2021 Movie News Archives
July 22, 2021: Superman in "Space Jam: A New Legacy"
A review on Superman's scene in the movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy"By Michael Moreno
For those who would like to see this scene without being spoiled, I ask that you please stop reading now. I will be talking about some spoilers, and I would hate to think that I had spoiled a film for anyone. Believe me, I know the feeling of being spoiled, and it's not fun. For those of you who have seen this film, or who don't mind any spoilers, here I go...
The movie is a fictional story involving real life basketball star LeBron James and his adventure to the world of Looney Tunes. There, he meets the legendary cartoon rabbit Bugs Bunny in hopes of forming a Looney Tunes basketball team. His reason for forming a team is to face off against an AI program (played by actor Don Cheadle) and its basketball team known as the "Goon Squad". LeBron's goal is to save his son, the rest of his family, and thousands of other people from being abducted and placed into a virtual world. The only way to free his family and everyone else is to play a virtual basketball game against the AI program, the Goon Squad, and his own son Dom.
During his quest, LeBron and Bugs travel to the Bruce Timm Superman animated universe, in hopes of recruiting Tim Daly's Superman. While there, Bugs and LeBron (dressed as Batman and Robin) chase a runaway train in the Batmobile. The cause of the train going wild is Daffy Duck's hijacking it. Having tied up the driver in order to have Porky Pig film his "saving" the train while dressed as Superman, Daffy's attempt at "rescuing" goes horribly wrong, when the train's brake leaver breaks off. With no way to stop the train, danger ensues on a collision course with an orphanage. LeBron and Bugs manage to get on top of the train, but fail to enter it, leaving them stuck holding on. As the train speeds by, it dramatically passes by Metropolis and its citizens (including Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen), zipping past the Daily Planet and breaking its top globe. From there the train passes by Gotham City, causing the Bat Signal to spin until it's shown upside down. The train then somehow manages to pass by the underwater city of Atlantis, breaking a few statues, and then zooms by the North Pole, breaking the Fortress of Solitude. The train then speeds back to Metropolis, where it would have hit the orphanage if it weren't for Superman, who saves the orphaned children and the passengers on the train. Note, the train passengers now include Bugs, LeBron, Daffy, Porky, the train conductor, Lois Lane, Alfred Pennyworth, and a passenger whose identity I'm uncertain of. [It's been a while since I've seen the Superman and Batman Animated Series.] As Daffy tries to take credit for the "rescue" (trouble) that he caused, a stern Superman as well as the Justice League stare at him, causing Daffy to try and shift the blame to Porky. As the Daily Planet's globe falls and hits the ground, and sirens soar from the mayhem that was caused, LeBron asks Superman and the Justice League if any of them play basketball. The next scene that follows is of LeBron leaving that universe with only Bugs, Daffy and Porky on their ship.
I have to give this scene a 3-out-of-5 star rating, while I give the movie as a whole a 4-out-of-5 star rating. It just missed a lot of marks when it came to Superman. I will give my reasons why below.
Plot - 3: The plot I felt was a bit odd in this scene. In particular Daffy Duck's and Superman's characters. It's Daffy, and I get that he would do this but, if this had happened in an episode of "Superman: The Animated Series," I think that Superman would've acted a lot sooner. The train literally travels throughout all of planet Earth before Superman does anything to stop it. And letting Daffy and Porky leave freely without facing the consequences of their actions seems way out of character. Had this whole scene actually happened on an episode of "Superman: The Animated Series," both Daffy and Porky would've had to face the consequences of their actions. That's not to say that the scene wasn't amusing. Plus, we are able to see for the first time in animation both Superman and Bugs Bunny on screen together. Unfortunately, they shared no dialogue with each other, and their shared scene is very brief.
Animation - 3: The animation for this film is very impressive. That said, the specific scenes where the animators chose to use it made little sense to me. In particular, the placement of it in Bruce Timm's universe I found problematic. It was established that LeBron and Bugs had to travel to various worlds to recruit their team. Having left Looney Tunes world to travel to Superman's, it would have made more sense if the looney-ness of Looney Tunes world had stayed there instead of it being present in Superman's world as well. The winding rail tracks - that somehow take a train from Metropolis to Gotham, Atlantis, the Fortress of Solitude, and then back again - just doesn't fit in Timm's Superman's world.
