[Header Image: Warner Bros. Pictures]
I remember when I first heard that Ocean’s Eight was going to be a thing and how happy I was about it, especially when I found out that it was a spinoff. The original Ocean’s trilogy are three of my all time favourite movies and it felt much more satisfying, as a woman, to know that we were getting an all-female spinoff rather than a remake. This way it felt somewhat original while also being an extension to a really fantastic franchise. I mean, let’s be honest, one of the biggest flaws of the original trilogy was that it was very much lacking women and oh boy, does Ocean’s Eight rectify that.
By the end of this movie I couldn’t stop grinning. It one hundred percent fits into the franchise and not just because Sandra Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, but because it has a similar vibe while still feeling like a completely new era. Although there’s still room for more cameos from past characters, there’s really nothing major anchoring Ocean’s Eight and stopping this movie from becoming a trilogy in its own right.
And I mention it becoming a trilogy because it really feels like it should (although, please note: at the time of writing this, no sequel has been confirmed). On it’s own Ocean’s Eight isn’t as strong as it should or could have been, however, it would make a fantastic first movie to a trilogy. The heist in this movie showed us what each character is capable of and cemented Debbie and Lou as the leaders of the group.
I’ve seen a lot of viewers complain that the heist and general plot was a little boring and generic but personally, I think it was steady, had a good amount of twists and turns, and did a fantastic job of keeping just the right amount of information from the audience. Granted, it maybe didn’t entirely live up to the heists of the original trilogy but it doesn’t need to. Like I said, this is a very strong contender to be the start of a new trilogy. It can very much build from here and have better, more exciting heists in the future instalments.
At the end of the day heist movies need to be able to keep something from the audience and only reveal it at the very end. There also needs to be a moment, or moments, in which the heist itself is explained and/or the true events are revealed, but not in a way in which the information is dumped on you all at once and in such a way that implies that the audience is stupid. A good heist movie is easy to understand while still being surprising and that is exactly what Ocean’s Eight is.
I’ve talked about my thoughts on the heist, it was good, but the events around it were also really entertaining. I loved the little glimpse of backstory we got for each character without spending too much time on them. No two were the same and it was fun to watch them all be brought into the team. The fact that each of them could bring something different to the table really made sure that they all got a good amount of screen time, but it never felt like any time was being wasted because every character had something unique and fun to do that pushed the plot forward.
Ocean’s Eight does follow a similar structure and tone to the other movies in the franchise, however, it deviates just enough to have that level of separation and not feel like a carbon copy. Sure, there are those facts and moments that tie this movie to the original trilogy, but it’s nice to know that you can watch Ocean’s Eight having never seen the others.
There’s really very little I can say about this movie that’s bad. It had a fun plot, a good heist, great characters, some really talented actors, and everything was woven together very well. Could the plot have been a tiny bit better and a little tighter? Sure. However, it was really entertaining and it was an incredible instalment to a franchise I love very much and I do hope this is going to be the start of a trilogy.
Rating: ★★★★½ /5
wonderoes 