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List Price: $14.99 | | Label: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Salesrank: 23387
Released: June 27, 2006 |
| Our Price: $4.75 |
| Used Price: $0.25 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Filled with intense action, ANNAPOLIS is an inspirational tale of courage and honor that will keep you riveted. As hard as it is to get into the most elite military academy in the country, surviving behind its walls is beyond belief. Young Jake Huard (James Franco) has always known he has what it takes to make the grade. But once inside, everything Jake thought he knew is challenged in ways he never could have imagined. Standing between him and his lifelong ambition of becoming an officer in the U.S. Navy is his company commander -- Midshipman Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson), a relentless and merciless battle-seasoned Marine. Thrilling and exhilarating, ANNAPOLIS reaffirms the power of believing in your dreams.
Description of Annapolis (Widescreen Edition):
A boxing movie done up in Naval Academy drag, Annapolis stars James Franco (Spider-Man, Tristan & Isolde) as Jake Huard, a shipbuilder's son who wants to prove to his father--and to himself--that he can cut it as a Naval officer. But at the Academy he runs afoul of a hard-nosed training officer named Cole (Tyrese Gibson, Four Brothers), who does all he can to drive Huard out of the school. They end up settling their differences in the boxing ring during the Academy's annual competition. Annapolis is a bundle of cliches, from Huard's interracial mix of roommates to the lessons he learns about teamwork, but it's an efficient and vigorous bundle of cliches. Director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow) keeps the pace swift and the visuals snappy, particularly in the boxing scenes. Franco and Gibson work hard to outdo each other's burning gazes; both are handsome men of modest acting talent, but they suit their roles reasonably well. Also featuring Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious), Donnie Wahlberg (Saw II), and the always charming Chi McBride (Roll Bounce). --Bret Fetzer
Annapolis (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
In the Navy!!!! 
2009-12-09 - This is the typical story about a young man living in South Philly and with his father, He has a job in the shipyatd where the Father is the Foreman. He has an attitude yet is not a bad guy. By hard work work and a break he gets into the Naval Academy where he is considered an outsider because of his attitude and lack of desire to ask for help, Yes, of course there is a woman, there is always a woman!!!!!!! The Film however is fun. The film does have one shortcoming when he and the company commander do not see eye to eye and the LT always states that he knows what a real officer is and what makes them good! Yet, I don't see that he does. An officer doesn't make it personal and he wouldn;'t allow those who are overweight to stay so. He also doesn't think he is better then every other officer either. Despite this the fiklem is fun, well acted and it was nice to see the personal growth of the cadet and how the uperclasss chief handles her feelings for him and his for her for a year. I have left some out but overall it is a nice romantic, peresonal growth and is realistic in that we do have guys like this in the service alot. I enjoyed it and gave a 5 star
A boxing flick; Annapolis is also in there somewhere 
2009-12-07 - This is really a boxing flick, although there is a sub-plot in there somewhere about a bunch of young people trying to make it through their first year of Annapolis. The Naval Academy, along with West Point and the Air Force Academy, is well-known for its hazing and tough first year. The protagonist of this one is a rough-cut young man with an aptitude for boxing. The plot really focuses on his shot at the Academy boxing championship. The result of all of this is that the plot, if there is one, is confused because this film never really decides what it wants to be about: surviving the first year of Annapolis, or boxing.
A watchable movie but not what I was expecting. RJB.
A middle of the road cliché that is easily enjoyed and easily forgotten...
2009-10-27 - It's like `An Officer and a Gentleman' meets `Antwone Fisher' meets `Rocky', but nowhere near as good as the first two (yes, we all know that I think `Rocky' is an overrated mediocre film). Yes, there isn't much new to `Annapolis', and sadly it doesn't really handle anything in a way to create anything remotely memorable. It's a cliché ridden rip-off film that has a few selected moments that make it enjoyable, but there is nothing here that would warrant any deep-seated affection.
The performances run the gamut from poor (Tyrese Gibson) to decent (James Franco) to pretty darn good (Vicellous Reon Shannon), and then you have the barely there performances, like that from the gorgeous (Demi Moore/Jennifer Connelly love child) Jordana Brewster.
The film tells of Jake Huard, a young man who dreams of the Navy. When he finally gets his chance he finds that his stubborn and aggressive nature makes it difficult for him to adapt to life in the academy. With the help of a beautiful woman, a caring Lieutenant and his own determination, Jake is able to...box? Yes, that's right; he boxes. There is a boxing competition open to everyone in the academy, which give Jake the opportunity to exact some pain on Cole, his nemesis and resident jerk.
Littered with clichés that come one right after the other, `Annapolis' never finds its own footing. It borrows far too much from far too many other films. It plays out like a poor mans `An Officer and a Gentleman', with no one able to step up to the plate and deliver something noteworthy. Vicellous Reon Shannon was my favorite part of the film, even if his character was the biggest cliché the film had to offer (SPOILER: the overweight African American who is mistreated, rises above, gets shot back down and attempts to take his own life). Shannon played the role flawlessly, and I believed in him, connected to him, and absolutely adored him.
But aside from that, I'm left empty handed.
I will say that the films pacing was brisk and the visuals were a nice touch (especially the fight sequences). It's a `pretty' movie.
With Tyrese playing just another variation of Louis Gossett Jr.'s Oscar winning role (which wasn't deserving of an Oscar in the first place) and James Franco trying to be charming while keeping an edge (which he only manages to accomplish SOME of the time), `Annapolis' falls in the middle.
It's not bad but it feels very `been there done that'.
Great Movie
2009-10-02 - The trailer for this movie made it seem like it would be remarkable. Although I have to say I wasn't as impressed, I still give it 5 stars. This is a movie that stands good on it's on merits.
Seen It All Before
2009-09-23 - I will start this review by saying Annapolis is not a bad film, that however does not necessarily mean that it's a good film either. The problem with Justin Lin's first major studio outing is that the viewer gets a strange sense of deja vu as he or she watches the film.
Annapolis is a hybrid crossing of An Officer and a Gentleman meets Rocky. Jake Huard (James Franco)is a blue collar worker who wants to shoe the world that he can make it as a Naval officer by attending Annapolis and breaking free of his shipyard bound friends. Given this chance he tries to do it alone and begins to fall deeper and deeper into failure. With the help of a fellow student and potential love interest(Jordana Brewster) he beins to train for the Brigades the annual boxing tournament. The boxing ring is also Huard's chance to deal with a grudge bearing senior officer.
The film tries its best to be completely politically correct and this plus every sports movie cliche in the book tends to hurt the overall film. The disc includes a making of featurette, a sequence on the boxing scenes, some deleted scenes and a running commentary from director Lin, screenwriter David Collard and the film editor.
This is not a bad one to rent but you may swear that you've seen it all before.
