn't required in order to make it work as solid entertainment, but Lin and co-writer Daniel Casey take the initiative in providing more background to Dom's past despite the revelation of him having a brother being forced. F9 is the most far-fetched of the series as far as writing goes with the subplot involving Jakob feeling like a massive stretch. The film connects itself to the previous Furious film with Ciper's subplot extending to the story here. The script uses the word family so excessively that it could be made into an intense drinking game. The screenplay even manages to poke fun at the fact that Dom's team has been involved in a series of crazy missions with the characters remarking about how they manage to survive them all up to this point without a scratch. It's with this type of humor delivered that shifts the franchise from attempting to be somewhat realistic to the point of self-parody. The series at this point knows that its gone beyond the point of being excessive with Lin and Diesel milking the extremeness of the story to maximum effect in terms of what insane set-pieces can be shown. With the franchise going as far as ending up in space, one wonders what's possibly left for the creative team to do with the two part finale due to begin filming early next year. The films action makes little to no sense with the suspension of disbelief being completely tossed out the window when seeing unrealistic moments such as cars swinging on rope, but those set-pieces succeed in fueling the stories adrenaline. Although the writing for F9 is riddled with generic moments and cliches, it's serviceable enough in giving audiences moments of jaw- dropping stunts. 

      Unsurprisingly, the franchise appears to be running out of steam with where it can go story wise with F9 despite Lin keeping the action on top form. It won't win over any new fans to the series but longtime ones will undoubtedly find all of the essential ingredients present that makes the series so appealing to them, while also rolling their eyes at some of the key plot elements thrown at them. F9 is so hilariously over-the-top and extreme with its execution that one can't help but enjoy the experience. The film was designed to be an explosive piece of adrenaline-filled entertainment and lives up to its promise of being such, regardless of how ridiculous things get. That's perhaps the best way to view it.

Final Verdict: Stream It When Available

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Black Widow Thrills While Giving Its Main Superheroine Closure That's Fitting

  After a rough start to the year, the summer movie season finally gets off the ground with the release of Marvel's Black Widow making its way to theaters after a year long delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With audiences last seeing Scarlett Johansson's character in Avengers: Endgame two years prior and her characters fate in that story, it  feels right that the Marvel team revert backwards in exploring Natasha Romanoff's past. Though it may confuse general audiences with its setting in the timeline, Black Widow contains enough of what Marvel fans desire to be thoroughly entertained by, even if it doesn't really bring anything groundbreaking to the table in regards to storytelling. 

      Picking up after the events of Captain America: Civil War before both Infinity War and Endgame, Black Widow explores the origins of gifted Spy Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) beginning in 1990's Ohio with her posing as an elder child of a Russian spy couple (David Harbour and Rachel Wesiz) with the story fast-forwarding years later to her meeting her fake younger sister (Florence Pugh). Together they try to track down and destroy a Russian operation that creates Black Widows through mind control. With the films plot designed to give audiences answers regarding Natalia's past, Black Widow does its job very well in giving Johansson her first standalone film in the universe with it being a highly enjoyable and intense action-packed experience. The film combines the Spy elements of Captain America: Winter Soldier, along with giving the story a more personal approach which makes it feel grounded in scope. It's not the Marvel film to change the course of things nor reinvent the wheel, but it succeeds in giving Johansson a fitting farewell with the character while humanizing her.

      The effectiveness of the story was always going to hinge on the strength of both Johansson and the cast in bringing it to life on the screen. For Scarlett, the role represents a decade of playing Natasha Romanoff with the character starting out as being hypersexualized before becoming more fleshed out as the universe progressed. Here, she appears to have a genuine understanding of Natasha and compellingly plays the part as someone forced to confront her own past regarding her family tree. Although Johansson does well in her role, Florence Pugh steals the show as Natasha's fake younger sister Yelena who rivals with her at first, but deep down accepts her false family heritage to be real. Rachel Weisz and David Harbour deliver strong performances as both Natasha and Yelena's false Russian Spy parents Melina and Alexi with Weisz's character being a Black Widow and Harbour's being the Russian super-soldier counterpart to Captain America named Red Guardian. Ray Winstone is effectively menacing as Dreykov, the Russian general and head of the Red Room who controls the Black Widows. The rest of the supporting cast give noteworthy performances with William Hurt reprising his role from The Incredible Hulk and Civil War as former Army general Thaddeus Ross, and Olga Kurylenko in a key role as Dreykov's daughter Antonia/Taskmaster who completes missions for the Red Room. Like all previous Marvel films before it, Black Widow assembles a talented cast of actors/actresses who show pure devotion to bringing the overall story to the screen in a way that feels both realistic and memorable.

