The Cincinnati Enquirer Space Jam scores most of its points with technical wizardry and the charm of its co-stars. Michael Jordan, the nation's sports idol, and Bugs Bunny, the nation's inner rascal, are reliably adorable just being themselves. The special effects in Space Jam are as cool as advertised.
Technical spectacle amounts do nothing without a good story.
The movie's production credits list four writers, reinforcing the theory that the more writers a movie uses, the weaker the story is likely to be - and Space Jam spins a frail yarn indeed. Bugs talks the space invaders into staking their scheme on a basketball game. The space critters steal talent from Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and other pro players and morph into hoop-stuffing monsters. Bugs recruits Michael Jordan to help win the game. For example, the movie includes a technically marvelous scene when Bugs and Daffy Duck sneak into the Jordan home to collect the superstar's basketball gear and are glimpsed by his children.