| | | "50,000 Apply. 1,200 Are Accepted. Only The Best Survive."
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, Dolby Digital (5.1); Dolby Surround Sound, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes, Audio Commentary, French, Spanish Subtitled
Working-class tough guy Jake Huard (James Franco) gets a chance to make good when he's accepted into the famed Annapolis Naval Academy, but his buddies and dad back at the shipyard doubt he'll last a month. The film moves through his first year at the academy, culminating in the big boxing tournament, which is Huard's chance to get revenge against his stoic-beyond-the-call-of-duty senior officer, Cole (Tyrese Gibson). First, though, the closed-off Huard must learn to ask for help, which arrives via a warmly attractive senior officer played by Jordanna Brewster (THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS). ANNAPOLIS's director, Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW) brings an unpretentious visual approach to this film; he lets the story flow straight as an arrow, sweeping viewers up into the daunting rigors and the developing camaraderie of this challenging environment. A muscular orchestral score by Brian Tyler pushes everything along with maximum heart and impact, and the rich cinematography creates an invigorating sense of you-are-there closeness which, by the time the story gets to the climactic fight, is breathlessly intense. The standout performance is Gibson's--so composed and elegantly tough, he's like a coiled spring. Brewster is also good, lending a welcome contrast of feminine warmth to the sometimes cold world of military discipline. As an inspiring tale of rising up and beating your limitations, ANNAPOLIS makes the grade.Format: DVD MOVIE
"Compellingly reserved and inscrutable..." Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly
Editor's Note
Working-class tough guy Jake Huard (James Franco) gets a chance to make good when he's accepted into the famed Annapolis Naval Academy, but his buddies and dad back at the shipyard doubt he'll last a month. The film moves through his first year at the academy, culminating in the big boxing tournament, which is Huard's chance to get revenge against his stoic-beyond-the-call-of-duty senior officer, Cole (Tyrese Gibson). First, though, the closed-off Huard must learn to ask for help, which arrives via a warmly attractive senior officer played by Jordanna Brewster (THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS). ANNAPOLIS's director, Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW) brings an unpretentious visual approach to this film; he lets the story flow straight as an arrow, sweeping viewers up into the daunting rigors and the developing camaraderie of this challenging environment. A muscular orchestral score by Brian Tyler pushes everything along with maximum heart and impact, and the rich cinematography creates an invigorating sense of you-are-there closeness which, by the time the story gets to the climactic fight, is breathlessly intense. The standout performance is Gibson's--so composed and elegantly tough, he's like a coiled spring. Brewster is also good, lending a welcome contrast of feminine warmth to the sometimes cold world of military discipline. As an inspiring tale of rising up and beating your limitations, ANNAPOLIS makes the grade.
| Features | Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary | | Plebe Year: The Story Of Annapolis -- The Making Of The Movie | | The Brigades Featurette -- An In-Depth Look At The Boxing Sequences, Including Training, Choreography, And Camera Techniques | | Filmmaker Audio Commentary | | Audio: English Dolby Digital (5.1); Dolby Surround Sound | | Subtitles: French, Spanish
| | Fullscreen Presentation |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 1/11/2008 |
| Running Time: 104 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2006 | | Catalog ID: 4113203 | | UPC: 00786936293579 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety.com 8 of 10
Blending the hoary conventions of boxing movies into the well-worn basic-training template, "Annapolis" is a slick if not especially novel military recruiting film whose plot is considerably less developed than its leading men's abs. James Franco and Tyrese Gibson scowl and strut and should make the hearts of teenage girls all atwitter, and that's about the only audience that won't see most of the punches telegraphed well in advance. Perhaps every generation needs its own "An Officer and a Gentleman," but Franco's second starring vehicle of early 2006 should be more of a middleweight, box office-wise. - Brian Lowry
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
There is only one character in the movie who comes alive and whose dialogue is worth being heard. That is the fat kid, Twins. His story is infinitely more touching than Jake's; he comes from a Southern town that gave him a parade before he went off to the Academy, and if he flunks out, he can't face the folks at home. - Roger Ebert
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