MILD SPOILERS AHEAD!
Rating: 2.5 / 5 stars
What’s it about?
Ocean’s Eight is a heist film directed by Gary Ross and stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kayling, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna and Akwafina among others.
Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean, assembles a team of thieves to steal a multi million dollar antique necklace from the neck of a world famous actress in the busiest and most glamorous event of the year: The Met Gala. How she goes about doing this is what the film is about.
What’s Good?
The first half of the film is decent and has its moments of fun. The introduction of the various team members is good and gives us a glimpse into the different backgrounds that they come from. The chemistry between them is excellent and holds the film together even in its weakest segments. The segments where the team does its reconnaissance and planning is good and mildly entertaining. The artwork in the Met Gala is done well.
What’s Not?
The biggest issue that I had with the film was the heist itself. There is no heist in the film. There is at best the beginning of a heist which gets over even before it has started. Third act of the film is weak and predictable, leaving the viewer underwhelmed. There are a couple of cameos in the film which does not do much for the film. What also doesn’t work is the final twist in the heist which feels completely undeserved by the team. If the stealing would have been done by one of the team members, then it would have worked, but as the actual theft is committed by a male member from the previous Ocean’s films, who literally gives the jewels to this all female team in a plastic bag, this conclusion does not have the impact as the makers would have expected it to have.
Performances
All the members of the cast have done a good job in the film. They carry the film on their shoulders purely based on their chemistry. The stand out performance comes from Anne Hathaway who practically steals every scene she is in as the self absorbed entitled star who unwittingly becomes a part of the heist. Helena Bonham Carter plays the quirky sort of character one comes to expect from her. Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock turn up the star charisma but do not have much to do other than look good. Sarah Paulson as the ambitious fence turned housewife is always a delight to watch. Rest of the cast is good in their respective roles.
Final Word
A middling heist film that is mildly entertaining due to the star power on display, this film is mainly for the fans of the various stars in the film.
FILM STALKER 