The original 1996 “Space Jam” may be a cult classic, but it’s no “Citizen Kane.”
But Joe Pytka — the director of the original movie, which starred NBA legend Michael Jordan — seems to have really hated the remake, “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which stars LeBron James and was released on HBO last week.
Pytka completely trashed the film to TMZ in an interview published Wednesday. Considering the first “Space Jam” has a critics rating of 44% on Rotten Tomatoes (“New Legacy” has 30%), his comments come off as funny as Bugs Bunny sticking his fingers in Elmer Fudd’s rifle.
“The truth is that LeBron ain’t Michael,” Pytka told the entertainment website, noting that James is a great athlete and good actor, but in 1996, when his film was made, Jordan was the biggest celebrity in the world.
According to TMZ, Pytka also had a hard time watching “New Legacy;” it apparently took him about five attempts to make it through the entire thing.
Pytka slammed the plot and supporting cast.
According to TMZ, Pytka also griped that the new film’s version of Bugs Bunny “has no connection to previous depictions,” adding that the iconic character “looked like one of those fluffy dolls you buy at an airport gift shop to bring your kid when your business trip has taken too long.”
Hey, if Pytka is that upset about the changes in the reboot, he can take solace in the fact that the website for the original film looks exactly the way it did 25 years ago.