Ocean’s 8 (2018)

Review by CJ

Director:
Gary Ross

Starring:
Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham-Carter, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Midori Francis, James Corden, Richard Armitage

Other notable appearances:
Elliott Gould, Shaobo Qin, Dakota Fanning, Hailey Baldwin, Katie Holmes, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian West, Jaime King, Olivia Munn, Anna Wintour

Running time:
110 minutes

Watch this if you liked:
Ocean’s 11-13, Logan Lucky, Focus

 

Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie (Bullock) brings together a team of seven other women to pull off the heist of the century at the illustrious Met Gala.

The plot to Ocean’s 8 sticks pretty closely to the formula of its predecessors but it doesn’t feel stale. 

I loved the casting of Ocean’s 8. Bullock and Blanchett team up superbly to take the lead on the all star cast and really sell the chemistry of their characters. Hathaway plays a wonderful part in the film’s plot as the demanding actress with a twist. Bonham-Carter does a beautiful job of playing the flaky but functional fashion designer. Paulson, who I know primarily from her roles in American Horror Story and American Gothic, holds her own well and delivers a great performance. Kaling and Francis are both perfect in their roles and have some of the best banter with Bullock in the film. Rihanna was probably the stiffest in terms of her acting, but she still managed to bring the character to life and was enjoyable to watch.

I’ve seen the lack character development  in Ocean’s 8 criticised, but I wasn’t really bothered by it. The story flows and doesn’t get bogged down in each character’s nitty gritty, but there’s enough shown that I felt the viewer could fill in any gaps without it impacting on enjoyment of the film. Ocean’s Eleven didn’t have a lot of character development either and it has held up well over nearly two decades.

I found Ocean’s 8 to be a fun couple of hours and feel that if you enjoyed the first three movies in the modern incarnation, there’s not a lot to dislike about the fourth. If fun heist movies are your thing then Ocean’s 8 is well worth checking out.

Rating:

“If you’re going to have a problem with stealing, then you’re not going to like the rest of this conversation.”