by Edwin Hopkins

HUGE

Nine years ago Warner Brothers proved with Space Jam that Bugs Bunny and his gang of Looney Tunes could (with superstar Michael Jordan) break from their 6 minute cartoon limit and actually make a full length feature film audiences would pay to see and enjoy. Space Jam grossed over 90.4 million dollars.

Now the famous "Wabbit", Daffy, Yosemite Sam and the rest return in this hilarious follow-up(one might wonder after seven years what took so long) which faithfully adheres to the Looney Tunes tradition of animated slapstick.

It's all in good fun when Daffy is fired from the WB studios by executive Kate Hougton (Jenna Elfman) and the Warner Brothers themselves and is escorted off the lot by security man D. J. Damian (Brendan Fraser) who also ends up getting canned. D.J. discovers that his famous actor father (ex 007 Timothy Dalton) is a real life spy on a mission to find the Blue Monkey Diamond. Unfortunately, dad's been captured by the evil Mr. Chairman (Steve Martin) head of Acme Corps who wants to use the diamond for his own evil devices. i.e- turning people into monkeys. D.J. must take over the mission and rescue his father. Daffy also goes for the ride.

None of the characters have changed in personality. One of the major reasons this movie works so well. Along with the usual banter between Bugs and Daffy, Yosemite Sam is as honery as ever with Foghorn Leghorn providing his wisecracks about not so intelligent people. There are plenty of cameos of lesser known Looney Tunes I'm sure folks will recognize.

It was great to see Steve Martin revert to his "wild and crazy guy" routine in his portrayal as the evil Chairman. He comes off with that same comic relief from his SNL days. You'll notice some familiar faces amongst his subordinates.

Brendan Faraser and Jenna Elfman play off each other well traveling with Bugs and Daffy from the Nevada desert to Paris, France in search of Tim Dalton and the diamond. In one interview Jenna said it was intimidating working with nothing when shooting this movie. It doesn't show at all in the finished product.

One of the most nostalgic moments in the film were the various homages to classic science fiction. I won't spoil it by revealing them. But I'm sure sci-fi buffs will recognize every one. There's even a cameo by a certain famous B-movie director.

I liked Timothy Dalton as James Bond although he made only two 007 films. His performance as secret agent Damien Drake is an excellent parody of his former role.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is probably the closest thing to an actual popcorn movie this year. It has all the elements; humor, laughter and best of all, all the wild antics and explosive comedy the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes are legendary for. It's fun for the whole family.