Ocean’s 8 review: ‘8’ girls just wanna have fun – and steal diamonds.
Ocean’s 8 review by Freda Cooper.
Ocean’s 8 review
An all-female Ocean’s 11 spin-off. Sounds contrived doesn’t it? It does and it is, but so is the whole heist movie tradition. And, in Ocean’s 8, Gary Ross doesn’t limit himself to just following the genre’s usual structure, he’s also assembled the mandatory starry cast, this time including the likes of Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter – and the obligatory singer, this time in the shape of Rihanna.
Comparisons are inevitable. With the 2016 all-woman Ghostbusters remake, although Ocean’s 8 is hardly likely to unleash anything like the venom that it attracted. And, of course, with the Clooney-led caper series, although it’s equally unlikely to attract the level of affection it’s accrued over the years. It falls somewhere in the middle, with a story that sees the now-deceased Danny Ocean’s younger sister Debbie (Bullock) just released out of prison and assembling a crew to help her do what she does best: steal. This will be her most ambitious heist yet, stealing a diamond necklace worth $150 million right from the under the well-powdered noses of the guests at the annual Met Gala. And straight off the neck of Daphne Kluger (Hathaway).
This being an Ocean’s film, it likes to toy with the audience, tease them a little. Early on it becomes apparent there’s one of the line-up on the posters who doesn’t appear to be one of the eight. Which means the audience is constantly wondering how and when she’ll come into the fold. There’s a neat and nostalgic little connection with not just Danny himself but his gang, thanks to a cameo from one of its lesser members. That playfulness extends to the Met Gala sequence, which is a celeb-spotters paradise, littered with familiar faces like Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Katie Holmes, a Kardashian or several and Anna Wintour (who’s also seen earlier on in her office, playing hooky by watching tennis on her laptop).
Ocean’s 8 review
And then there’s the main cast – Bullock, Cate Blanchett as her right hand woman, Helena Bonham Carter, complete with dodgy Oirish accent and a Met Gala frock that is more than reminiscent of her fairy godmother role in Cinderella and Hathaway having a ball as a through-and-through diva. Bullock, Blanchett and Hathaway are all on good form, Hathaway in particular showing off her comedy chops. Admittedly, none of them are especially stretched in their roles, but they carry them off with style and panache, which is more than can be said of one of few males on the screen, a certain James Corden. He’s clumsy, irritating and delivers a performance which is nothing more than a thick slice of honey roast.
But Ross’s decision to stick to the formula in such a slavish manner means this is a film that plays it all too safe. That makes for a pedestrian script, for way less tension during the heist than you’re entitled to expect and for some of the gang being under-utilised. The onus is on the star names to lift the material and thank goodness they’re up to the job. The magic and sparkle of Ocean’s 11 simply isn’t there, despite all the diamonds, and there are times when you suspect the film knows it.
That said, this is ultimately a popcorn movie. It’s polished, slick, looks good and is good fun, even if it could do with a few more laughs. And it’s probably best viewed as a one-off, rather than part of a series. There’s enough to enjoy for Ocean’s 8 to stand on its own feet and give everybody an enjoyable night out.
Ocean’s 8 review by Freda Cooper.
Ocean’s 8 is released in the UK on Monday, 18 June 2018.
