Film Review: Ocean’s 8

As the summer season kicks into gear, you’ll find a horde of CG spectacle and escapist flights of fancy. At least, not if Ocean’s 8 has anything to say about it, since it will be one of the few releases that harkens back to days when glamorous movie stars were able to sweep the audience of their feet through sheer charisma alone.

It’s worth noting that this film is not a reboot, it is very much a continuation of the world of Soderbergh’s glossy trilogy, but following characters that we have yet to meet. That’s where the film really shines.

Our lead is Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), the sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, who hatches a plan to steal a valuable piece of jewelry from the Met Gala as soon as she is released from prison. She then enlists the help of Lou (Cate Blanchett), Amita (Mindy Kaling), Tammy (Sarah Paulson), Constance (Awkwafina), Nine Ball (Rihanna), and Rose (Helena Bonham Carter) to pull off the big heist.

What’s interesting about the way the film is constructed is that it feels more in line with the original Rat Pack film, Ocean’s 11, in which the actual mechanics of the heist feels like a bit of an afterthought, but it’s made up by the fact that we essentially get a hangout movie with such a likable, star studded cast. The actors are all great here, which should surprise absolutely no one, and they all get a chance to either play against type, or lean really hard into their real life personas in a cool kind of way. And that goes double for Anne Hathaway, who plays an actress wearing the jewelry that the crew is targeting. She gets to use that strong, underutilized comic timing, and hams things up as this somewhat self-absorbed celebrity, basically having fun with the way she is often perceived in real life. She’s easily the big scene stealer, but it doesn’t overshadow anyone else. Everyone gets a chance to shine, and it makes the film that much more delightful.

Steven Soderbergh is just a producer this time around, with Gary Ross taking over as the director, as well as the co-writer with Olivia Milch. I’ll admit, while watching the film, I do wish Soderbergh was back directing. That’s not to say Gary Ross does a bad job, he does a reasonably serviceable job recreating the slick sensibilities of Soderbergh’s trilogy, and he keeps the film moving at a fast pace. However, there’s a very specific groove with the shooting style and the editing that Soderbergh always nails in his films, and Gary Ross never quite gets onto that same wavelength. His attempts at bringing in some styligh flourishes are appreciated, but occasionally awkward in their timing. Granted, most moviegoers probably won’t notice this, and it helps that the film moves fast. Another MVP of the film is composer, Daniel Pemberton, who has become one of my new favorites in recent years. His music in this is has a cool, retro, jazzy quality that flowed really well with the film.

If you’re a fan of the other films, this falls in line with them quite nicely. The humor is biting, witty, and the banter never ceases to put a smile on your face. There are some great gags here and there that worked wonders with the crowd. There are, naturally, some neat cameos, some of which were connected to previous films. And there are some not-totally-surprising, but still super effective and enjoyable twists and turns and reveals.

There’s not a whole lot else I can say about Ocean’s 8. It’s really straightforward stuff, most of it bordering on the unsubstantial, but it honestly doesn’t matter. The joy of the film comes from seeing a talented female ensemble work together and pull off a crazy heist with extra emphasis on creative character beats and banter. There were conversations that I wished could’ve gone on forever because of how damn delightful it is. If there’s any flaw besides some of the filmmaking choices I discussed earlier, it’s maybe only James Corden being rather unconvincing as an insurance investigator who pops up in the final act, but his screen time is thankfully limited. Other than that, the movie is a ton of fun, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel to this.