Inspired by the 1993 Nike Super Bowl and MCI commercials featuring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny, Space Jam was Warner Bros. attempt to cash in on both the popularity of those commercials and the animation renaissance that began with Who Framed Roger Rabbit. What resulted was a mostly forgettable 90-minute commercial and tribute to Jordan, disguised as a Looney Tunes feature film.
Space Jam
Studio: Warner Home Video
US DVD Release Date: October 4, 2011
Original Release Year: 1996
Rated: PG
Running Time: 87 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese), Dolby Digital 2.0 (Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish)
Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Movie: 3 out of 5
Space Jam opens with a young Michael Jordan playing basketball in the middle of the night, awaking his father, and telling him his career aspirations. After a fast-paced highlight reel that doubles as the opening title sequence, Jordan’s retirement press conference is re-created, where Jordan expresses an interest in switching to baseball.
Meanwhile, in outer space, the amusement park Moron Mountain is losing customers, with kids getting bored with the attractions. The owner of the amusement park, Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito), dispatches the Nerdlinks to go to Earth and bring back the Looney Tunes. When Bugs Bunny sees how small the Nerdlinks are, he challenges them to a game of basketball. If the Looney Tunes lose, they will go to Moron Mountain. The Nerdlinks realize they have been swindled, so they steal powers from NBA stars Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues, and Shawn Bradley, turning the Nerdlinks into towering Monstars. Out of fear, Bugs kidnaps Michael Jordan during a game of golf, and successfully convinces him to help the Looney Tunes defeat the Monstars.
Jordan is very good at playing himself, appearing fairly comfortable on-screen with his cartoon co-stars. Wayne Knight does what he did best during the era that this film was made, creating a somewhat likeable loser who just wants to please. And Bill Murray plays himself as an NBA wannabe and friend to Jordan.
The blend of animation and live action is very good, a technological marvel in its day, with Jordan interacting and playing basketball believably with cartoon characters (in reality, he was playing with actors and athletes dressed in green leotards).
Where Space Jam fails is in its comedy and use of the Looney Tunes cast. Many of the gags fall flat, some of the jokes haven’t aged well (Charles Barley’s line during a prayer to get his powers back, “I’ll never date Madonna again” is cringe-inducing), and trying to infuse pop-culture references with the Looney Tunes seem out of place (Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam strike a pose from Pulp Fiction at one point).
Video: 3 out of 5
Warner brings Space Jam to Blu-ray in an acceptable 1080p transfer using the AVC codec, approximating the film’s originally intended aspect ratio of 1.85:1 by filling the 1.78:1 frame. Colors are consistent, and while detail is improved over the previous DVD release, overall the film still looks soft. I assume this is due to the digital compositing of the time, and the lack of a digital intermediate that we have with modern day films.
Audio: 4 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a marked improvement over the DVD. This is a much more spacious mix, with increased fidelity and dynamic range. Dialogue is mostly centered and clear, with the surrounds and LFE getting a good workout.
Special Features: 3 out of 5
This new Blu-ray ports over many of the same features from the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, all in standard definition, and aimed mostly at a younger audience.
Audio Commentary by Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Director Joe Pytka: To be fair, Joe Pytka has very little to say here (he is even introduced each time he speaks by a door opening and footsteps approaching) about the making of the film and provides very little technical tidbits on how the film was made. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (along with their voice counterparts Billy West and Dee Bradley Baker) dominate the track, exchanging quips and wisecracks. Their voice talent do provide some stories on how the movie was made, though.
Seal’s Fly Like An Eagle Music Video (3:53): The big hit song from the film, Seal’s rendition of the Steve Miller Band classic.
Monstar’s Anthem Hit ‘Em High Music Video (4:52)
Jammin’ With Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan (22:32): This promotional piece originally aired on the WB network prior to the film’s release, and covers very little of how the film was made. Oddly, Michael Jordan looks rather uncomfortable in many of the interview clips.
Theatrical Trailer (1:15): Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
The kids will likely enjoy Space Jam, including the special features, but adults have, again, been left out on this Blu-ray release.
