The boys are gone and the girls are up to no good in Ocean’s 8, a highly entertaining heist film that quickly and thankfully establishes that it isn’t just “Ocean’s 11 with women.”
After a couple of so-so and largely unnecessary Oceans sequels, recasting with women didn’t seem like enough of a reason to reboot the franchise. And yet here we are. Director Gary Ross takes the reins and delivers a film that stylistically feels very similar to its predecessor but offers a fresh spin and an array of amusing characters.
Sandra Bullock plays Danny Ocean’s sister, who has the same knack for complex heists and envisions a big payday if she and her crew (which includes Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson and someone who purposefully chose to name herself Awkwafina) are able to pull off a massive crime: stealing a $150-million necklace from an actress (Anne Hathaway) in the middle of the Met Ball.
Bullock is at the top of her game, but Ocean’s 8, like its predecessors, excels due to the cast’s chemistry. The women are clearly having fun, which in turn makes it easy for the audience to go along for the ride. Awkwafina and Rihanna are scene-stealers. As for Ross, he appears to have had fun behind the camera, too; the movie has a kinetic energy that thrives off its characters and ever-more-elaborate plot.
The movie never quite matches the Clooney “original,” but that’s just fine; it’s its own creature, not entirely beholden to what came before it. That said, the final 20 minutes don’t work as well as the conclusion to Ocean’s 11; the wrap-up relies on a few too many coincidences and conveniences, the big twists not as big as intended.
Ocean’s 8 is nonetheless an entertaining, funny, well-acted, and intelligent heist film that exceeds expectations. It isn’t perfect, but it’s further proof that women can do things just as good as the men.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.