Annapolis tells story of navy life

I did not expect much from the military academy and boxing themes of Annapolis after seeing the film trailer, but I was pleasantly surprised when I left the theater feeling uplifted and impressed with the film. While this movie may not win any Oscars, I would recommend seeing it if you are looking for something safe and satisfying. James Franco is Jake Huard, a rough cut young shipyard worker who is barely admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.

A bad relationship with his father and his deadbeat friends do not help his chances of succeeding in the school where 50,000 students apply every year and only 1200 are admitted. The majority of the movie focuses on Franco’s character struggle with his widowed father and a budding love with his senior female officer.

In the vein of films like Rocky and Million Dollar Baby, Annapolis features boxing galore in this film with good sports camera work featuring brigade leader Midshipman Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson) versus our unlikely hero Huard. The early critical reviews of the film might lead one to expect a remake of An Officer and A Gentleman mixed with Rocky, which is not too far from the truth. The underlying story and dramatic flow in the film cannot be described as original.

While it may be a story we have heard before, director Justin Lin does a good job of making it fresh through some interesting camera work. Lin’s rise to fame with the critically acclaimed Better Luck Tomorrow bears little resemblance to Annapolis. While Lin can almost certainly do much better, everybody has to get a paycheck somehow.

The film was actually shot at the historic Naval Academy and at other local sets that also on location as far as I could tell. The US Navy better have a lot of support behind this film because it should definitely increase recruitment over the next few years.

Life at Annapolis is portrayed as difficult even for the more advanced students. But sadly, the academic story ends almost before it begins, as there are only two or three short scenes, with homework, calculus class and such before the movie goes full-tilt into Jake Huard’s mission to box in the Brigade Championships.

From the very beginning at boot camp, Huard has a huge problem with all authority figures, such as his father and Midshipman Lt. Cole. His female officer is well-played by Jordana Brewster, who Huard comedically meets at a local bar under the tricked-into assumption she is an “escort.” The story plays out as one would expect it to, and as any movie like this should. With elements of anger, love, failure, redemption, struggle, heartache and personal growth, I predict Annapolis will do very well at the box office but that the mainstream critics will poo poo its unoriginality.