This was the pilot of a series that NBC decided, sadly, to not pick up. The story surrounds two platoons (one male and one female) of young recruits during their training at Parris Island, Marine Corps Recruit Depot. The characters are very real and are performed in a believable manner by the various actors. This movie gives a good overview of Marine Corps training in modern times. I would highly recommend it to people who are considering enlistment or, if like me, you enjoy entertainment with a military theme. The only reason I could see that this show was not picked up as a series, is that it had no where to go. ***SPOILERS*** The film goes all the way through graduation and even ties up some lose ends in respect to the personal story of some of the characters.***END OF SPOILERS*** Other entertainment choices that relate to this TV movie is the Fox series "Boot Camp," the classic film "Full Metal Jacket," and the story is written much like the script for "Gardens of Stone." The first two are Marine related and admittedly are very different in genre (realism vs. Vietnam movie). "Gardens of Stone" tells the story of young soldiers in the U. S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division "The Old Guard" operating as the honor guard for Arlington Cemetery. If you enjoy military films that are well-written and truly pull you into the story, then "Semper Fi" is for you.
Semper Fi
(2001 TV Movie)
Excellent example of modern USMC training at Parris Island
2 April 2001
Warning: Spoilers