      The directing by Care Shortland is dark, though feels steady-handed and focused with its overall narrative. She presents the story as being funny along with being dark, brutal, and honest with its revelations regarding Natasha's past. The films action is executed with a dose of kinetic energy, including well-shot and choreographed fights between Widow and Taskmaster, as well as an eye-catching fight sequence between Natasha and Yelena that results in a John Wick style kitchen fight. The cinematography creates a gritty feel with the costume design reinforcing the grim nature of Natasha's past while giving her a more superhero appearance (Natasha's white costume for example), whereas Yelena's suit gives off the Russian Spy vibe. The score by Lorne Balfe is effective in reinforcing the Russian aspect of the plot. The editing gives the action sequences a fast-paced feel with the overall film feeling a bit slow-moving given its two hour running time. Shortland does a decent job of balancing the action as well as developing the characters. Much of the films action is what Marvel fans have become accustomed to with Shortland providing the right rush of adrenaline, while emphasizing the emotional core of the story. Despite certain moments carrying an overuse of CGI that gives the movie a video game feel (The climactic action sequence for example), Care Shortland does a sufficient job of crafting a taut family comedy/drama sprinkled with elements of a classic Spy thriller that just happens to be a Marvel flick.

      The writing by Eric Pearson from a story by Jack Schaeffer and Ned Benson utilizes elements from Civil War with the heart of the story being the sibling relationship/ rivalry between Natasha and Yelena. Their dynamic is not written to strictly show the two fighting each other straight through, but shows the strengthening of their bond through shared experiences along with them sharing light-hearted moments such as Yelena making fun of Natasha's pose while fighting her enemies. Yelena's character also appears set to pick up the mantle passed to her from Romanoff. The characters of Melina and Alexi are shown to have distinctly layered personalities with Melina being deadpan, while coming to terms with her past as a failed mother. Alexi is shown to be a comically flawed individual who isn't a noble person, but shows signs of redemption through his admitting of faults as a father-figure to Natasha and Yelena. One of the scripts boldest moves is the switching up of Taskmasters gender from it originally being a male to a female. The change proves effective with character being presented as extremely skillful in mimicking her opponents' fighting styles, while carrying much internal pain due to her fathers abusively controlling ways. Dreykov feels like the appropriate villain for the story with him being written as a corrupt puppeteer, who holds no regard for hurting anyone and controls everything from a Red Room with him appearing to be untouchable. Other interesting character subplots involve the hinted romance between Rick Mason and Natasha with the film toying with the idea, but rightfully dropping it to focus on Natasha and her family. As a whole, the story for Black Widow is carefully written in a way that doesn't make it contradict with the events of Infinity War. Here the characters and themes are thoroughly fleshed out with the audience becoming invested in Natasha's past and dysfunctional family dynamic. The newer members of Romanoff's family are properly introduced in the films clever opening scene with them being appealing along with the villains of the story. 

      Putting it simply, Black Widow is a story about pain and sacrifice which both Natasha and Yelena feel in knowing what's real and what's not with their relatability bringing them together in the form of a unique sisterhood. The film works effectively in giving Natasha Romanoff's character proper closure with the story being groomed to continue through the perspective of Yelena's. Although it can be said that some of the films best elements come from others in the MCU like Civil War, it succeeds in removing the hypersexualization of its main heroine and providing her with a soul. Black Widow  stands as being a solidly entertaining standalone origin story that's elevated by top notch action, deeply engaging themes, and a fantastic supporting cast which makes it an enjoyable cinematic experience that should've been the film to come out first before Captain Marvel. 

Final Verdict: See It.

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Images courtesy of Disney

Wrath Of Man Entertains As A Darkly Violent Revenge Flick That Places Jason Statham On Top Form

     

       One of the most interesting aspects behind a films production is the actor-director duo which often extends from one production to the next. Such a collaboration generally occurs because of the strong relationship both partners share with them understanding and knowing how to work off each other. With Wrath Of Man, the film marks Guy Ritchie's and Jason Statham's fourth collaboration together (Their previous works include Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and Revolver) with their latest effort being a fun action-packed revenge/heist thriller that capitalizes on the main duos talent while placing them right where audiences want them, which is guns blazing and the experience being a wild revenge tale. Although the plot is generic with it having been done before, Ritchie and Statham manage to make it work as being fun popcorn entertainment with the latter further demonstrating his appeal as an action star.

      The plot for Wrath Of Man centers around a newly hired security guard (Jason Statham) with a special set of skills, aiming to settle a deadly score while working at an L.A. cash truck transport facility. The film makes no attempts to be groundbreaking nor reinvent the wheel with its story, and has Guy Ritchie utilizing his trademark directorial style while relying on Statham's charisma as an action-star to make the film a fun revenge flick. For this particular revenge/heist story, Ritchie makes it twisty with the plot being flashback-fueled with Statham helping to set the mood with his strong intimidating presence. The film is violent with the action being kinetic enough to hold the audiences interest as the plot unfolds with surprising revelations. If Statham wasn't an already established action star, the film would serve as being a star-making vehicle for him. Although it won't blow audiences away in regards to storytelling, the film packs enough punch with its grim style action and Statham's vengeful persona to make it a thoroughly entertaining experience. 

