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!

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.

There isn't a scene in this movie where I can't name the better movie that they stole the idea from. Watchable, but very predictable, and your life is no better off at the end.

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.

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.