For much of his career, LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan, as both are all-time great NBA players. While it still remains to be seen if LeBron James can get to six championships like Michael Jordan, he has followed in his footsteps by starring in Space Jam: A New Legacy.
While neither Space Jam has become a guilty pleasure for many, and the sequel may potentially follow the same path. Despite the similarities, there are several distinct differences that set each movie apart from the other.
Sequel: Personal
The original movie is first and foremost about the Looney Tunes. It is their conflict with the nerdlucks that prompts them to recruit Michael Jordan to help them. But, the sequel focuses more on the relationship between LeBron James and his son Dom, with their relationship driving the action and conflict.
By centering the entire movie around this relationship, the sequel tells a more personal and relatable story of a father who projects his own interests and dreams onto his son. Even if the rest of the movie is cartoonish and silly, the sequel has a heartfelt and personal message at the core of its story.
Original: Focused
The Space Jam sequel is fairly unfocused, spending a significant amount of screentime exploring the Serververse. However, the original keeps things simple by streamlining the story and focusing on the climactic basketball game between the Tune Squad and Monstars.
This approach does a much more effective job of paying off the promise of the premise, providing ample screentime for the audience to watch the Looney Tunes engage in basketball hijinx. The movie delivers exactly what audiences expect and maximizes the concept's potential by staying focused and keeping the story simple.
Sequel: Meta
Unlike the original, the sequel connects the Looney Tunes to a larger universe of Warner Bros. Studios properties. The movie spends a significant amount of time exploring the other worlds that the Looney Tunes are living in.
This creative setup allows the movie to include a lot of meta-jokes about the studio system as well as numerous pop culture references. Additionally, the movie also makes several meta-jokes about LeBron James' career, such as Bugs teasing him about forming superteams. This added dimension of humor all0ws for another form of jokes in addition to the typical Looney Tunes slapstick comedy.
Original: Engaging Subplot
While the sequel focuses almost exclusively on LeBron and Dom James in the Serververse, with the occasional cut to LeBron's friend Malik, the original features a hilarious subplot involving the players who had their talents stolen.
Several big-name NBA players star in the movie, and this subplot gives them an opportunity to shine, especially Charles Barkley. These comedic sequences are the perfect way to break up the Looney Tunes action in a funny and entertaining way that capitalizes on the talent involved in the film.
Sequel: A Character Arc
Because the sequel tells a more personal story than the original, focusing on the relationship between LeBron James and his son, the movie does a far better job of giving LeBron a full character arc than Michael Jordan had in the original.
Over the course of the movie, LeBron learns to lighten up and allow people, mainly Dom and the Looney Tunes, to be themselves rather than projecting his values and work ethic onto them. This arc grounds the movie in a character's emotional journey and helps make LeBron James one of the best characters in the new Space Jam movie.
Original: Better Use Of The Looney Tunes
Since the story of the original revolves more around the Looney Tunes and their bet with the nerdlucks, they are given more screentime to show their personalities and showcase their signature brand of comedy.
Every Tune is given their chance to shine, and the main characters get plenty of time to entertain. This element is sorely missing from the sequel, and some of the Tunes barely get any screentime or dialogue. The original film effectively uses these classic characters by allowing them to do what they do best.
Sequel: Putting The Team Together
Because the Looney Tunes are all scattered around the Serververse at the beginning of the film, Bugs Bunny and LeBron James get to travel from planet to planet finding and recruiting the Tune Squad. This adds an almost buddy road trip element to the movie.
Rather than just repeating the same training beats from the first movie, the sequel finds a way to do something different and interesting by isolating Bugs Bunny, scattering the Looney Tunes, and then bringing them all back together as a team.
Original: Bill Murray
As one of the funniest comedic actors of all time, Bill Murray is a stand-out in any film in which he appears and Space Jam is no exception. The legendary actor provides comedic relief throughout the movie as he searches for Michael Jordan before tracking him down in Looney Tune Land.
While the sequel tries to replicate this same dynamic with the character Malik searching for LeBron James, it cannot capture the same energy and humor that Bill Murray brings to the table.
Sequel: Don Cheadle
The original movie benefits from a strong and memorable performance by Danny DeVito as the villainous Mr. Swackhammer. However, he only voices the animated character, rather than actually appearing on screen.
In contrast, Space Jam: A New Legacy features a scene-chewing, over-the-top villain in Don Cheadle's Al-G Rhythm. Far from nuanced, Don Cheadle's performance is cheesy and ridiculous in a fun way. Watching such a charismatic and likable actor let loose and have fun with a role is a treat for the audience.
Original: The Soundtrack
Despite the movie's mediocre critical reception, the Space Jam soundtrack was a universal hit and was certified as 6x platinum, selling over 6 million units—and it's not hard to see why. The soundtrack is filled with great songs that are used memorably in the film.
Standouts from the soundtrack include "Fly Like an Eagle," "Space Jam," Basketball Jones," and "I Believe I Can Fly." The sequel features much more generic music and simply cannot compete with the all-time great soundtrack of the original movie.