Music - 4: The "Superman Theme" that was used in this film was credited as being from "Superman Returns" "composed by John Williams. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment. INC." The Superman theme is always a joy to hear, and it is arguably the greatest - if not one of the best - Superman theme songs ever created. However, in this film, it wasn't used for Superman. It was used for Daffy, who was dressed up as Superman. And when Superman actually did show up, the theme song wasn't played. For me, this was a big letdown. Superman and this iconic theme song go hand-in-hand, like peanut butter and jelly. And yet while they had both Superman and his theme song available for this film, I can't help but wonder why they wouldn't use it for Superman himself? In contrast, I will say that the "Batman Theme Reprise" and "Batwing Flies to Gotham" from BATMAN (1988) "Written by Danny Elfman. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment INC." as well as the BATMAN THEME from "BATMAN:THE MOVIE (1966)" "written By Neal Hefti. Courtesy of 20th Century Studios" as stated in the film, were appropriately used for Bugs and LeBron's Batman and Robin rescue scene.
Dialogue - 3: I just want to stress that this rating is not meant for the whole film, but only for this one scene. If I were rating the dialogue for the whole movie, believe me I would give it a higher rating. That being said, the reason for this grade is because Superman had no dialogue. In fact, no one from his world had any dialogue. Superman just gave a stern look with his arms crossed. In contrast, Wonder Woman, who shows up later in a separate world, had a few lines of dialogue, while Superman had nothing to say. At the very least, Superman should have been able to offer some advice to LeBron about finding a team, given the fact that his Justice League team was behind him. I will say though, that LeBron's, Bugs's, Porky's and Daffy's dialogue were entertaining, especially Daffy's. His boasting of his misdeeds and then shifting the blame to Porky is classic Daffy behavior. And the interaction between LeBron and Bugs right after he realizes that he's dress up as Robin while Bugs is dressed as Batman, was fun to watch. So I give points to LeBron and the Looney Tunes characters for their dialogue.
Overall - 3: In conclusion, I am glad to see that this film gave Superman at least some respect. I'm happy that they showed him saving people, and that they did not let him be just a passerby (as Clark Kent) while Bugs or Daffy saved the day and took credit for saving a part of Metropolis. Also, through various parts of the film, Superman's name is mentioned, which, as a Superman fan, I appreciate. The movie, as a whole, I give a 4 out of 5 rating. It has really good acting, great special effects, and the story and plot would entertain any family. Not to mention there are also tons of pop culture references, probably as many as in the movie "Ready Player One." For anyone who wants to see the 1990's animated Superman make a return - even if only for a brief few seconds - I highly recommend seeing this film, if only for its one Superman scene. It may be a brief scene, but it's worth the watch.
2021 Movie News
Listed below are all the Movie News items archived for 2021 organized into various categories:'Zack Snyder's Justice League' News:
- January 4, 2021: No Sequel for Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- January 5, 2021: No Classic Superman in Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- January 17, 2021: Zack Snyder's “Justice League” No Longer in 4-Parts
- January 29, 2021: Wonderland Partners With Warner Bros. To Bring a New Immersive at Home Experience
- January 29, 2021: New Posters Confirm Zack SnyderÕs “Justice League” Premiere Date
- February 3, 2021: Zack Snyder's “Justice League” Black Suit Superman T-Shirt
- February 7, 2021: Zack Snyder's “Justice League” Trailer Release Date Revealed
- February 10, 2021: Wonderland Reveals “Justice League” Mother Box Dishes
- February 11, 2021: Snyder Posts Teaser for Final “Justice League” Trailer
- February 12, 2021: Another Teaser for New Trailer for Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- February 13, 2021: Final Teaser for Tomorrow's Trailer for Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- February 14, 2021: Final Trailer for Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- February 17, 2021: Listen to a Track from “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- February 18, 2021: Weta Workshop Teams with Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- February 18, 2021: One Month to Go for the Release of “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- February 19, 2021: Worldwide Availability of Zack Snyder's “Justice League” Announced
- February 22, 2021: Zack Snyder Planned a Lois Lane/Bruce Wayne Romance
- February 27, 2021: Zack Snyder's “Justice League” Mother Box Origins Video
- February 27, 2021: Inside the Justice League with Zack Snyder Ð IGN FanFest
- March 2, 2021: New Promotional Artwork for “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 4, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Batman Teaser
- March 4, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Six Chapter Titles Revealed
- March 5, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Superman Teaser
- March 5, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Soundtrack Details
