Annapolis
Rated PG-13
Sexual Reference, Boxing Violence and Some Foul Language
2.5 of 4 Stars
Starring: James Franco, Jordana Brewster, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Donnie Wahlberg,
Tyrese Gibson
Directed by: Justin Lin
Produced by: Steven Nicolaides, Mark Vahradian (II), Gym Hinderer
Annapolis is the story of a young man named Jake Huard (James Franco of Spidermand 1 &
2 and Tristan and Isolde) who lives with his father working at the shipyards in Maryland,
building Navy Ships. Before his mother died when he was a child, he told her that he would
go to Annapolis and "do something with his life". Struggling with a bad relationship with his
father and a being below amateur boxer, he finally gets his acceptance papers to go into the
Academy. When he arrives to Annapolis he is greeted by a Lt Cole (Tyrese Gibson of Fast
and the Furious 2) who is destined on making the new inductees, officers and good ones at
that. He has a take no bull personality and believes that his job is to help his country. Jake
however is the student with a bad past and a bad attitude toward authority and people who
tell him to do something he does not want to do. His personality is not really a rebellious one
but when faced with someone yelling at him, he starts to feel insecure and overpowered
therefore he lashes out. Yes, he probably needs a therapist. Jake is more like a rebel with a
good heart. Cole however does not believe that a rebel with a good heart is good enough.
He believes that Jake's desire to do thing his own way and alone can be detrimental to the
whole team, therefore he pushes him and pushes him to do his best. Thrown in the mix is
another Lt who is played by Jordana Brewster who really should not have been in the movie
at all. Her role is actually quite embarrassing to watch and we are actually really supposed to
believe that she is a DI (Drill Instructor) and boxing coach. The movie finally has a climactic
ending involving a boxing match between Lt Cole and Jake Huard. Two notable roles include
Donnie Walberg (Yes, Mark Walberg's brother) who plays the Commander. Donnie is one of
the best parts of the movie and should have taken over Jordana's role as the boxing
instructor. Also Kenan Thompson (Fat Albert) who plays the role of Jake's roommate.
Many people will not know this and probably never figure this out and unless you are a HUGE
fan of classic movies, but this is a remake of another movie starring Jimmy Stewart called
"Navy Blue and Gold" that follows the same storyline but with better writing. "Navy Blue and
Gold was a movie made to boost the military morale during the WWII and actually did an
excellent job making our country and military look great. Annapolis was actually a refreshing
treat in one way. Annapolis was the complete contradiction to "Jarhead" which made people
want to run away from the Military but instead painted a very patriotic view of the Navy and
Marine Corp. In today's movie industry, it is very cool and popular to protray the American
military leadership as a bunch of egocentric republicans that just want to kill people and fight
for oil or for selfish gain. However this movie says, hey its actually cool to serve your country
and its actually good to respect authority. For that reason, I can recommend this movie to
most teens and above. Annapolis had a good message and great morals, both of which
were well delivered.
I did like this movie however I cannot give it raving reviews because there were just too much
bad acting by Jordana Brewster what was just completely miscast in the role and Tyrese
Gibson over acted though half the movie and seemed more concerned with giving a mean
face than delivering his message. Both acting jobs were more the fault of the director than
the actors really, so to their credit, I will just say the directing was to blame. There is one
scene in the movie that is taken right out of Top Gun and should have stayed with Top Gun.
The infamous scene where Tom Cruise goes to the bar and tries to pick up Kelly McGillis
only to find out that she is his instructor at his upcoming Flight School. As you see in the
previews, the exact same scene is replayed in Annapolis and falls flat. Like I said before, the
role of the love interest was completely out of character and you find yourself saying "oh
good grief, that would never happen" too often.
If you saw the previews, you will see 3 scenes that are actually NOT in the movie. 2 of which
I believe are CRUCIAL to understanding the character and motivating behind both of the
leads. I have to blame editing on taking these scenes out. The first and most important
scene that is not in the movie, is the part why Cole is talking to Jordana Brewster. She is
asking him why he is pushing Jake so hard. Cole responds by telling her that he believes
that Jake is a lot like him and he wants to make him a great leader. This scene is really
important and it is a shame that they left it out of the movie. The second scene is showing
more of what appears to be abuse from Cole pushing Jake in a water tank, they completely
re-wrote the scene and missed the message again. Lastly, they took out a scene which I am
thankful for because it would not have fit and it would have not been appropriate. There is a
sex scene you seen in the previews that DOES NOT OCCUR in the movie. That was smart
editing because it would have taken away from the message.
Warning to Parents: There are quite a bit of God D***s in the movie and a few remarks that
are inappropriate but I think the rating is right one. The movie is actually one I would
probably want my kids to see because it finally shows America in a good light and there are a
lot of strong morals in the movie. The movie deals with respecting authority, a father and
son bonding, righteous love and loving your country.
I give this movie 2.5 of 4 Stars for being a badly made good movie.
