Spoiler Alerts: For Space Jam 2, Stillwater, and Free Guy

Of the three movies I’ve seen this summer, Space Jam 2, Stillwater, and Free Guy, I got the most emotionally invested in the characters in Space Jam 2. And I’m talking about the Looney Tunes not LeBron James. This New York Magazine review labels Space Jam 2 as a “mere reminder” from WB that they own the franchise. In Space Jam 2, Lebron James’s son is captured by a video game character. Lebron James must collaborate with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes to be reunited with his son. The original Space Jam was essentially a basketball movie. Space Jam 2, the characters play a “video-game version of basketball.” This takes away something but also adds something. This makes Space Jam 2 a sort of spoof of movies like Ready Player One. Space Jam 2 breaks down the fourth wall in a way only Bugs Bunny can. 

In the original Space Jam, the Looney Tunes play basketball “Looney-Tune” style- they pull stunts like filling the basketball hoop with explosives. But this only takes them so far. In the sequel, despite the video game enhancements, despite their “Looney Tune tactics”, in the end they must still rely on one of James’ professional moves. At one point Lola Bunny explains to James they are trying to be him, and it is not working. James realizes he also has to let his son be himself. Bugs Bunny sacrifices himself to save his friends, as well as James and his son. Bugs Bunny is deleted but reappears in the real world. James relents and allows his son to go to a “video-game designing program.”

Stillwater featured an interesting story, but there was a lot of time going in circles. There are some similarities to Gone Girl (including the twist at the end). Both movies keep us guessing who is innocent (and to what extent). Both movies share a theme of ulterior motives. They both feature characters who deceive each other, as well as deceive the audience. Unlike Gone Girl, we are not on the edge of our seats the whole time. During his time trying to help his daughter who is in prison for a murder she supposedly did not commit, Matt Damon encounters this woman Virginie and her daughter Maya. He spends time babysitting for Maya. There was a lot of screen time of Matt Damon bonding with Virginie and Maya. The connection the trio has did not translate on screen. Neither did the relationship between Matt Damon and his daughter. In other words, it does not seem relevant what happens to the characters, which is essential in a movie like this. There was what seemed like an endless amount of time simply watching the characters go about everyday tasks. The one time I was on the edge of my seat was when it turns out Matt Damon is keeping his daughter’s ex-friend in his basement. The surprise ending at the end was only a semi-surprise. The whole story with the daughter seemed too simple from the start. Personally I was more worried about Bugs Bunny reuniting with his friends.

Free Guy is about a free guy. The free guy in Free Guy is named Guy. Guy wants to be free. Ryan Reynolds plays a guy named Guy. Guy is actually a character in a video game. Guy leads a revolution to be free of the game. There is a scene early in the movie where Guy orders a coffee. His order is the same every day. Everyone else orders the same thing everyday. One day, much to the horror of everyone else in the coffee shop, Guy declares he wishes to sample a cappuccino. This is a similarity to Pleasantville. Free Guy features a few hilarious superhero cameos. So did Space Jam 2. Unfortunately, somewhere in the film Free Guy takes a less-sophisticated turn. It becomes more like a milder version of Ready Player One than Pleasantville. At one point Guy starts a relationship with someone from the “real world.” Free Guy has the potential to send a more powerful political message like Pleasantville, but does not do so. The video game world that Free Guy takes place in is riddled with violence. At one point the characters in the video game world learn about gun violence and mass shootings in the real world. Once again, a missed opportunity for a deeper political message. After the characters in the game are able to become free of the game’s programming and gain free will, Guy and his romantic interest part ways. She realizes he is only part of the game. This echoes the line in Ready Player One– “reality is the only thing that’s real.”

Space Jam 2 was a two hour Warner Bros commercial but there are indeed worse things a movie can be. Among those things are a two hour Matt Damon or Ryan Reynolds commercial. It could be I’m just hard to please. When you care more about Bugs Bunny than Matt Damon, that says something about a movie.

This is more than can be said about Stillwater, but Free Guy contains a very moving message about not accepting where society decided you “belong.” Of course, so does Space Jam 2.