The Ocean’s franchise is the next in line to receive an all female spinoff in the form of Ocean’s 8, a fun and energetic heist film that makes full use of its talented female stars. Gone is George Clooney‘s Danny Ocean and in is Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), the brother of Danny who after just getting out of prison hires a crew to pull off a difficult heist at the annual Met Gala. At the core of this film is the talented cast alongside Bullock who all contribute to the story and the comedy in their own unique ways and each gather ample amounts of screen-time. The team dynamic is always a joy to watch and the situations that come from this crew interacting are almost always great. Meanwhile, the pacing is decent for the most part, it could have ramped up a little more leading directly into the heist but it’s fairly well handled otherwise.

The inclusion of this diverse and very talented ensemble pays off from the moment they’re all introduced as there is this chemistry that leaps off the screen whenever two or more of them come into contact. Alongside Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Awkwafina, and Sarah Paulson star as the crew undertaking this heist and what a fun crew it is. They all have a great sense of comedic timing and each member exhibits a different comedic style stemming from their characters’ personalities. There isn’t one performer in here who I thought was wasted as each and every person gets their moments to shine and really make an impact of the story. I mean, Bullock and Blanchett do have more screen-time than the rest of the crew but that’s naturally just how the story progresses and by no means do they overshadow anyone else’s presence because each one has a predefined purpose. No-one is forgotten and no matter who was on screen I was thoroughly enjoying myself. There is one supporting character introduced very late in the film who is an odd inclusion especially so late in the game. It’s odd in part due to the casting choice but also because for a role that is so heavily involved in the final 15 minutes or so it does sort of come out of nowhere. The content from the character is fun it’s just a bit too spontaneous.

Now, in terms of the pacing of the story it does stay fairly consistent and builds some intensity going into the heist, but I’d have liked it to really ramp up when leading into the main event. It eases you into this new cast with introductions that establish characters and relationships well and starts building the pace from there. There are a couple of dips occasionally but it still does a good job in building towards the heist, it’s just a shame that it could have been a great job. The story itself is very straightforward in that it’s a heist film with an extensive planning stage but it does hold a number of surprises that make sticking through this journey quite rewarding. It’s also very much orchestrated in the style of the other Ocean’s heist films in the way it uses funky transitions and montages to bring life to the heists and the planning of them. It’s a very enjoyable ride to go along and where there are slight issues I have with it I very much enjoyed the overall result and can look past a lot of things. There is more than enough humour from everyone to get through this thing and I’d say for know the Ocean’s franchise still has some fight left in him… or her.

This latest entry to the Ocean’s franchise is a fun heist film backed by a great comedic ensemble of women who all play their parts well. Despite its obvious connections to the other entries in the Ocean’s franchise its a seperate story requiring no knowledge of prior films allowing a great opportunity for newcomers to jump in and enjoy it. You come to see this great cast mess around and have fun and that is exactly what you get. Plus I would love to see a possible Ocean’s 9 and 10 as I’m sure room for sequels is the exact reason for the titling of this entry.

7.6/10