- March 9, 2021: All Six Character Profiles from “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 9, 2021: Zack Snyder's Viewing Guide to “Justice League”
- March 9, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Leak Glitch on HBO Max
- March 10, 2021: Darkseid and the Villains of “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 10, 2021: International Release Dates for “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 11, 2021: Red Carpet Premiere of “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 11, 2021: Watch “Zack Snyder's Justice League” with Zack Snyder
- March 14, 2021: Weta Workshop Previews “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Statues
- March 14, 2021: AT&T's “The Dreamscapes of Zack Snyder's Justice League” in Dallas, Texas
- March 14, 2021: New Trailer for “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 16, 2021: Museum Masterline - “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Superman Statue
- March 16, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Merchandise
- March 17, 2021: Weta Workshop Unveils Superman Black Suit Statue
- March 18, 2021: Movie Review - “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 18, 2021: Henry Cavill's Message to Zack Snyder on “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Release
- March 18, 2021: Weta Workshop Unveils “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Darkseid Statue
- March 18, 2021: Listening Party for “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Soundtrack
- March 18, 2021: Knightmare Batman and Superman Sixth Scale Figure Set by Hot Toys
- March 18, 2021: Listen to Samples from All 54 Tracks from “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Official Soundtrack
- March 18, 2021: Watch the Red Carpet Premiere of “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 20, 2021: A Major Lois Lane Development Confirmed for “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 20, 2021: A Closer Look at the New Gods of “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- March 21, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” - “Making the Snyder Cut” Video
- March 22, 2021: Pre-Order the McFarlane Toys “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Action Figures
- March 22, 2021: First Look at “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Limited Edition Steelbook
- March 24, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Ranks Behind “Wonder Woman 1984” on HBO Max
- March 24, 2021: One:12 Collective “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Deluxe Steel Boxed Set
- March 25, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League: Justice is Gray” Now Available on HBO Max
- March 25, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” 3-Day Ratings
- March 25, 2021: Fan Ratings for “Zack Snyder's Justice League” - Poll Results
- March 29, 2021: Weta Workshop Unveils “Zack Snyder's Justice League” DeSaad Statue
- April 12, 2021: Mondo Announces 7-Disc Soundtrack to “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- April 14, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” - Trilogy Trailer
- June 24, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Blu-ray/DVD U.S. Release Announced
- June 25, 2021: Zack Snyder's Justice League Trilogy on Blu-ray
- June 30, 2021: Win IMAX Tickets to a Fan Charity Screening of “Zack Snyder's Justice League: Justice is Gray”
- July 10, 2021: Fan Created “Justice League 2” Storyboard Full-Motion Comic Film Coming Soon!
- September 7, 2021: U.S. Release of “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Now Available
- September 28, 2021: Scanline VFX Breakdown Reel for “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- December 10, 2021: “Zack Snyder's Justice League” Twitter's Most Tweeted Movie of 2021
- February 19, 2021: Sasha Calle Cast as Supergirl for “The Flash” Movie
- February 20, 2021: Melissa Benoist Welcomes Sasha Calle to the Supergirl Family
- February 21, 2021: Laura Vandervoort Welcomes Sasha Calle to the Supergirl Family
- June 18, 2021: Supergirl's S-Shield Revealed for “The Flash” Movie
- June 19, 2021: Sasha Calle Flies as Supergirl in Footage from London
- September 23, 2021: Sasha Calle Supergirl Series Coming to HBO Max
- October 16, 2021: “The Flash” Teaser Trailer Features Sasha Calle as Supergirl
- December 22, 2021: “The Flash” Movie Adds Familiar Faces From “Man of Steel”
- January 28, 2021: “Superman in Concert” Rescheduled for July 2021
- March 4, 2021: “Superman: The Movie” 40th Anniversary Soundtrack 3-CD Set Back in Stock
- March 31, 2021: Sideshow Collectibles “Superman: The Movie” Premium Format Figure
- April 22, 2021: Fan Remastered Subway Sequence from “Superman IV”
- May 27, 2021: Reminder - “Superman in Concert” Rescheduled for July 2021
- June 13, 2021: Ned Beatty Dies, Aged 83
- July 5, 2021: Richard Donner Dies, Aged 91
- July 5, 2021: “An Evening With Superman” Free Online Event
- July 5, 2021: Mariel Hemingway Appearing at Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention
- July 6, 2021: Online Tributes For Richard Donner
- July 8, 2021: Superman at the Movies - July 9-15
- July 15, 2021: Your Favorite Lois & Clark Actors - Poll Results
- July 15, 2021: Video - “Superman: The Movie” Full Movie Preview
- July 17, 2021: Would You Watch a TV Dramatisation of the Making of “Superman: The Movie”?
