Ocean’s 8 Review: Pulling Off The Impossible

Bella Breakdown

Thursday night was the premier of Ocean’s 8, the spin off of the popular heist film trilogy starting with Ocean’s 11. The feature film had an all-star ensemble that included Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, and more. It was an ambitious project, but Warner Brother’s pulled this movie off like the perfectly planned heist.

Debby Ocean, Bullock’s main character, immediately grabs the audience’s attention with her sleek and smug attitude towards life. Her willingness to involve herself with an ambitious heist of the Met Gala ball just weeks after being released from prison shows her character’s drive and wit. Bullock pulls this attitude off as if its natural, and once she meets with her old partner, played by Cate Blanchett, their dynamic becomes enticing to watch.

The movie does rush into introducing the other characters to round up the crew, giving Mindy Kaling and Awkwafina less showtime and backstory than they deserve. Instead, the movie gets tangled up with Bullock’s ex, played by Richard Armitage, and a petty revenge scheme. I was hoping for more of a focus on women doing what they love without the need to take down a man as well.

There was a lot of unnecessary complications to add tension, but it never took away from the excitement of watching the women work seamlessly to steal an 150 million dollar necklace. Never slow, never dull, the film even adds in humor. Granted, it works better from the ladies, specifically Awkwafina, than it does for the male cast, like James Corden’s unnecessary role.

One of the best quotes from the film embodied the need for an all women’s spin off of the franchise: “A man gets noticed, a women gets ignored.” Well these 8 women certainly starred in a movie that cannot be ignored. If you’re expecting to see an action flick, go for a James Bond film. If you want to see clever, sexy empowerment from the biggest female names in Hollywood, go see Ocean’s 8. You won’t regret it.