      Much of the films strength stems from the compelling performance of its main star with a reliable supporting cast working beside him. As the lead, Statham feels ideally cast with him being effectively thrilling to watch as mysterious and wild-eyed figure H, who stuns his co-workers with his precisive skills in defending the armored truck he's assigned to guard. Statham does well with helping establish the mood and tension of the story. Scott Eastwood impresses as former military soldier tuned heist thief Jan, with Eastwood portraying him as being volatile. His character is one whom audiences love to hate, especially upon seeing revelations unveiled regarding his character. Josh Hartnett surprises with his noteworthy supporting role as Fortico's armored car guard Dave. Though not the main role he's generally accustomed to, Hartnett's role is sizable enough to leave a favorable impression with audiences. Other strong supporting roles include Holy McCallany as Fortico guard Haiden, along with Jeffrey Donovan as the heist crews main leader Jackson, and Andy Garcia in a small role as FBI Agent King who gives H the information needed to kill his way to the person responsible for the murder of his son. The film was always going to require the appropriate main lead who could not only sell its thin revenge plot, but make it feel fresh. With Statham, he proves to be a fitting choice backed with a believable cast. 

      The directing by Ritchie surprises as being bleak and gloomy with his trademark humor and fancy camerawork style being completely absent here. He gives the film both a sleek and suave look that creates a true heist thriller feel to it, with the plot being kept constantly moving with its two hour running time. The first hour has him properly setting up the characters and tension of the story with the second half switching over to complete action-heist mode. It helps that the films plot and main character are so engaging to watch that audiences don't notice the films two hour length. The soundtrack by Chris Benstead is well-assembled with the selected music appropriately fitting the films tone. Besides the inclusion of Statham as the main lead, one wouldn't guess this to be a Guy Ritchie flick as he plays it more straight-forward and cynical with the plot. The violence is presented in a form that makes it feel relentless with most characters not being spared during, and after the heist occurs. Ritchie does nothing remarkable with the films production, but shocks with how offbeat yet solid his directing appears here with him further extending his versatility as a filmmaker.

      The screenplay by Ritchie with Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies works as being fairly serviceable in delivering what's essentially a standard heist plot with a few surprise twists thrown into the mix. Although the plot has been done more effective with classic heist thrillers such as Michael Mann's Heat, the writers make an admirable effort to add a level of freshness to it. The filmmakers make an interesting choice to keep much of Statham's characters backstory a mystery with audiences left wondering how he acquired his skills. Whereas this can be frustrating for some with it cutting his backstory short, it can also be looked upon as a strategy that effectively adds suspense to the plot. His characters motive for revenge is revealed in a way that makes audiences empathize with him, while showing the rage his character harbors in looking for the one who killed his son. Although H's character is effectively established, the heist crew carries mixed results with some of their motivations not being clear on why they would abandon their normal family lives to endeavor in a life of professional crime. Some of the plot and character reveals feel like they've been deliberately lifted from other films in the genre such as subplots involving members of H's crew being revealed to be apart of the heist, or members of the robbers turning against each other to get a higher percentage of the money. The films end scene is well-handled despite feeling cliched. When the script attempts to add a different beat to its revenge/heist concept while switching up the form of its storytelling by using flashbacks to unfold the plot, the film works well. Its main issue lies in not thoroughly fleshing out the main motivations of the heist crew, as well as leaving H's backstory ambiguous. One of the key themes that drives the story is showing how those committing the robberies have no remorse with them doing so for the money. For some its a necessity in order to survive with others doing it solely for greed. The script makes a point to show how money is the ultimate motivator in making people do evil deeds with the thirst for revenge also making a person become violent. In exploring both these aspects of the story, Ritchie and the writers do an honorable job of presenting them on screen.

      Despite it coming across as being cliched in its storytelling, the film ultimately works as being a dark tale regarding the avenging of family with the heist element supporting it. This is one of Statham's strongest performances in years with him not only reaffirming his stature as being a charismatic action star, but also showing that there's more to him than just playing the role of the Transporter. With this being him and Ritchie's fourth collaboration together, it feels satisfying to see the two pair up once again in taking a generic plot and crafting an intensely effective action-packed experience. It isn't perfect by any means but those who enjoy both Ritchie and Statham films will find Wrath Of Man to be a plausible revenge flick, even if it walks a familiar beat with its plot. 

Final Verdict: Stream It

Images courtesy of Miramar/MGM