Annapolis (2006)

Hailed by the Associated Press as a "rousing, crowd-pleasing drama," this inspirational tale of courage and honor hits harder than ever before through the technological brilliance of Blu-ray Disc. As difficult as it is to get into the most elite military academy in the country, surviving behind its walls is beyond belief. And once inside, young Jake Huard finds himself challenged in ways he never could have imagined. Witness the intense action in breathtaking 1080p, while the exceptional sound quality of 5.1 48 kHz, 16-bit uncompressed audio blows you away. Fully experience this high-stakes world where heroes are born and legends are made through the incomparable magic of Blu-ray High Definition.

A boxing movie done up in Naval Academy drag, Annapolis stars James Franco (Spider-Man, Tristan & Isolde) as Jake Huard, a shipbuilder's son who wants to prove to his father--and to himself--that he can cut it as a Naval officer. But at the Academy he runs afoul of a hard-nosed training officer named Cole (Tyrese Gibson, Four Brothers), who does all he can to drive Huard out of the school. They end up settling their differences in the boxing ring during the Academy's annual competition.

Annapolis is a bundle of cliches, from Huard's interracial mix of roommates to the lessons he learns about teamwork, but it's an efficient and vigorous bundle of cliches. Director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow) keeps the pace swift and the visuals snappy, particularly in the boxing scenes. Franco and Gibson work hard to outdo each other's burning gazes; both are handsome men of modest acting talent, but they suit their roles reasonably well. Also featuring Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious), Donnie Wahlberg (Saw II), and the always charming Chi McBride (Roll Bounce).

--Bret Fetzer