SPACE JAM Movie Review (1996 movie)

Movie Review of Space Jam the movie (1996 movie)
Space Jam (1996) is a movie that involves live action as well as animation.
Space Jam the movie stars NBA basketball star Michael Jordan at the height of his Chicago Bulls team fame. Actors who play Michael Jordan’s wife and three kids share more minor roles in Space Jam the movie.
In Space Jam the movie, Michael Jordan is depicted as a dedicated family man that returns home from team practices eager to spend time with his wife and children. His arrival at home after time away makes even the family dog overly eager to see him.
Meanwhile, in a cartoon universe, the famous and hilarious Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny are under siege of sorts. The evil mastermind wanting to take over the Looney Tunes characters is in a mentality of “the customer is always right” and he wants to make a theme park more fun and exciting for the customers. Therefore, he is ready to more or less kidnap the Looney Tune characters and use them for entertainment in the theme park.
It is Bugs Bunny who speaks up to say that he and his friends cannot just be held captive as “slaves” without being given an opportunity to defend themselves and win their freedom.
Eventually, it is agreed upon that the Looney Tunes animated characters will fight for their freedom in a basketball game challenge against the minions of their evil opponent. How will they do this?
The Looney Tunes characters solicit the help of the basketball player Michael Jordan on Earth and befriend him.
Their opponent steal the talent of Michael Jordan’s teammates and colleagues through some type of magic that leaves the basketball player dumbfounded, unskilled and clumsy. Among these basketball players are Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley of the Suns team and known to be among Michael Jordan’s closest pals.
Michael Jordan has sidekicks at his beck and call including a character played by actor Bill Murray. The Looney Tunes characters jokingly mistake Bill Murray for Dan Akroyd by saying, “Hey, look it’s Dan Akroyd!”
Basketball star Michael Jordan trains, coaches and encourages the Looney Tunes characters to be a competent basketball team, win the game and win their freedom. There is also a plight for Michael Jordan and his new found Looney Tunes character friends to help the other basketball players such as Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley to get back their stolen talent.
Eventually, all the stolen talent is recaptured and harnessed into a ball that Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley and the others must touch if they want to get their talent back. They are hesitant at first but they are encouraged by Michael Jordan to go ahead and touch the ball so that they can have their talents for basketball again.
Eventually, the buddies are convinced as they tell each other that they have tried everything else (including going to a fortune teller) and they all place their hands on the ball. They receive their basketball talents again and engage in some practice on the basketball court to make sure that everything is in working order for them.
The adventure comes to a close.
The end credits of Space Jam the movie features nice music that was much loved at the time (in the year 1996, the year of the movie release) including the song, “For You I Will” by singer Monica and “I Believe I Can Fly” by now controversial singer R. Kelly.
I rate Space Jam the movie 3 out of 5 stars. ***