The Hidden Messages in Space
Jam
Space Jam tells the story of
Swackhammer and his desperate need of new attractions at his amusement park,
Moron Mountain. Swackhammer discovers the Looney Toons and is instantly
intrigued to obtain them for the park. He sends his minions to capture Bugs
Bunny and the rest of the Looney Toons cast whether they wanted to go or not.
As soon as they have them in their clutches, Bugs tricks them by making them
agree to a basketball game in return for their freedom. Winning the game seems
almost inevitable for the Looney Toons due to the substantial size difference,
but the minions turn the tables by stealing the talents of current NBA
superstars. Out of desperation, Bugs calls upon Michael Jordan to give them a reasonable
chance of winning the game. From the beginning of the game it was clear to see
that the Looney Toons were outmatched.
The overarching moral of the
movie comes at halftime of the game in the locker room. They’re desperately
losing the game and they have lost all determination to keep playing. As
deceiving as Bugs is, he makes everyone believe that if they drink a water
bottle labeled “Michael’s Secret Stuff” that it’ll give them the same
basketball abilities as Michael Jordan. All they needed was a source of inspiration
and for someone to take the initiative to get everyone to rally behind him. The
most positive message to take away from this film is to find your own version
of “Michael’s Secret Stuff” to fuel your drive to success. This drive is
critically important in times where you’re at the abyss of failure and you need
a stimulus to spark your fire. Even though this was a classic version of the
placebo effect, if you set your mind towards success then there is virtually
nothing that can stop your road to prosperity.
There are two very glaring
negative messages that stick out to me from the film. The first adverse message
it conveys is when Lola shows up to their first practice and all of the team
members develop the misconception that since she’s a girl that she won’t be
good at basketball. Bugs calls her a “doll” and challenges her to a game of
one-on-one. In Bugs mind he believes that she’s a cute bunny that clearly has
no right to be on the team. Lola on the other hand took the name of “doll” as a
degrading derision and she wanted to prove her worth to the team. Lola
completely dominates Bugs in the game, leaving Bugs in awe. This negative jab
at women turns into a positive because Lola proves that women should never be
underestimated in their athletic abilities. The other inimical message is the
character of Swackhammer. Swackhammer is illustrated as the modern-day version
of a slave owner almost. He captures minions to make them work for him for the
rest of their lives and are forced to tend to his every need. Throughout the
game he is physically and verbally abusing his minions for his own pleasure.
Toward the end of the game he strikes a deal with Michael Jordan regarding the
result of the basketball game. If the Looney Toons win then he must return the
talents of the NBA superstars back to them, but if they lose then Michael must
be chained up for the rest of his life while visitors on Moron Mountain defeat
him in basketball. The villain in the movie will always portray a negative
message, but the fascist style of Swackhammer is too aggressive for the
audience that the film is being addressed to.
As a child, you’re never
analyzing the movie thoroughly to obtain any messages that the movie is
construing. These subjects are directed towards the parents to make them feel
that their children are getting something positive out of the movie. Children’s
movies are far more advanced than we typically characterize them as, but these
topics aren’t easily understood until we mature.
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