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Acting
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Directing
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Story
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Running Time: 125 mins
Ocean’s Twelve is an American film and the sequel to Ocean’s Eleven. With the gang under pressure to perform a series of high-stakes heists in Europe, Danny Ocean recruits a new member to help them shirk the authorities and a vengeful casino boss.
With all the hallmarks of your average Hollywood sequel, Ocean’s Twelve is hardly an amazing watch, yet nor is it particularly terrible. Attempting to raise the stakes while telling basically the same story, the film lacks the same sleek sizzle of its predecessor, and although it entertains with a couple of big laughs, it’s an inconsistent comedy caper all the way through.
Ocean’s Eleven was an enormously enjoyable blend of sleek charisma and intricate heist excitement. It was the sort of film that felt effortlessly cool at every moment, strutting around with a smug smirk on its face.
Ocean’s Twelve, on the other hand, is a rather bungled attempt to pull off the same vibe. It’s a fun watch at times, and there are some great laughs, but it’s a frustrating mix of an unimaginative story and a lack of real fervour and charisma on the same level as its predecessor.
On the plus side, there is a good deal of charisma in the form of the film’s A-list cast. As an ensemble piece, Ocean’s Twelve doesn’t come together quite as smoothly as Eleven, but each of the individual stars do exude a nice air of cool about them.
With George Clooney and Brad Pitt remaining in leading roles as well as a step-up for supporting players Julia Roberts and Matt Damon, the star factor plays heavily in Ocean’s Twelve, but it brings enough talent to the table to make for an entertaining watch.
And as the characters are thrown into increasingly high-stakes situations during their heists in Europe, the complexities they find themselves facing become all the more ridiculous – making for some great laughs along the way.
That’s the biggest positive about Ocean’s Twelve. Its predecessor had some great laughs, but its intricacy and charisma was by far and away its main pillar. This sequel, on the other hand, leans a little heavier on humour, making it an arguably funnier watch, albeit missing out on the real depth that made the original film so memorable.
All in all, Ocean’s Twelve is hardly a masterpiece, but it doesn’t necessarily deserve an overly harsh reception. It’s nowhere near on the level of its effortlessly cool predecessor, and instead bungles attempts to pull off the same sleek vibes, equally missing the mark with an unimaginative and fairly repetitive story.
Still, though, the film’s star factor makes it a thoroughly enjoyable watch all the same, while it impresses with some big laughs here and there too. It’s not a perfect caper, but it’s still fun enough to pass the time with, and that’s why I’m giving Ocean’s Twelve a 7.3 overall.
