Although it extremely predictable and formulaic, Annapolis does manage to be entertaining – provided you are not expecting too much from the film. The movie is a little bit ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ meets ‘Rocky,’ but fails to add any originality to make the ingredients really work.
Directed by Justin Lin, Annapolis follows Jake Huard (James Franco) – a blue-collar shipbuilder's son who wants to prove himself by making it through Annapolis and becoming a Naval officer. He made a promise to his dead mother to make it, and really has no desire to live his father’s life of a union worker building ships on the dock.
Once at the Academy, Huard discovers this dream may be harder to obtain thanks to a tough as nails training officer named Cole (Tyrese Gibson) and the academy’s rigorous learning demands placed on first year students. Huard (who is an amateur boxer) can handle the physical demands of the school, but has trouble with the learning side of the school. As the year continues, Huard is forced to ask for help from his roommate, and another training officer.
This is where the movie pretty much stops the ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ plot and shifts into full blown ‘Rocky’ mode. It seems Annapolis also holds a boxing tournament that is open to everyone in the school, and also gives Huard a chance to get back at Cole (the odds on favorite to win). Once again, Huard has to ask for help to get ready for the tournament, and then slowly begins working his way through the competition until it comes down to Cole and Huard for the championship. I won’t spoil the ending.
Annapolis is not what I expected. From the trailers and cover the film looked like it was going to be more about Franco’s first year in the academy and focus more on the school in general. Instead, almost all of the school’s training is forgotten halfway through the film, and it becomes all about the boxing. Since I like boxing movies, this switch didn’t totally ruin the movie for me.
Franco delivers a solid performance in the film
All of the actors do a good job in the film, but we have seen all of these characters before in other movies. Franco is the underdog that is out to get respect and prove that he belongs. The quasi love story between Franco and the instructor Ali (Jordana Brewster) makes the film seems even more predictable. From the second she walks on the screen (their meeting is straight out of Top Gun without the singing), you know they will eventually get together, and that she will help Franco find the strength to make it through the first year.
Gibson is the tough as nails instructor obsessed with running Franco out because he “doesn’t belong.” From the second he clashes with Franco, you know the two are going to end up respecting each other by the end of the film. Just like you know that deep down Gibson is only being hard on the cadets to get them ready to lead in war.
Even though the film is extremely predictable, it is also entertaining thanks mostly to Lin’s pacing and fast editing during the boxing matches. The director manages to take you into the ring during the fights and the use of camera angles make the matches worth watching – even if you know how it is going to turn out. The boxing sequences are probably some of the film’s best moments, and are the reason you are willing to forgive it for following the formulas of past movies so closely.
I did not like how the entire film switches to boxing about halfway through, and almost looses the focus on the school entirely. We still see Franco struggling with the classes, instructors, and memorization, but the focus is clearly on boxing. It is also heavy on the clichés and formulas which makes some of the characters (such as the roommate that is overweight and struggles with the physical demands of the school) “cookie cut” and formulaic.
The DVD comes with some several special features including some deleted scenes; Plebe Year: The Story of Annapolis – which is a standard look at the making of the film; The Brigades – which is a look at the actors’ boxing training, the film’s fight choreography, and the boxing sequences’ camera techniques; and commentary from Lin, writer Dave Collard, and editor Fred Raskin.
Annapolis features some great boxing sequences
Overall, I enjoyed Annapolis and would recommend it to anyone wanting a good drama movie or anyone that is a fan of boxing films. The plot is predictable, but the acting is solid. The film manages to be entertaining and is worth giving it a chance - if you are in the mood for something light that doesn’t require much thought.
Annapolis is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an August 7th release. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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