'Ocean's Eight' Review

After being released from a five year prison sentence, Debbie Ocean sets out to recruit an all-female crew and pull off the heist of a lifetime by stealing a $150 million necklace during New York City's annual Met Gala.

Ocean's Eight functions as an extension of sorts to the pre-existing Ocean's Trilogy, and this is made abundantly clear in the film's opening where it's confirmed that Debbie is Danny Ocean's sister (this is in the trailers). Since I had absolutely no attachment to the Ocean's Trilogy on behalf of never having seen the films prior to a few days ago, I wasn't perturbed when this all-female reboot was announced. In fact, I was somewhat intrigued by the A-list talent assembled for the project and thought the reboot had huge potential. However, I was very surprised not to see a similar backlash which befell 2016's Ghostbusters, since that film was also a gender-swapped reboot. I suppose this is simply because the 1984 Ghostbusters is much more beloved than any Ocean's installment, plus the blowback was lessened by the fact Ocean's Eleven (2001) was already a remake and this spin-off happens in the same universe. 

The lady-led soft reboot was spearheaded by Gary Ross who took up directorial duties, wrote the story treatment solo, and penned the screenplay alongside Olivia Milch. Unfortunately, these are the areas in which I found Ocean's Eight to be the most lacking. While certainly a competently made film, Ocean's Eight lacks its own voice in the ever-growing heist genre and this is largely because Ross seems reluctant to put his own stamp on the film. Where Steven Soderbergh has made an effort to put his own spin on heist films with Logan Lucky and his Ocean's Trilogy, Ross simply retreads old ground with the same franchise blueprints. It's almost as though Warner Bros. saw the toxic fanboy reaction to Ghostbusters (2016) and decided it would be best to play things as safe as possible with a familiar story and nothing new aside from an almost entirely female ensemble. As a result, there's very little to differentiate Ocean's Eight from any of the other installments in the Ocean's franchise or any other heist film for that matter. 

It just felt as though Ocean's Eight was going through the motions of the conventional heist formula. One thing that was particularly bothersome was that **very minor spoiler warning, I guess?**  the heist went off without a hitch. All of the obstacles felt like they were easily overcome in a matter of seconds, so this heist which is supposed to be ridiculously difficult didn't feel like it was much of a challenge for these ladies. Therefore, the heist was devoid of tension and I was never concerned for the characters or their wellbeing (which is another issue altogether). In spite of this, the heist was actually my favorite portion of the film and the section I found to be the most entertaining. There are some decent twists at the end, even though a few were fairly predictable, but the remaining runtime was overinflated with standard setup and an additional twenty-thirty minutes after the heist. Not to mention the wasted time from two scenes that were practically advertisements for Subway and Tinder. They weren't as egregious as the product placement in Power Rangers (2017) or Transformers, but it was enough for me to roll my eyes in the theater. 

Otherwise, the script was lackluster and the characters were underdeveloped and fairly uninteresting. Much of the screen-time is dedicated towards recruiting a crew for the heist, explaining the heist, preparing for the heist, and then executing the heist. Ocean's Eight doesn't dedicate much time towards developing the characters or establishing much camaraderie between the crew so I ultimately didn't care about them. You could also tell that some of the lines that were supposed to be scene-ending zingers didn't really land, and it was really awkward whenever a joke fell flat.

Even though it may seem as if I'm simply ranting about mediocrity, there were elements I appreciated including a couple Ocean's Trilogy cameos, cool transitions effects, the elegant costumes, a funky, upbeat Ocean's-inspired score from Daniel Pemberton, and most importantly, the cast. The film largely works because of the talent it has at its disposal. These actresses elevate their thinly drawn characters and pepper in a little extra personality, but they were mostly typecast to play exaggerated versions of themselves or female versions of their male counterparts from the Ocean's Trilogy. The performances across the board were fine, but there was hardly a standout aside from Anne Hathaway playing a vain actress. When you hear the names Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, and Rihanna, there's a degree of star power associated with those names, and I was mostly disappointed to see so many of these actresses blend into the background.

