Annapolis

Did you like Louis Gossett Jr.'s character in An Officer and a Gentleman? Are you looking for a Demi Moore look-a-like from A Few Good Men? Do you want a protagonist who boxes alongside his military career with a name similar to Prewitt from From Here to Eternity? If you answered three sound yeses, then you want to rent Annapolis, a naval drama about a boxer named Huard who struggles with a tough sergeant and falls for a female officer. It's not nearly as good a movie as the three it borrowed from, but if your goal is to see a modern knock-off or to if you're in the middle of your James-Franco-in-a-uniform movie marathon, you'll be very entertained.

If James Franco weren't the lead in this movie, I would say Vicellous Reon Shannon stole the show. His character is an out-of-shape plebe who can't complete the obstacle course and is repeatedly picked on for his weight. Not only is he given the best lines, but he's the one you care about. He's the only one who sticks by Franco-who struggles instead with the studious portion-because Franco is his "Mississippi". Mississippi is the worst state in the union, so the second-worst state-Arkansas-can always take comfort that it's not in last place. They help each other through mutual studying and training, and if the lead weren't such a dreamboat, Shannon's character could have been the one everyone remembers.

However, since the lead is a dreamboat, I can't imagine anyone going to see this movie for any other reason than to stare at an extremely muscular James Franco for two hours as he tries to recreate Richard Gere's and Montgomery Clift's struggles from prior movies. While Tyrese Gibson and McCaleb Burnett are supposed to be seen as overly tough to the plebes, I found no fault with their characters. Everyone's weaknesses and emotional issues are supposed to be brought to the forefront and exploited, to toughen them up and make them capable of anything under any amount of pressure. Harassment about one man's weight problem or another's nationality is to be expected, because no one can get distracted, defensive, or hurt feelings when they're in a life-or-death situation. Still, there are a couple of "nicer" instructors: Donnie Wahlberg, who helped Franco gain admittance to the academy, and Jordana Brewster, his love interest.

Yes, the movie is a bit predictable and not particularly original, but it's still enjoyable. Once again, it was unfairly criticized and flopped at the box office. There's no reason for movies like this to be badly received; the performances are strong, and the message makes you feel good. Critics seem to be universally too harsh when judging James Franco's movies, so why don't you rent a couple and make up your own mind about them?

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. During the boxing fights, there is a bit of handheld camera usage that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

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.

I'm only giving it 5 stars because it only lived up to half of the expectations that the trailer gave it. Once you see it you will know what I mean. I just got out of the theater a half hour ago and I left disappointed because I was expecting to see what was promised in the trailer. I'm talking about the ships, submarines, jets, helicopters, being out to see, the ship explosion, and such. The only ship you see is the one that is being built and it never even leaves the harbor. I left feeling like they didn't have the budget to finish the movie so they just cut it short. There are no scenes where they are outside the grounds of Annapolis, unless you count the bar across the bay. It was a good movie as long as you know what you are expecting. Expect to see boxing scenes, as that is the new focus of the movie after they had to cut out all the stuff after they ran out of money. Oh, and also the line in the trailer, "Why are you so hard on him…" etc. yep, CUT!

When a film is entitled ANNAPOLIS one expects to see something that resembles or in some part reflects the title. Unfortunately, this is based on a small, twice-told story rendered in what appears to be a Frankenscript made up from parts of other scripts from feature films superior to it. It's a superficial story at that. It's also obvious that the neither writer nor director served in either the US Navy or the USN Marines Division, nor apparently bothered to hire a knowledgeable consultant for it lacks authenticity and is marred by technical errors. For example, there's a line where Midshipman Cole (well played by the striking Tyrese Gibson) a former Marine that we later learn will return to the Marines after graduating Annapolis refers to himself as a "soldier." This is a rather grinding mistake because no Sailor or Marine ever refers to himself as a soldier even while intoxicated and spouting philosophic euphemisms. It just never happens.

Perhaps the most glaring error is the entire writing of the "Twins" character (once again very well played by Vicellous Reon Shannon) who is an overweight, physically unqualified plebe. In truth the entry examination for Annapolis is done in two parts and one part covers an entire day on physical qualifications that all candidates must pass. Physically unqualified students are never found at the Naval Academy. The part should simply have never been written as it is. The idea itself obviously comes from any number of old boot camp films where it not only happens but where this characterization has long ago become trite.

At this writing I do not know why the picture was not made at Annapolis itself but this fact encompasses an entire basket of missed opportunities. If one were to entitle a film ANNAPOLIS the story might have been told similarly to John Ford's THE LONG GRAY LINE (1955) where through the experience of one man we get the emotional impact and historicity of West Point. USNA Annapolis is one of the greatest institutions of the United States, having been officially created in 1850. Its grounds and buildings are stunning when one sees the parades of midshipmen pass in review. There is nothing in this film that comes close to illustrating or in any way demonstrating the glory of the Academy. Boxing, which is the highlight of this unfortunate film is but a small aspect of life there. Yet, the activity eats up the entire conclusion of this film. Better to have named it, "Rocky's Younger, Midshipman Brother."

There is one small plus side; however, the cast is always engaging and talented so what little is there is salvaged by their performances. For those of us who were disappointed by this amateurish, non-visionary production we hope that the film will play well with the younger school-age audiences. It's not a total loss.

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 =)