Ocean's 8 (2018)

In an all-female re-imagining of Ocean's 11,  Ocean's 8 is an interesting entry into gender politics with what amounts to a no-boys-allowed club (and rightly so, given the all-male line-up of 11), but ultimately it doesn't bring anything new to the table.

It was a fun enough film while watching, and has a few scenes that linger in the memory, but I had a nagging sense throughout that someone had done this all before, only better.

Part of the problem is one inherent to movies with ensemble casts - characters are reduced to sketches rather than being fully realised. There was enough character in each of the main players to get a sense of who they were, but it's only tantalising glimpses that the audience gets. Saying that, what was shown was good for the most part.

I think one of the major concerns I had was with the character of Debbie Ocean. At times, particularly during the heist, she shines, but for much of the film she acts so inscrutable that she comes across as a blank slate rather than someone with whom the audience can empathise.

The film also lacks a real villain. Richard Armitage provides the main focus for the audience's ire, but he comes across as a slimy loser rather than a genuine bad guy. The fault lies not with Armitage, who is perfectly capable of being the man everyone loves to hate, but in a shallowness of character in the writing. Perhaps there's a missing scene where he drowns kittens or kicks puppies, but aside from being a louche, there's not enough to hate. There is one act of betrayal that should have been breathtaking when it is shown, but it comes across as too sterile.

There's a decent enough style to the film, decent-enough heist bits, some (but not enough) funny moments, and likeable performances from most of the cast, including a late-in-the-film-appearance from James Corden being entertaining rather than annoying (it's often a coin toss which version of Corden will appear). It wasn't a bad film; it just wasn't as good as it should have been.