Rated PG-13
Sexual Reference, Boxing Violence and Some Foul Language
2.5 of 4 Stars
Starring: James Franco, Jordana Brewster, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Donnie Wahlberg,
Tyrese Gibson
Directed by: Justin Lin
Produced by: Steven Nicolaides, Mark Vahradian (II), Gym Hinderer
Annapolis is the story of a young man named Jake Huard (James Franco of Spidermand 1 &
2 and Tristan and Isolde) who lives with his father working at the shipyards in Maryland,
building Navy Ships. Before his mother died when he was a child, he told her that he would
go to Annapolis and "do something with his life". Struggling with a bad relationship with his
father and a being below amateur boxer, he finally gets his acceptance papers to go into the
Academy. When he arrives to Annapolis he is greeted by a Lt Cole (Tyrese Gibson of Fast
and the Furious 2) who is destined on making the new inductees, officers and good ones at
that. He has a take no bull personality and believes that his job is to help his country. Jake
however is the student with a bad past and a bad attitude toward authority and people who
tell him to do something he does not want to do. His personality is not really a rebellious one
but when faced with someone yelling at him, he starts to feel insecure and overpowered
therefore he lashes out. Yes, he probably needs a therapist. Jake is more like a rebel with a
good heart. Cole however does not believe that a rebel with a good heart is good enough.
He believes that Jake's desire to do thing his own way and alone can be detrimental to the
whole team, therefore he pushes him and pushes him to do his best. Thrown in the mix is
another Lt who is played by Jordana Brewster who really should not have been in the movie
at all. Her role is actually quite embarrassing to watch and we are actually really supposed to
believe that she is a DI (Drill Instructor) and boxing coach. The movie finally has a climactic
ending involving a boxing match between Lt Cole and Jake Huard. Two notable roles include
Donnie Walberg (Yes, Mark Walberg's brother) who plays the Commander. Donnie is one of
the best parts of the movie and should have taken over Jordana's role as the boxing
instructor. Also Kenan Thompson (Fat Albert) who plays the role of Jake's roommate.
Many people will not know this and probably never figure this out and unless you are a HUGE
fan of classic movies, but this is a remake of another movie starring Jimmy Stewart called
"Navy Blue and Gold" that follows the same storyline but with better writing. "Navy Blue and
Gold was a movie made to boost the military morale during the WWII and actually did an
excellent job making our country and military look great. Annapolis was actually a refreshing
treat in one way. Annapolis was the complete contradiction to "Jarhead" which made people
want to run away from the Military but instead painted a very patriotic view of the Navy and
Marine Corp. In today's movie industry, it is very cool and popular to protray the American
military leadership as a bunch of egocentric republicans that just want to kill people and fight
for oil or for selfish gain. However this movie says, hey its actually cool to serve your country
and its actually good to respect authority. For that reason, I can recommend this movie to
most teens and above. Annapolis had a good message and great morals, both of which
were well delivered.
I did like this movie however I cannot give it raving reviews because there were just too much
bad acting by Jordana Brewster what was just completely miscast in the role and Tyrese
Gibson over acted though half the movie and seemed more concerned with giving a mean
face than delivering his message. Both acting jobs were more the fault of the director than
the actors really, so to their credit, I will just say the directing was to blame. There is one
scene in the movie that is taken right out of Top Gun and should have stayed with Top Gun.
The infamous scene where Tom Cruise goes to the bar and tries to pick up Kelly McGillis
only to find out that she is his instructor at his upcoming Flight School. As you see in the
previews, the exact same scene is replayed in Annapolis and falls flat. Like I said before, the
role of the love interest was completely out of character and you find yourself saying "oh
good grief, that would never happen" too often.
If you saw the previews, you will see 3 scenes that are actually NOT in the movie. 2 of which
I believe are CRUCIAL to understanding the character and motivating behind both of the
leads. I have to blame editing on taking these scenes out. The first and most important
scene that is not in the movie, is the part why Cole is talking to Jordana Brewster. She is
asking him why he is pushing Jake so hard. Cole responds by telling her that he believes
that Jake is a lot like him and he wants to make him a great leader. This scene is really
important and it is a shame that they left it out of the movie. The second scene is showing
more of what appears to be abuse from Cole pushing Jake in a water tank, they completely
re-wrote the scene and missed the message again. Lastly, they took out a scene which I am
thankful for because it would not have fit and it would have not been appropriate. There is a
sex scene you seen in the previews that DOES NOT OCCUR in the movie. That was smart
editing because it would have taken away from the message.
Warning to Parents: There are quite a bit of God D***s in the movie and a few remarks that
are inappropriate but I think the rating is right one. The movie is actually one I would
probably want my kids to see because it finally shows America in a good light and there are a
lot of strong morals in the movie. The movie deals with respecting authority, a father and
son bonding, righteous love and loving your country.
I give this movie 2.5 of 4 Stars for being a badly made good movie.
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