SPACE JAM 2 A NEW LEGACY

It is Game 2 of the Space Jam movie franchise with basketball superstar Lebron James now leading a team of Looney Tunes characters in a sequel to the 1996 pop culture beloved film which starred NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and Bug Bunny. While the original movie had the Tune Squad playing against monstrous aliens in a game of basketball to avoid Bugs Bunny and his friends being abducted to be used as attractions for an outer space theme park, the new movie has the Tune Squad helping Lebron James and his son Dom escape from being held hostage in a TRON-esque scenario within the Warner Bros computer network. A rouge artificial intelligence (AI) program known as Al-G Rhythm wants to control the basketball player's digital likeness for use in the company's entertainment properties. This time around, the basketball match will determine is Lebron and Dom win their freedom back or will they be trapped forever as digital entities inside computer servers under the control of Al-G Rhythm.

Space Jam: A New Legacy arrives July 16 at movie theaters and on HBO Max. I was geeked to be able to participate in a round table discussion with actor Don Cheadle, who plays the role of the out of control algorithm Al-G Rhythm that serves as the film's main antagonist, and some of the best dad bloggers in cyber space during Space Jam 2's publicity press junket. We delved into dad tips revolving around themes from the movie and discussed insights about the film:

The major dynamic of the film revolves around Lebron James pushing his 12 year old son towards following in his footsteps as a pro basketball player while the boy is more interested in pursuing a career as a computer programmer. This conflict comes to a breaking point when the family has to decide whether Dom is going to attend an important basketball training camp or a prestigious coding and video game development educational clinic. This father-son dynamic contributes to the duo being sucked into a digital universe filled with Warner Bros characters ranging from Harry Potter to Scooby Doo as part of an Al-G Rhythm scheme.

I asked Don Cheadle during the movie's press junket what his dad tips were for dealing with real world father-son conflicts like the scenario in the movie. Here is what he had to say:

In Space Jam: A New Legacy it is Al-G Rhythm vs King James in a looney b-ball match that is a fun family movie night flick. Space Jam 2 is rated PG for language and cartoon violence. For more information about the film go to spacejam.com. 

JAMMING LOONEY TUNES STYLE

During my years in the college dorm, there was an NBA JAM arcade cabinet placed in the building's laundry room. Have a lot of great memories of playing against my buddies on that video game machine though all the quarters fed into it often meant some of clothes often had to be put off a week or two to eventually get washed. The price you pay for a good time!

That was around the same time as SPACE JAM with Bugs Bunny, Bill Murray and Michael Jordan hit movie theaters. I remember all the guys that played as those giant headed, goofy NBA players in the video game at the dorm got together to go see Michael Jordan play basketball with the Looney Tunes. Sneaking some brews into the student center movie theater with us and joking around with each other we had a blast watching the comedy. Although we were young adults all of us were basketball fans and grew up watching Bugs Bunny cartoons so we really were into the movie even though it was probably produced with a younger audience in mind.

So I really felt nostalgic from those college years spending this weekend playing the modern-era version of NBA JAM called NBA 2K PLAYGROUNDS and watching the trailer for a new SPACE JAM movie starring Lebron James along with the Looney Tunes gang. Noticing NBA 2K PLAYGROUNDS was on clearance and having it remind me of the arcade style basketball shenanigans of NBA JAM, I couldn't resist picking it up to play with my son. The two of us have been having some awesome father-son time hunkered down together in front of a tv playing this looney basketball video game on XBOX ONE this weekend. 

Boom Shaka Laka! Then during a break from jamming on the video game we saw the trailer for NBA JAM: A NEW LEGACY. My son excitedly exclaimed that we've got to go see this movie as we viewed the trailer. That's a done deal. Only question is if we watch the movie at a theater or via HBO Max?

NBA champion LeBron James teams up with Bugs Bunny in an epic new adventure alongside timeless Looney Tunes characters with the animated/live-action event SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY from director Malcolm D. Lee and an innovative filmmaking team including Ryan Coogler and Maverick Carter. This transformational journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals just how far some parents will go to connect with their kids. When LeBron and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before. 

It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself. The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their unique talents and surprise even “King” James by playing the game their own way. SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY will be released by Warner Bros Pictures in theaters nationwide on July 16, 2021 and will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.

Note: If you make a purchase using a Geek Daddy affiliate link this dad blogger will receive a small commission from Best Buy. Thanks for your support of ageekdaddy.com by supporting our sponsors and utilizing the blog's affiliate links.