Ocean's 8 (2018)
2018
PG-13
120 Minutes
Crime | Comedy | Action | Thriller
Debbie Ocean, a criminal mastermind, gathers a crew of seven other female thieves to pull off the heist of the century at New York's annual Met Gala.
User Review
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Ocean's 8 has all the glitz and glamour that the female reboot required, but feels far too familiar. I'm all for female casts, in fact I think it's very important and believe gender equality should be at the forefront of the archaic Hollywood industry. However, a film should justify the need for a complete gender opposite reboot, otherwise it just feels like a gimmick and negates its very purpose. The Ocean's trilogy reboot just does enough to warrant its existence, albeit being a rather routinely affair. The estranged sister of Danny Ocean is released from prison and has spent years planning the perfect heist, by stealing a $150 million diamond necklace at the Met Gala. Immediately, the snappy flair that encapsulated the original trilogy was neatly replicated here, with director Gary Ross imitating Soderbergh's perceptible style. Pemberton's score felt reminiscent to classic heist comedies of old, being punchy and sparky with his instrumental pieces. The cast, automatically assigning itself as the primary appeal, work well together with naturally terrific chemistry and equal screen time. Heavyweights Bullock, Blanchett and Hathaway complemented the performances from the inexperienced Rihanna, Kaling and Awkwafina. Bonham Carter, with the voice of a leprechaun, stood out above the rest and provided succinct comedy. Corden however was grossly miscast and detracted from the high quality cast. The progressive problem, and one that was immediately foreseeable, was rebooting a trilogy. Already there are three modern films that are similar to each other whilst being in the same series, to then mimic that structure without any reinterpretation, well the plot becomes predictably unoriginal. It's routinely. Heist is planned, heist is performed, criminals must lay low and "wait for all this to blow over" (winning with a 'Shaun of the Dead' quote). No thrills, minimal twists and predictably safe. Though in saying that, it is undeniably fun with enough buoyancy to keep the comedic heist afloat. Do I want an 'Ocean's 9'? No. Next time, rob the Met Gala in a more unpredictably creative way.1 member likes this review.
