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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rocky versus the Navy, May 25, 2006
Younger fans of Hollywood films will no doubt give this movie the thumbs up. But for those Hollywood film fans old enough to remember the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman" starring Richard Gere, "Annapolis" is a poor imitation. "An Officer and a Gentleman" told the melodramatic story of Zack Mayo, played by Richard Gere, whose self-absorption came into harsh conflict with the communitarian values of his drill instructor Emil Foley played by Lou Gossett Jr . The extra-curricular affair between Zack and a local girl served to illuminate his self-interested attitude in which the interests of others were held in little regard. Only after Mayo's best friend Sid Worley commited suicide over an unhappy romance did Zack come out of his culturally-programmed adolescence and then mature into adulthood.
That said, younger audiences will like the melodramatic plot of "Annapolis". James Franco plays Jake Huard, an amateur boxer and shipyard worker who wants to climb the class ladder to become a midshipman. And this is where Jake Huard parts company with his predecessor Zack Mayo. Zack Mayo was always officer material, just pre-absorbed with getting ahead and not taking notice that others were trying to get ahead also. Jake Huard, however, is in search of his estranged father's approval and determines to suffer whatever it takes to become an officer. Whereas Mayo matured into an officer, Huard remains a self-absorbed boxer in a Navy uniform - although less self-absorbed because he is able to get the monkey off his back and win his father's approval.
In a style reminiscent of "Boom Boom" Mancini, Huard battered his Congressperson with requests for over 30 days straight in order to secure a letter of recommendation to Annapolis. Once there, he bunks with the loser Estrada played by Wilmer Calderon, the methodical Loo played by Roger Fan, and the misfit Twins masterfully played by Vicellous Reon Shannon. Twins and Huard are scorned and ridiculed by the other cadets who view them as misfits. The resulting chemistry between these two characters is superb, reinforced by Shannon's excellent acting in his portrayal of Twins. Huard continues to break rules and grate nerves until his opportunity for redemption arrives - a boxing showdown with the cadet menace Cole, played by Tyrese Gibson. The film quickly transforms itself into Rocky versus the Naval Dictator. Despite the canned character scripts and sea of clichés complained of by previous reviewers, the melodrama never sinks with the ship.
The so-called romance or lust attraction that develops between Huard and the officer Ali played by Jordana Brewster is pretty far-fetched. It is true that, in real American life, sometimes -rarely - American teachers fall for students. It happens. But Huard had one previous meeting with Ali in a bar prior to all this, so she had not always been his superior officer. Younger audiences will find the relationship between Huard and Ali plausible, while older audiences will find it preposterous.
"Annapolis" is directed by Justin Lin and was filmed at a Philadelphia College rather than the actual Annapolis. It seems that the Navy does not cotton to disparaging Hollywood films - they said "No" to "An Officer and a Gentleman" too, which was mostly filmed on location at Port Townsend, Washington rather than the Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida.
Rated PG-13 for profanity, lust, alcohol and violence.
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Annapolis, February 2, 2006
What begins as an intelligent, well-written, character-driven military drama gradually descends into the firey pits of cliche hell during its second half. Viewers of "Annapolis" will most likely be students of "An Officer and a Gentleman," one of the greatest military films ever made, in which a Naval academy enrollee faced his over-aggressive drill instructor in a battle of wills. That film, as it progressed from scene to scene, become a powerful experience in its own way, if only marginally so. "Annapolis" works in a similar way during its first half, dealing a deck of raw emotional power and a sincere study of its characters. And then, without warning, it falls from grace into one of the first most unoriginal films of 2006.
To say that "Annapolis" is an example of how not to make an effective military drama is to say that the Atlantic Ocean is damp. Considering everything that happens, what the characters go through and how they change, where the characters end up, and what they do or do not accomplish, the film is essentially a half-drawn journey to a very poor destination. There are no surprises, save for perhaps one, and no sudden twists that grab the audience by surprise. If you take away the aspects of the Naval Academy, it is about a young man named Jake Huard (James Franco) who wants to win the favor of his father.
