Annapolis - Kampf um Anerkennung

The military world is always portrayed differently than the world most of us live in currently. And it's important that it is done with respect and dignity; to show us non-military personnel what our men and women in the army go through to be the best. This movie, directed by Justin Lin mirrors that well (training wise) but I'm not sure about much else. Lin's direction everywhere else was all over the place and he couldn't seem to make the main character tell us what he truly was trying to become. Plus, writer David Collard has so many unfinished subplots that the audience will feel a very empty feeling by the finale.

Annapolis is the name of an academy that James Franco's character, Jake Huard wants to join. This is because of a promise he makes to his mother who passed away before he could join. But what's never explained to us is why he's joining. Is he joining to serve his country? Maybe just to prove himself to others that he can be better than where he is now? Or is it to improve his physical strength so he can be a better boxer? We're never given an answer.

Then there's the issue of multiple subplots. Huard has personal problems between him and his father played by Brian Goodman. He also is trying to get into a relationship with a military chick (Jordana Brewster) he originally mistook as a prostitute, who somehow still has the nerve to talk to him after being assumed that. Along with that is Huard's friend, Twins (Vicellous Shannon) who is attempting to overcome his large figure so he can pass a specific test. And together with them is another friend, Loo (Roger Fan) who is a real stickler to the rules. Lastly is the bumping heads between Huard and Cole (Tyrese Gibson).

Yes that's a lot of subplots! And guess what? By the end of the film, only two of these subplots are actually completed. The rest are left hanging up in the air to dry. The audience will never know what happened to some specific characters because Mr. Collard didn't seem to find this needed to be written in the script. What? I think I can agree on saying that the audience always loves a well-written story as long as the subplots are finished as well.

What I did appreciate is how the training was displayed. Yes, it is a vigorous and tiring string of exercises and that is shown perfectly here. Brian Tyler's music was well appreciated too even though I did not find it bringing up the tone of the story. And I couldn't stand the negative energy that was being thrusted upon me by Gibson's character. In a sense, it felt like grown-up bullying and it was all directed towards Huard, and everyone suffered for it. Why does this training academy have its nose so high up in the air? My god.

Annapolis does not inspire no matter how hard it tries to. The film has no direction and weakly written script. The music and visual aids of training are the only thing worth seeing.

I didn't think it ruined what Top gun did for the Navy. I felt that there were some corny moments and it really could have had more romantic elements. But I felt that the connection made between the recruits was very well done and that the way the officer's were acting was much like what someone would actually experience. I wasn't expecting much from seeing it, but I did think it was very well done, a little predictable at points, but I feel it is worth seeing simply for a lot of fit men and women, and for a cute plot, as well as fitness ideas lol No one could have possibly expected an Oscar win for this film, that would be unrealistic, but it was entertaining and I was on the edge of my seat, quite literally, for a few scenes! Everyone can relate to some aspect of this film, some awesome lines and some great heart =)

Going into 'Annapolis, I thought I was going to be put to sleep by 2 hours of Navy promotion and boring clichés that went out of style years ago. I got that, but 'Annapolis' is better than my expectations suggested. That's not to say its a good movie; it's just not terrible.

The reason it is not terrible is a portion of the cast. James Franco manages to overcome his poorly written, formulaic lead with his hard-edged brand of acting. Vicellous Shannon has an effective supporting role as Twins, an overweight black man from Arkansas. His hometown, he explains, is counting on him to survive and pass the year. This is an unexpectedly touching subplot, and I was surprised it worked. Donnie Wahlberg and Chi McBride have good supporting roles, and many of the anonymous students are portrayed convincingly.

Unfortunately, the production is let down by three factors: The script, Tyrese Gibson, and Jordana Brewster. The script is, well, horrific. While its nice to see military students cuss, some of the racist and sexist remarks are extremely out of place. The script is a tireless formula that simply will not go away (and I don't think I need to name said formula). Next offender: Tyrese Gibson. Tyrese is not a bad actor, but the aforementioned terrible script seems to have made him think he needed to imitate R. Lee Ermey. He does this with the subtlety of a jackhammer. Last, but not least, Jordana Brewster. I simply do not believe for one second she is a Navy Midshipman. The romance between her and Franco is laugh-inducing, and completely unrealistic (how many times have I heard military students aren't allowed to fraternize?).

While it's not the disaster I expected, 'Annapolis' still earns my dislike. There's good stuff, but not enough.

After insisting thirty-four times with his congressman, the shipyard welder and amateurish boxer Jake Huard (James Franco) joins the U.S. Naval Academy. Having difficulties in the classes and suffering prejudice in his relationship with his superior Cole (Tyrese Gibson), he has the support of his roommate and his superiors Ali (Jordana Brewster) and Lt. Commander Burton (Donnie Wahlberg). Jake studies hard and trains for an internal box competition, in an unfair environment.

"Annapolis" is one of those movies that the viewer can foresee the whole story. In this one, there is a combination of those "tough lives of rookies with their superiors" in a military facility with a box competition, in a predictable collection of clichés. Further, the film is miscast, with the sweet, mignon and gorgeous Jordana Brewster couching James Franco in box fight. You certainly have already seen at least twenty movies with one of these themes better than this one. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Annapolis"

Jake Huard (James Franco) is a young man from a poor family who wins admission to the Annapolis Naval Academy, but finds it tougher than he thought when he finds himself facing a superior officer (Tyrese Gibson) in the Navy boxing competition.

The story is very similar to An Officer and a Gentlemen and there really isn't much of a difference between those two films. Still, Annapolis could have been an entertaining popcorn flick. Unfortunately, its dull and very generic. Almost every scene plays like a scene from a better movie. There is no creativity to be found here at all. It's an empty movie and it has very little to offer. The premise may have seemed like a good idea on paper but it sure didn't turn out that way. It's no surprise that it was released in January.

The acting is not very good and it brings the film down quite a bit. James Franco is an okay actor but I don't think he's good enough to be a leading man. He just doesn't have what it takes and this film proves it. Jordana Brewster gives an awful performance as Ali. She's very pretty but she can't act at all. Tyrese Gibson can be a good actor when he wants to be, like in Four Brothers. Here, he gives a bland, unconvincing performance and he seemed to be reading from the cue cards the entire time. The rest of the cast isn't very good but it's these three that should have carried the film.

There are some good things to be found in Annapolis though. The boxing scenes are actually pretty good. Of course, they occur at the end so sitting through the first 80 minutes or so is probably not worth it. There are also a few supporting characters that are interesting like Twins. That's really all the good I can get from this film. The chemistry between Jordana and James just wasn't there. The story wasn't bad just nothing really new. It's a film that's kind of just there. Its not really worth watching but if its on T.V and there's nothing else on then it may not hurt as much as spending $9 in the theater. In the end, Annapolis is a bland, forgettable film that will be just fine on DVD. Rating 5/10