- July 18, 2021: “Superman II” Watch-Along Free Online Event with Jack O'Halloran
- July 21, 2021: “Superman: The Movie” Soundtrack on Vinyl
- July 22, 2021: “Superman in Concert” Rescheduled for June 2022
- July 26, 2021: Fan Fixes “Superman IV” Nuclear Man Final Scene
- July 31, 2021: Superman Movie Double Feature at Ipswich Film Theatre in England
- September 14, 2021: “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” Extended Cut Full Fan Trailer
- September 24, 2021: Google Honors Christopher Reeve on His Birthday
- September 30, 2021: “Superman: The Movie” on the Big Screen - Poll Results
- October 10, 2021: “Superman: The Movie” Screening in Perth, Australia
- November 7, 2021: Rarely Seen Christopher Reeve TV Interview
- November 11, 2021: RIP “Superman III” Actor Gavan O'Herlihy
- November 19, 2021: Ellen Bry Interview - Margot Kidder's Lois Lane Stunt Double
- November 25, 2021: Superman and Lois Funko Pop! Vinyl Exclusive to Zavvi.com
- December 1, 2021: “Superman: The Movie” Screening at Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, Illinois
- December 8, 2021: “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” Watch-Along Free Online Event
- December 15, 2021: Mariel Hemingway Appearing at Williamsburg Nostalgia Convention
- January 2, 2021: Fans Call for Henry Cavill to Return as Superman
- February 5, 2021: Will Henry Cavill Appear as Superman in “Shazam!” Sequel?
- February 24, 2021: Cover Design for the Remastered Edition of “Batman v Superman”
- March 5, 2021: New “Justice League” Image Shows Cavill's Mustache
- March 12, 2021: Promo Trailer for the Remastered Edition of “Batman v Superman”
- March 16, 2021: Video - Behind the Scenes on “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
- March 21, 2021: “Man of Steel” Journey of Discovery Video
- March 25, 2021: Remastered Edition of “Batman v Superman” Now on HBO Max
- April 8, 2021: Chris Terrio Breaks His Silence on “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
- April 8, 2021: “Justice League” Theatrical Cut vs. Snyder Cut - Poll Results
- May 10, 2021: Zack Snyder's Thoughts on “Man of Steel” Sequel
- May 11, 2021: “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” Master Craft Superman Statue
- June 7, 2021: Zack Snyder Talks About Open Kryptonian Pod in “Man of Steel”
- June 14, 2021: “Man of Steel” Eight Years On
- October 30, 2021: “Batman v Superman” Screening at Japan's Grand Cinema Sunshine Cinemas
- November 10, 2021: Henry Cavill Says “The Cape is still in the Closet”
- November 14, 2021: New Photo of Henry Cavill in Christopher Reeve Costume
- November 22, 2021: Henry Cavill Breaks Down His Role as Superman
- December 6, 2021: Henry Cavill “Ready and Waiting” for Superman Phone Call
- December 15, 2021: Henry Cavill's Thoughts on Red Trunks for Superman Costume
- December 17, 2021: Henry Cavill Says the Prospect of Returning to Superman is Personal
- May 21, 2021: Dwayne Johnson to Voice Krypto in “DC League of Super-Pets” Movie
- June 8, 2021: “DC League of Super-Pets” Official Teaser Trailer
- June 17, 2021: Fan Interest in “DC League of Super-Pets” - Poll Results
- July 20, 2021: “DC League of Super-Pets” Apparel Now Available!