Huard works alongside his buddies in a shipyard across the bay from the Annapolis Naval Academy. An aimless young man who is at odds with his father, he has always wanted to attend the Academy and serve his country as an officer in the United States Navy, and one day, out of the blue, he is given a letter of acceptance. Upon arrival, he meets and makes friends with his three roommates, the overweight Twins (Vicellous Reon Shannon), the rule abiding Loo (Roger Fan), and the abrasive, cocky Estrada (Wilmer Calderon).
Somehow, he also manages to develop a relationship with one of his commanding officers, the beautiful Ali (Jordanna Brewster), whom he approached the night before his departure in a bar, thinking that she was a hooker. He also butts heads with his fierce commanding officer, Cole (Tyrease Gibson), an aggressive boulder on loan to the Navy from the Marines. The relationships between these characters are just as well-written as one would anticipate, and they are all very well-acted.
All was going well until the second half of the film began, in which I leaned forward in my chair and rubbed my eyes in disbelief. "Annapolis" is a boxing movie. Jake was an amateur boxer before he came to the Academy, and he is given a shot at participating in the Brigades, a tournament in which the enrollees get to fight one another. At first, Jake struggles for entry under the boxing teacher, Coach McNally (Chi McBride), but, unsurprisingly, he becomes one of the best fighters at the school. Under the support of sexy Ali, Jake battles his way through the tournament, with the championship match against the hard-hitting Cole at the end of the tunnel.
By the time the film was over, I wanted to do very bad things to the script, or at least the second half of the script. The film ends in 2008, which means that Jake must be entering the Academy right now or a couple of years ago, which means that we would be in a war on terrorism, which means that a boxing tournament would not be on Jake's mind. Instead of depicting Jakes journey through training at the Academy, his battle of wills with Cole, and his progression to taking command of a ship in the war on terrorism, "Annapolis" decides to place its characters in the ring, with the hero facing hardships during fights and outside of them, all the way up to the big championship match.
Exactly how Ali can get away with kissing one of her trainees is beyond me, but the film is apparently too lopsided to pay attention to detail. And just because the commanding officer is aggressive does not mean that we should hate him and despise him. In "Annapolis" he is just as tough as you would preceive him to be, and is therefore not a credible villain even if we are rooting for Jake.
While James Franco does a terrific job, there are only two perfect performances in the film: Vicellous Reon Shannon as Twins and Tyrease Gibson as Cole. Twins is probably the best character in the movie, better than Jake, and is given the most emotional depth. The scenes involving him, his story, and his fate are well thought out, and his relationship with Jake manages to push the film in a better direction, if only marginally so. Tyrease Gibson is perfect as the tough commanding officer. For at least a little while, the film plays like a version of "Crimson Tide" on land, with Jake and Cole duking it out.
The film should have stayed in that direction, but it didn't. If the first half of the film hadn't been so good, had it not brought forth the setup and character development that it did, then everything would have been sunk in the water. "Annapolis" is so intersting for the first act and then becomes riddled with cliches and eventually runs out of gas. Before we leave the theater, we find ourselves watching a totally different movie, and wondering why we bothered with it in the first place. - Isaac
Rated PG-13; 106 minutes; Directed by Justin Lin
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Boxing at Annapolis: Is that all there is?, June 29, 2006
From the graphics, trailer, and cover of the DVD, ANNAPOLIS looks as though it is a movie about life in military training. And, yes, there are scenes showing the rigorous training these young men receive on their way to becoming Navy officers. But quickly after the Annapolis portion of the film begins the story turns into yet another young boxer proves himself through his sport story and not a very powerful one at that. For those expecting something more, then best to look at other films from the past about military training.
The plot is full of clichés, each of which has a weak lead-in and an easy-to-predict ending. Thee are some good actors assigned to the cast - James Franco (more buff than he has ever looked!), Jordana Brewster, Donnie Wahlberg, and some strong supporting cast members, but the story never involves us beyond a head-nodding 'yes, I've seen this before' status. It is a piecemeal work, some of the pieces being sensitive but most being disposable. The story doesn't seem to have a point except that of life in the first year of Annapolis is tough, that those in charge may seem really mean but they all have heart, and the good underdogs make the best of a bad situation.
But if you like boxing movies, this one has a lot of time in the ring and for that audience ANNAPOLIS will please. Grady Harp, June 06
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