Film Delivers on its promise
The goal of a heist movie is to do three thing: Look cool, act cool and appear clever. (It's a rare heist movie that's even half as clever as it wants to be). In addition, this is a summer heist movies. A summer movie, in a light entertainment genre, should make you feel like you're not just paying for the privilege of getting access to the theater's AC.
On all these things, Ocean's 8 delivers. It's fun, it's entertaining, and I was more annoyed by the high cost of theater popcorn than I was by the high cost of theater tickets. The only real sour spot for me was Helena Bonham Carter. I'm not a fan of her, even at her best, and this was not her best. I suspect casting thought her quirkiness would be a good match for the quirkiness of the fashion industry, but instead, she came across as someone not only confused as to why they were there, but confused as to why they were at all.
Film Enjoyable up to a point.
I was apprehensive about this film as I do not care much for heist films or glamorous celebrity vehicles, but it turned out to be a fine genre piece. It has nothing innovative or daring, but is well made enough on the technical level that I had no trouble staying with it all the way to the end of the coup. It has the implausibilities usual to films that make crime look glitzy, but no glaring plot holes.
However well made, I would not consider it a feminist film to any extent, it is too safe and lightweight. I had my issues with Mad Max: Fury Road, but at least it took a serious issue and built a serious plot around it. The casting has a tokenism feel to it, but I do like that they are not all young and conventionally attractive. However, that it was greenlit could be taken as a sign of changes in thinking among film producers.
Yet the film suffers from two major flaws. One is that it takes the lighthearted tone too far and feels at times like a parody of the genre, while not being funny enough to work as such. The scene where they scan the Toussant in particular is like a bad comedy sketch. It would benefit from more danger and tension... or just embracing comedy and getting better jokes.
The second is that I said it is fine all the way to the conclusion of the heist, but the film continues for a while after that. And here its brisk pace hits a wall and it becomes a slog. This part is too plot-heavy to be an epilogue, but too lacking in direction to work as a resolution. There is a sub-plot about love and betrayal intended to give some motivation to the lead other than money, but it comes too late and is simply pointless. They should have focused instead on the camaraderie among these women, or what I would prefer, on them backstabbing each other for the spoils.
Film Glitzy, derivative garbage.
Did you ever wonder what would happen if the charm of Ocean's 11 was diluted in the superficial glitz and glamour of Sex and the City? Me neither, but that's the movie we got!
Full disclosure: I am a white man, which, according to Cate Blanchett, means I apparently view the movie through a "prism of misunderstanding". Never mind that the movie was directed by a white man. Never mind also that the male-led Ocean's 12 has a worse RT score than this one. I didn't believe I could hold any sort of contempt ever for Cate Blanchett, but here you go.
The movie has a good casting. Sure. So what? Everyone raves on about it, but the thing is that a good casting means precisely nothing if you don't give your actors good characters to play or if you don't actually make the actors give a good performance. Which the movie doesn't, because barely anyone in this movie even qualifies as a character or tries. Characters are their actors and nothing more, everyone is maddeningly underwritten and just there to showcase female celebrities for the audience to gush over. Barf. "You may say "well, the same thing went with the original movie" and you'd be right, but at least the cast worked together, as, well, a cast. There was a sense of camaraderie and style that is absent here.
Does the direction save it, at least? Not in a million years. Forget Steven Soderbergh's directorial flair and buoyancy: the direction is pedestrian at the best of times and it honestly feels like Gary Ross was just too taken by his actresses' good looks that he forgot to actually direct the damn movie. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some major Wag the Director antics were going on behind the scenes, actually.
It baffles me that this shlock is getting a 67% RT score. It feels like people are reviewing the press tour and not the actual movie.
I guess it IS a feminist movie, though: much like Ghostbusters 2016, it proves that women too can be part of soulless corporate sequels and uninspired remakes.