We live in an era of reboots, remakes, spin-offs, sequels and universes. Think about it: literally, every single ‘big movie’ that have come out this year checks one of those boxes. Black Panther (GREAT movie) is part of a larger, already established universe and so is Infinity War and the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp. Aquaman is part of a larger, already crumbling universe. Incredibles 2 is a direct sequel and so is Pacific Rim: Uprising, the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Disney’s fall release, Ralph Breaks the Internet. We also have Solo: A Star Wars Story, a prequel nobody asked for. Not forgetting Deadpool 2 and Warner Bros’ fall release Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, both are direct sequels and also part of larger previously established universes. Jesus Christ! Is originality dead?
Perhaps originality itself isn’t dead. Perhaps major studios are just being dicky businessmen, merely trying to capitalize on popular brands, while original scripts are first left to collect dust and later used as toilet paper. Remember that feeling you got watching The Matrix for the first time? Oops, there it is being flushed down the toilet.
In this new era of Hollywood, Ocean’s 8 is another such movie. Why did this movie need to be called OCEAN’S 8? Why not a heist film featuring women that is its own separate thing? Why the need to tie it to a popular brand? All arbitrary questions I guess, for we have gotten this movie nonetheless. So let’s just review the damn thing.
Ocean’s 8 follows Debbie Ocean (sister to Danny Ocean, played by Sandra Bullock) as she gathers an all-female crew (Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter) and attempts an impossible heist at the New York City Met Gala. Guys, this is almost a beat for beat copy of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven (which is also a remake of a 1960 movie of the same name), including its Soderberghian style (i.e. sustained close-ups, lengthy tracking shots, humour).
But there’s an obvious line that separates a director who is truly inspired by a particular style and makes it his/her own, and a director who’s copying and TRYING TO BE someone else. Gary Ross’ work here, is the latter. But maybe that’s exactly what Warner Bros. wanted — a movie that doesn’t stand out among its predecessors — and perhaps that’s exactly why the highly competent but incredibly bland Gary Ross was brought in to helm this film. After all, Ross’ The Hunger Games is a good film, but it wasn’t until Francis Lawrence came onboard as captain in Catching Fire, did the franchise truly find its voice.
Compare the raw, unpolished sexiness of the shots in this Ocean’s Eleven trailer to the overly refined, definitely-shot-on-digital looking shots in the Ocean’s 8 trailer. Ocean’s 8 lacks the visual style and ambience necessary for a heist film like this to thrive. It doesn’t feel like a world created by an auteur.
That said, this film is very easy to consume. This movie is exactly like its trailer, nothing more, nothing less. Some movies swing for the fences, Ocean’s 8 doesn’t swing at all. It knows that it’s a kick back and relax after a long, tiring day kinda movie and focuses all its energy into being exactly that. If you’re watching it at home, this is the kinda movie that you’d catch over dinner and when it’s time to wash the dishes, you won’t even bother hitting the pause button — turning the volume up is good enough. You know exactly how it’s going to play out and you’re not angry when it does indeed play out exactly the way you expected it to. You’ll have a smile on your face from start to finish and then you head to bed.
The smile on your face is courtesy of its diverse cast, each distinct from the rest, all incredibly charismatic. You get the sense that each and every one of them is having a blast on set and that translates well on screen. Each member of the crew gets their own time to tango in the spotlight, though a majority of the screentime goes to Sandra Bullock. No complaints there as Sandra Bullock is the kinda actor that can elevate a crappy movie just by her charm alone. I like The Proposal, shut up! Helena Bonham Carter steals the show as Rose Weil, a washed up fashion designer who’s brought into the fold. She’s great and surprisingly, so is Rihanna, who plays a stoner hacker. Special shoutout to Awkwafina and Mindy Kaling cause they’re talented as heck and happen to be Asians.
Ocean’s 8 could’ve taken the easy route used by the 2016 Ghostbusters remake with poorly written, in your face jokes on how women are far superior beings than men. While I do agree that the male species are neanderthal jackoffs, using that as a template for all the jokes can get rather tiresome. Thankfully, Gary Ross, along with his co-screenwriter Olivia Milch do not seem at all interested in taking a dump on men. The jokes are witty, delivered to perfection by the stacked cast that simply understand comedy.
“How long will it take you to make seven pieces of jewellery?”
“Five to six hours?”
“How long if I told you, you didn’t have to live with your mother anymore?”
“Less.”
Perfect.
The problem is, Ocean’s 8 isn’t just a comedy. It’s also a heist film and the heist itself isn’t remotely interesting. There isn’t an ounce of thrill or suspense; not a moment where we’re at the edge of our seats worried for our protagonists; not a single second where our wheels are turning.
But it’s fun. It’s a nice piece of cotton candy you can bite on in between dense films like Infinity War, Kaala and the upcoming Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Or you can skip it and wait till it’s out on one of the streaming services.
