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'Ocean's 8' offers a great cast, forgettable heist

| June 15, 2018 1:00 AM

Outside of the ensemble of movie stars, it’s difficult to remember much from “Ocean’s 8,” a pleasant-but-slight heist movie that lacks tension and personality. Make no mistake — the team-up of Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett as expert thieves working an elaborate jewel heist is a surefire, box office-smashing premise. Unfortunately, their characters lack the specificity to enliven the film’s numerous setup and exposition sequences.

As a spin-off of “Ocean’s 11,” the new film opens much like the 2001 franchise starter. Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney’s Danny from “Ocean’s” 11-13, and she’s about to be paroled after a stay in prison.

After a fun little sequence showcasing Debbie’s con artist skills, she meets up with her former partner Lou (Cate Blanchett) and reveals a bold plan to snatch a $150 million necklace straight off the neck of a spoiled actress (Anne Hathaway) at the famed Met Gala in New York. Debbie and Lou then go about recruiting the rest of the “8,” including Mindy Kaling as a jewelry maker, Helena Bonham Carter as a fashion designer and Rihanna as an expert hacker.

The introductions are fairly standard, and the characters themselves lack the chemistry on display in “Ocean’s 11,” a movie that manages to be entertaining for an hour without revealing much at all about the heist.

In contrast, “Ocean’s 8” reveals way too much of its centerpiece heist in the planning phase, making the heist itself less engaging. The balance of depicting the planning and execution of a heist is always a tough one in movies like these, but aside from a few late inning reveals, “Ocean’s 8” fails to find a way to make both aspects interesting.

Fortunately, the imbalance doesn’t sink the film entirely, as the Gala provides Anne Hathaway with opportunity to shine in the movie’s best defined role. As an emotionally insecure starlet, Hathaway jolts the movie to life in her every scene. Hathaway is always good (despite what some angry folks on the Internet say), but she’s also occupying the only role in the movie who doesn’t speak in constant hushed exposition.

Director Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit,” “The Hunger Games”) attempts to copy the aesthetic of Steven Soderbergh’s previous “Ocean’s” entries, utilizing a similar score and a few retro editing techniques. Ross has a competent hand, but it never reaches the acuity of Soderbergh’s unique touch. Say what you will about Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s” sequels, the director at least provided a slick and interesting aesthetic.

The last half-hour of “Ocean’s 8” works enough so that its earlier shortcomings don’t sting so much by the end. Still, the cast assembled here was a golden opportunity to aim much higher. The pieces are in place for a stylish and classic heist movie. With a punchier script and a more creative eye behind the camera, maybe that movie can be “Ocean’s 9.”

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.