Ocean's 8 review

OCEAN’S 8:

NEW CAST BUT JUST AS SLEEK, SEXY, AND FUN AS ITS PREDECESSORS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Sandra Bullock leading a group of women to pull off the heist of a lifetime in Ocean’s 8

            From director, Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, The Hunger Games) comes Ocean’s 8, an all-female spin-off of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy which, like its predecessors features an ensemble cast, style, and wit. Unlike the 2016 Ghostbusters movie, Ocean’s 8 is not a reboot of the original trilogy but a film that follows a different group of people set in the same universe as the previous movies, however it’s pretty self-contained for the most part.

            Even if you’ve never seen an Ocean’s movie before I think you can catch on pretty quick what’s happening in the story and have a fun time. This is a very entertaining movie, it’s stylish, funny, and a thrilling caper that makes for a satisfying alternative to those loud, overblown blockbusters that dominate most of the summer.

            The film follows the younger sister of professional thief, Danny Ocean (George Clooney’s character from the original movies) named Debbie (Sandra Bullock-The Blind Side, The Heat, Gravity) who spent five years in prison planning the ultimate heist. Now she has been released and convinces her partner-in-crime and friend, Lou (Cate Blanchett-The Aviator, Carol, Thor: Ragnarok) to take part in her heist and the two of them put together a team to steal a $150 million necklace from New York City’s star-studded Met Gala.

            Debbie recruits jewelry maker, Amita (Mindy Kaling-The Mindy Project, Inside Out, The Night Before), profiteer, Tammy (Sarah Paulson-12 Years a Slave, American Horror Story, The Post), street hustler, Constance (Rapper, Awkwafina-Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Regular Show, Crazy Rich Asians), computer cracker, Nine Ball (Singer, Rihanna-This is the End, Home, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), and fashion designer, Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter-Corpse Bride, Harry Potter franchise, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) to pull off the heist…of course while lookin’ super fine.

            The film also stars Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Dark Knight Rises, Les Miserables (2012)) as Daphne Kluger, Richard Armitage (Captain America: The First Avenger, The Hobbit trilogy, Alice Through the Looking Glass) as Claude Becker, and James Corden (The Late, Late Show with James Corden, Begin Again, Into the Woods) as John Frazier.

            Overall, Ocean’s 8 is a fun heist movie but not quite as engaging as (most of) the earlier films. It’s better than Ocean’s Twelve, which I didn’t hate or anything like that, but I forget about it after I watch it every time, as a whole I felt the original cast had better chemistry together which made for a more entertaining heist.

            But with that said, the ensemble cast in Ocean’s 8 is still very engaging, everyone works well with each other, they all get some good laughs in, and they take you along for the ride while looking stylish. The two ladies who steal the show in my opinion are Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, Carter as a socially awkward and ecstatic fashion designer is absolutely hilarious and even without Tim Burton behind the camera she looks and acts like she belongs in one of his movies, and Hathaway because she’s literally playing herself, not by name but by the way she looks and acts in the movie are probably not far off to what she’s like in real life, plus she delivers what could have been her reaction to signing on for Princess Diaries 2 that I dare not ruin here, let’s just say I laughed my ass off when it happened.

            Even though I had a good time with Ocean’s 8 I thought more and more about it and questioned what’s really the point of this movie’s existence? Gary Ross is clearly trying to mimic Steven Soderbergh’s directing style and plot wise it really is just Ocean’s Eleven again, but gender swapped, and the money is replaced with jewelry.

            What makes the movie is the cast and the chemistry they have together, watching them interact with each other and pulling off this heist you can’t deny how fun they make breaking the law look. And you root for them all the way through, not once does the movie make them out as the “Bad guys” despite their crimes, that’s the sign of good character development with a talented cast to bring them to life.

            I’m down for Ocean’s 8 to become a new trilogy of films since we already had Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, why not fill in the rest of the numbers? As long as they keep the same cast with the same kinetic energy and sense of fun and style, I’d love to see new Ocean’s movies with these women.

            Ocean’s 8 is an entertaining caper with laughs, likable characters, an even more likable cast, and some unexpected twists. It’s a relaxing break from all the Avengers, Deadpool, and Solo madness at the summer box-office and this is a heist that’s definitely worth going on.