Ocean's 8

Dir: Gary Ross

2018

**

It’s impossible for me to review 2018’s Ocean’s 8 without addressing the issue around the hype the film has acquired regarding its all female cast. It’s ridiculous really. Much like 2016’s Ghostbusters, Ocean’s 8 caused rifts within the film watching/reviewing community. I, like many, suggested that a remake was not needed and was largely unwanted. I didn’t care that the cast was all female. Ghostbusters made no sense, the original was a classic and you don’t mess with classics. However, as far as Ocean’s 11 went, I was fine with it, especially when Steven Soderburgh’s first Ocean’s film was a remake itself. Actually, that’s not quite accurate, I’m against remakes in general but when I learned that Ocean’s 8 was actually a spin off I was absolutely fine with it. The link between Soderburgh’s Ocean films is far from tenuous and it works, or at least it works as much as you can believe George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are brother and sister. I don’t use the word ‘actress’ in my reviews, I use the word ‘actor’. I review films based on merit rather than on the sex, race or persuasion of the the actors/characters and what the story is about. Isn’t it tragic that in 2018 I feel I have to explain this before my review? As colour blind and, erm, sex-blind as I am in my reviews, I am still bothered by the lack of diversity and the roles and character many groups get given. I hate stereotype and I call it out for what it is whenever I see it. I’m all for a black James Bond – I can think of quite a few black actors who would be great in fact – but I wouldn’t want a female James Bond. I would want a female actor to create their own version of James Bond, with their own world and character traits. Simply switching male and female roles while telling the same story is stupid and far from empowering. It’s like being handed second-hand roles, how is that a positive for women's rights? Ghostbusters 2016 should have been a spin off, it would have caused far less fuss if it had been. Ignore the idiots on social media, some people just have little imagination and far too much time on their hands. I’m going to tell you in a minute how I didn’t like Ocean’s 8 and I’m going to explain why I didn’t like it – it has nothing to do with the all female cast. In fact, I’m going to be honest and say that Ocean’s 8 is on par with 2001’s Ocean’s 11, that is, it is bland, full of holes and not as great as the sum of its parts. That said, it’s far better than Ocean’s 12 but not quite as satisfying as Ocean’s 13. Would an all male cast have made for a better film? No, not at all, it would have been just as uninteresting and predictable. If anyone thinks that Ocean’s 8, that comes a whole seventeen years after Ocean’s 11 I might add, is an empowering film for women and female actors then they need their heads checked because it is nothing of the sort. There were many moments of the film that I really liked but each one was met with a moment I really hated which immediately cancelled it out. I thought the structure was way too formulaic and the characters didn’t have enough development – just like in 2001. I liked the chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett and they were both great in their roles. Mindy Kaling was criminally underused and her character underdeveloped – weird when she had stated she would love to be in a female version of Ocean’s 11 years before it was a thing. Sarah Paulson was great during the heist scenes but her character made little sense overall. Awkwafina’s character made less sense as the skill she was hired for was never really used. I remain unconvinced by Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter’s characters and performances. Anne Hathaway played the diva quite well but I hate how her character entered the story and the fact that the heist takes place at the Met Gala and is opened by Anna Wintour. It was too close to The Devil Wears Prada and I couldn’t get it out of my head because of her casting. The heist itself is full of holes but then so are all the Ocean films. Maybe if the film had tried something a little different it would have had more of an impact. I loved the Elliott Gould cameo, it brought the films together cleverly, but I hated that in the end they had to reply on Shaobo Qin’s character to pull off the robbery. Qin’s stunt at the end of 2001’s Ocean’s 11 is the sense that ruined that film for me, so it was disappointing to see it done again here. I’m glad the Matt Damon cameo that was filmed was cut from the finished film as the film really should have been left for the new cast but I am sad that the scenes Carl Reiner shot were eventually axed. I was on the fence at this point and overall it was just about a three star film in my opinion but then James Corden happened. I despise him and have no idea why he’s famous and successful. He brought a three star film down to a two star film, ironic that a male actor would ruin a film hyped as an empowering female-led movie (and a male director with no panache for that matter). The budget clearly went on the actors salaries and not on the set or script. Apart from one wonderful line where Sandra Bullock’s Debbie Ocean (sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean – who is supposedly dead) says something along the lines of not doing the job for the money or for themselves but for every little eight-year old girl who lies in bed dreaming of one day becoming a criminal, the script is forgettable. The screenplay is so simple its shocking, particularly of a heist film. The huge problem with it is that its predictable. You can argue about equality and representation all you want but at the end of the day a heist film has to be: Clever, full of suspense and unpredictable. Ocean’s Eight is none of the above. The only good thing about it is its main cast – who are given a rubbish script and undeveloped characters to work with. I gave Ocean's 11 a three star review and the truth is that Ocean's 8 is just as good, however, it has had seventeen years to improve the format and it hasn't, so it automatically becomes a lesser film, thus a two star rated film.