Everybody's a critic: 'Annapolis'

One star (out of four)

"Annapolis" is a combination of "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Rocky."

During the entire movie, I kept feeling like I had seen this plot before. The film seemed to use a formula of clichZ and sappy sentiment.

"Annapolis" is not a powerful film depicting the armed forces, and it sometimes seemed sugar-coated. The commanding officers are tough, but they don't seem realistic or gritty enough.

Cute banter between the characters was forced and too frequent. I felt the relationships between the characters in the film were average to dull and the acting slightly above mediocre.

If you like boxing sequences, you get plenty, but they are not as gripping or suspenseful as those in "Cinderella Man." While it wasn't a horrible movie, it wasn't memorable either.

In my opinion, "Annapolis" is just a renter.

-- Josh LaMar, teacher

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One star (out of four)

Remember that iconic training scene from "Rocky"?

Sure you do. The one where he's running up the steps, with the famous music playing?

Imagine that stretched over about an hour, tack some boot camp footage onto the front, and you've got "Annapolis." This tedious hodgepodge of film clichZs follows Jake Huard on his grueling odyssey from the wrong side of the tracks all the way through his first year at the prestigious Naval Academy.

Along the way, we see him try to get the girl, help his sidekick and defeat the dastardly superior officer who's trying to keep him down. The actors do an admirable job, particularly Vicellous Reon Shannon as Huard's chubby roommate.

But even this character is reduced to a silly "go get 'em for me" hospital-bedside scene. In the end, nothing redeems the ridiculously recycled plot.

The film provides nothing new, except perhaps the knowledge that somehow boxing is incredibly important at the Naval Academy.

-- Bob Clubbs, drama teacher

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One star (out of four)

Do you like boxing? Do you like boxing in slow motion? If so, then this is the show for you! If not, then wait for it to come out on video. Or even for it to be on cable. Or regular TV. Late at night.

This movie tries to be "Top Gun," "Rocky," "Good Will Hunting" and "Dead Poets' Society" all rolled into one, but it just ends up being a cliche-laden waste of time. It is poorly acted (the actors, while ethnically diverse, all seem to have graduated from the Furrow Your Brow School of Drama), poorly written and poorly directed/edited. There were a few funny lines and enjoyable moments of esprit de corps, but overall, Annapolis is not see-worthy.

-- Brooke Clubbs, professor