How can you watch ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ at home for free?

Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Kareem Abdul-Jannar, and Cam Neely. What do all of these athletes have in common? Other than being Hall of Famers and considered some of the greatest of all time, they have all also made the jump to comedic roles in Hollywood. While the list goes on & on, including Lance Armstrong & Mike Tyson, perhaps none of them can hold a candle to 1996’s Space Jam, starring Michael Jordan. 

In a desperate attempt to win a basketball match and earn their freedom, the Looney Tunes seek the aid of retired basketball champion Michael Jordan. Taking place during the superstar’s real-life hiatus from the NBA, Space Jam was a massive hit & cult classic. Like all Hollywood hits, it has since been rebooted or a sequel launched, this time with modern superstar Lebron James. Here’s how you can stream it at home.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

While the original film was a pleasure to watch and leaned heavily on Tune World and the Looney Tunes enlisting Jordan’s help to win a game against aliens wanting to enslave them on their homeworld, the sequel takes a more modern approach. James and his son are trapped in virtual reality by artificial intelligence and must recruit the Tunes, scattered throughout the “Serververse” to win the game and get back home. 

Using artificial intelligence as a villain and a VR server as a setting allowed Warner Brothers to use excessive product placement and fan service by using easter eggs and cameos to reference many WB properties. The basketball game itself goes as you would expect, similarly to the first. The Goon Squad dominates in the first half until the hero champion unites the team for a comeback. 

The 1996 original featured basketball stars Charles Barkley, Larry Johnson, Mugsy Bogues, Shawn Bradley, and Patrick Ewing. NBA Stars Vlade Divac & Larry Bird also appeared. A New Legacy modernized the game by featuring WNBA stars Sue Bird & Nneka Ogwumike alongside Anthony Davis, Damien Lillard, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. Don Cheadle appeared as AI villain Al G. Rhythm.

Audiences gave the film a generally favorable review, scoring an A- (typical A+/-F scale), and 78% of the filmgoers reacted positively and recommended a watch. Critics, however, felt differently. Writing for the South China Morning Post, James Marsh gave the film 1 out of 5 stars and criticized its use of product placement, which he felt neglected both supporters of the NBA & Looney Tunes. 

He continued by calling it a “supposed family comedy. . . woefully devoid of laughs”. Marsh then concluded that it fell just short of “asking audiences point-blank to subscribe to HBO Max” and was ultimately “a vacuous and cynical experience that shoots far wide of the mark.”

How to watch it free at home

Space Jam: A New Legacy was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on July 16th, 2021. It was also simultaneously released on HBO Max, available for subscribers of the ad-free plan to view at no extra cost for one month. The film premiered in Los Angeles on July 12th, 2021. 

In September 2020, SpringHill Company signed a four-year contract with Universal Pictures, making this their fourth and final independent production. Space Jam: A New Legacy was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD on October 5th, 2021, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film will be re-added to HBO Max on December 2nd, 2021. Unfortunately, as of now, that is the only way to watch it free at home. 

As for the franchise’s future, filmmakers have expressed interest in developing a third installment that would focus on other sports instead of basketball, namely wrestling. Naturally, that sequel would feature Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the retired wrestler and the hero to assemble the Tunes. If this is something you are interested in seeing, streaming numbers will drive the conversation. 

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Are you excited to stream Space Jam: A New Legacy at home? How do you feel about the upcoming threequel? You will be able to do so through the Christmas holiday, coming to homes through HBO Max on December 2nd.