It's a Super 8 with an ocean-side view! You can probably find one of these in Oregon somewhere.
No, kidding. It's the sequel to Ocean's 13. Which came after 11 and 12, and there's only 8 people in the heist crew this time probably because they realized that 14 was just too many people. Frankly, 12 and 13 was too many. They probably would have been better served by going down, and doing 10 and 9 after 11. Which would have had the added bonus of making Ocean's 8 fit into the numbering scheme. And that is why I believe the fundamental issues at large in our society contribute so heavily to the...
Wait... what was I talking about? Numbers? Cheap hotels? Oceans?
Oh, right. Ocean's 8. I saw it. Here's my thoughts.
First, I want to say that a good heist movie thrives on the dynamics of its ensemble cast. No single performance carries them, and the way the characters interact with each other is crucial. Having a great cast in a heist movie turns the movie into a great heist movie, almost regardless of the quality of the actual heist. There's no doubt that's where Ocean's 11 really struck gold; the quality of that cast cannot be disputed.
Second, I want to make clear that Ocean's 11 is not my favorite heist movie. I found 12 and 13 to be overly dense and deliberately obtuse, and uninteresting as a result. While I did like 11, my main gripe continues to be simply that the cast was too large. The ensemble wasn't able to really interact with each other as much as I wanted them to. No, my two favorite heist movies are The Italian Job and Sneakers. Both excellent casts, both smaller ensembles.
As a result of all that, I went into Ocean's 8 expecting to like it better than Ocean's 11. Maybe not as much as The Italian Job and Sneakers, but my expectations were high. And well... It didn't meet them.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the movie either. In the end I'd probably put it roughly on par with Ocean's 11. The casting was great, though I feel like Sandra Bullock's character was overly dry and somewhat devoid of charm. The immediate weak point I spotted going in was casting Rihanna as... well, anything, but guess what? She wasn't terrible. I'd go so far as to describe her performance as "just fine." The ensemble dynamic had a few really great moments, I laughed, I thrilled, I had fun. I also yawned occasionally and checked the clock more than once.
In the end I consider it a worthy successor to Ocean's 11. For my money, I'd rather watch 8 over 11 simply because of Anne Hathaway's scenes with Helena Bonham Carter, which were excellent. But it didn't blow my mind, and it certainly didn't come close to touching my favorites. If you like heist movies more than me, or specifically if you liked the Ocean's movies more than me, I suspect you'd probably like this movie.
Besides, if nothing else, there's lots of women here for little girls aspiring to steal stuff to look up to. For a genre traditionally dominated by men, I think that additional representation is super great and not at all concerning for people who own expensive things.
No, kidding. It's the sequel to Ocean's 13. Which came after 11 and 12, and there's only 8 people in the heist crew this time probably because they realized that 14 was just too many people. Frankly, 12 and 13 was too many. They probably would have been better served by going down, and doing 10 and 9 after 11. Which would have had the added bonus of making Ocean's 8 fit into the numbering scheme. And that is why I believe the fundamental issues at large in our society contribute so heavily to the...
Wait... what was I talking about? Numbers? Cheap hotels? Oceans?
Oh, right. Ocean's 8. I saw it. Here's my thoughts.
First, I want to say that a good heist movie thrives on the dynamics of its ensemble cast. No single performance carries them, and the way the characters interact with each other is crucial. Having a great cast in a heist movie turns the movie into a great heist movie, almost regardless of the quality of the actual heist. There's no doubt that's where Ocean's 11 really struck gold; the quality of that cast cannot be disputed.
Second, I want to make clear that Ocean's 11 is not my favorite heist movie. I found 12 and 13 to be overly dense and deliberately obtuse, and uninteresting as a result. While I did like 11, my main gripe continues to be simply that the cast was too large. The ensemble wasn't able to really interact with each other as much as I wanted them to. No, my two favorite heist movies are The Italian Job and Sneakers. Both excellent casts, both smaller ensembles.
As a result of all that, I went into Ocean's 8 expecting to like it better than Ocean's 11. Maybe not as much as The Italian Job and Sneakers, but my expectations were high. And well... It didn't meet them.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the movie either. In the end I'd probably put it roughly on par with Ocean's 11. The casting was great, though I feel like Sandra Bullock's character was overly dry and somewhat devoid of charm. The immediate weak point I spotted going in was casting Rihanna as... well, anything, but guess what? She wasn't terrible. I'd go so far as to describe her performance as "just fine." The ensemble dynamic had a few really great moments, I laughed, I thrilled, I had fun. I also yawned occasionally and checked the clock more than once.
In the end I consider it a worthy successor to Ocean's 11. For my money, I'd rather watch 8 over 11 simply because of Anne Hathaway's scenes with Helena Bonham Carter, which were excellent. But it didn't blow my mind, and it certainly didn't come close to touching my favorites. If you like heist movies more than me, or specifically if you liked the Ocean's movies more than me, I suspect you'd probably like this movie.
Besides, if nothing else, there's lots of women here for little girls aspiring to steal stuff to look up to. For a genre traditionally dominated by men, I think that additional representation is super great and not at all concerning for people who own expensive things.
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