- October 16, 2021: DC FanDome - “DC League of Super-Pets”
- November 13, 2021: “DC League of Super-Pets” Graphic Novel
- November 17, 2021: “DC League of Super-Pets” Details and New Images
- November 22, 2021: John Krasinski Cast as Superman
- November 23, 2021: “DC League of Super-Pets” Official Trailer
- November 30, 2021: Producer Hiram Garcia Talks “DC League of Super-Pets”
- December 25, 2021: Video - Happy Holidays from “DC League of Super-Pets”
- May 20, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Announced
- July 21, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Voice Cast Announced
- September 1, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Arrives October 19
- September 7, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Trailer Drops Tomorrow
- September 8, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Official Trailer
- September 9, 2021: Fan Interest for “Injustice” Animated Movie - Poll Results
- September 21, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Uncensored Red Band Trailer Drops Tomorrow
- September 22, 2021: Video - “Injustice” Animated Movie Uncensored Red Band Trailer
- September 29, 2021: New “Injustice” Animated Movie Images
- October 11, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Coming to DC FanDome
- October 14, 2021: More Preview Clips from “Injustice” Animated Movie
- October 15, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Available Tuesday!
- October 18, 2021: New Clip and Images from “Injustice” Animated Movie
- October 19, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie Now Available!
- November 4, 2021: Fan Ratings for “Injustice” Animated Movie - Poll Results
- November 8, 2021: “Injustice” Animated Movie vs Video Games Comparison
- January 14, 2021: Is “The Iron Giant” a Superman Movie? - Poll Results
- January 22, 2021: Fan Made “DC/Marvel: Infinite Crisis” Trailer
- January 25, 2021: Interview - “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Writer Tim Sheridan
- January 26, 2021: “The Science of Superman” Premieres on YouTube
- February 2, 2021: “Long Live Superman” Featurette on YouTube
- February 3, 2021: Interview - “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Writer Tim Sheridan - Part 2
- February 9, 2021: Interview - “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Writer Tim Sheridan - Part 3
- February 18, 2021: Snyder Confirms New Remastered “Batman v Superman” Blu-ray Release
- February 26, 2021: Warner Bros. Hires Ta-Nehisi Coates for Superman Movie Reboot
- March 11, 2021: Fan Reaction to Black Superman Movie News - Poll Results
- March 22, 2021: WarnerMedia's Ann Sarnoff on the Future of DC Movies
- April 27, 2021: Superman Blu-ray and DVD Collections
- April 28, 2021: Michael B. Jordan Remains Tight-Lipped on Playing Superman
- May 5, 2021: New Superman Movie Will Feature a Black Kal-El
- May 13, 2021: Reason for Black Superman Movie Ð Poll Results
- June 29, 2021: Superman Movie & TV Props Sell at Live Auction
- June 29, 2021: Unofficial “Superman Lives” Audiobooks
- July 6, 2021: Video - “Space Jam: A New Legacy” LeBron James Visits Metropolis
- July 22, 2021: Review - Superman in “Space Jam: A New Legacy”
- August 6, 2021: James Gunn Had The Suicide Squad Hunting Superman in Early Movie Plans
- September 23, 2021: DC Comics 3-Part Documentary Coming to HBO Max
- October 16, 2021: DC FanDome - “Battle of the Super Sons” CG-Animated Movie Coming
- October 27, 2021: HBO Max “Val-Zod” Project Lands Writers Darnell Metayer & Josh Peters
- October 29, 2021: Video - 10 Superman Movie Cameos You May Have Missed
- November 7, 2021: Director Says Superman Inspired “Eternals” Character Ikaris
- November 23, 2021: Bargain Prices on Superman Blu-rays and DVDs!
- December 12, 2021: “The New Adventures of Superboy” Fan Film Trailer and Behind-the-Scenes Video
- December 19, 2021: Watch “The New Adventures of Superboy” Fan Film Online
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