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!"

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"

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!