While not nearly the worst of the Ocean’s franchise, I still felt Ocean's Eight conned me out of two hours. A sequel seems likely based on Ocean's Eight scoring the franchise's highest weekend debut, and I'm actually all in for that regardless of my issues. With a solid ensemble and the potential to easily top this entry, I just hope Warner Bros. lets Ross venture outside the box next time or at least hires someone willing to get their hands dirty and take some risks.

Film Assessment: C+

'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' Review

In Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, civilizations throughout the universe have joined together to amass Alpha, a space station metropolis housing species from a thousand planets. When an unfathomable threat emerges, intergalactic operatives Valerian and Laureline are tasked with unraveling the impending ultimatum in order to ensure the safety and well-being of Alpha and the universe-at-large. 

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is written and helmed by French visionary director Lucy Besson as an effort to adapt the long-running Franco-Belgian comic Valérian et Laureline into a feature length film. I was astounded to see Besson succeed in making one of the summer's most unique entires, but in the weirdest way possible. I'm not quite sure how Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is going to be received by mass audiences because even I constantly found myself at odds about whether I should be in awe at the wonderful world building and stunning spectacle on display or be appalled by the sloppy storytelling, dreadful dialogue, and lackluster leads. I chose the latter.

Besson's brain was clearly brimming with endless ideas on how he should translate the expansive universe and the amount of awe-inspiring aesthetics brought to the big screen are simply astounding. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets looks remarkable from start-to-finish, even though the vfx team are unable to compromise on authentically-rendered aliens and environments. The psychedelic setting is pretty on the eyes but it's distinctly a digital creation as opposed to an entirely immersive experience. The endless ingenuity and competently constructed CG-effects are what will get audiences on board this journey, but viewers may want to eject when they see what else Besson has in store for them. 

The narrative of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets follows a cyclical flow and in the second act loses the little momentum it had built from the start as story beats grow increasingly more repetitive to an obnoxious extent. There were a series of side quests that felt irrelevant to the grand overarching plot and these detours are quite taxing on the viewer as I steadily lost all interest in the events. These intrusions are clearly around as an excuse for Besson to explore this expansive world he's created and while that's the most interesting aspect of the movie, I wish he had found a better alternative to interweave these environments into the story. 

Besson's script also seems desperate to extract a few laughs with obvious pauses between lines of dialogue but none of the zingers land. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is unfunny to such an absurd extent that I find it difficult to believe anyone would have laughed at a single one-liner catered to the audience. It doesn't help that the dialogue presented is dreadfully cliché either. 

However, the film's more pressing problem is it's lead actors. Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevigne have absolutely no sparks flying between them so I was never able to buy into that romance that's supposed to be driving the story forward. The chemistry's simply not there and the dynamic seems contrived. Instead audiences are treated with deadpan dialogue delivery from both actors who put up cold, calculating fronts in direct opposition to the cool, charming characters on paper. DeHaan and Delevigne can't help but feel miscast in their respective roles. Based on the dialogue, Valerian's supposed to carry a roguish charm but DeHaan's unable to muster that and Laureline's a resilient intellectual but Delevigne never comes across as tough as the character's intended.

Oh yeah, and Rihanna's in this also! But you probably already knew that since she's in nearly all the trailers and posters put out by the studio. It's one of the oddest additions to the movie as Rihanna's shapeshifting blob Bubble enters and leaves the story in a whirlwind that leaves you thinking "Wow! That was woefully convenient." She's got an exotic appearance as eye-candy for a bit and then embarks on a short-lived adventure to be forgotten mere moments later. Esteemed actors like Ethan Hawke and Clive Owen can also be found among the cast and they fill their roles with the required attributes but neither left a lasting impression.

If you don't care about story or character, then Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is worth the price of admission for the arresting images and brilliantly-built backdrops alone. However, I'd personally say a ticket to War for the Planet of the Apes or Spider-Man: Homecoming would be more deserving of your time and money. I haven't yet seen Dunkirk so I can't make a whole-hearted endorsement there, but I plan on seeing it twice this weekend to check it out in both 70MM and IMAX formats so I can advise viewers on the ultimate experience. When all is said-and-done though, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets winds up bearing the resemblance of a soulless, superficial special effects reel rather than stepping into the shoes of a spectacular space opera. 

Film Assessment: D