We’re just days away from Rihanna back on the big screen oh my goodness Rihanna Rihanna Rihanna the release of a new reboot of the ‘Ocean’s’ franchise, with Sandra Bullock leading an all-female team in ‘Ocean’s 8’.
The A-list cast includes stand-up star and comedy actress Mindy Kaling, Emmy-winner Sarah Paulson, rapper Awkwafina and, indeed, little-known indie singer Rihanna.
But while the star-studded team has impressed some critics, others have admitted their low-key disappointment that such an esteemed cast couldn’t deliver something a little more gripping (with the blame seemingly lying at the feet of director Gary Ross).
Here’s an excerpt of what the critics are saying…
The Guardian (2/5)
“[‘Ocean’s 8’] is made watchable thanks to the cast but star power alone cannot mask creative inadequacy. Stealing a diamond necklace is bad but wasting an opportunity like this is unforgivable.”
NME (4/5)
“Though the action is nothing particularly new, ′Ocean’s 8′ is a riot of laugh-out-loud moments, the seductive allure of criminal behaviour, and just enough references to the franchise’s male-run past to keep old-school fans happy.”
Empire 3/5
“There is something refreshing about seeing a group of women thrive on their wits, guile, smarts, cunning, proficiency and chutzpah rather than sex. It’s just a shame they weren’t tested even further.”
Radio Times (3/5)
“Perhaps the film coasts too heavily on the sheer novelty of watching women band together to steal stuff, failing to establish its own unique flavour, but it looks and feels the part without ever overegging it.”
“The whole point of rebuilding the glamorous crime caper around women should be to make them different. But although they swap tuxedos for couture gowns and heels — or in biker chick Lou’s case, slinky pantsuits and a razor-cut shag — the dynamic [between Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett] lacks freshness.”
Vanity Fair
“The problem lies more with the guy steering the ship, who does a competent job—again, the movie is fun!—but then figures his work done. These actresses deserve way more than that.”
“This is still, despite the freshness of the casting, the fourth ‘Ocean’s’ film, and so the whole gathering-of-thieves storyline, and the sleight-of-hand fakery of the heist, doesn’t summon the rush of delighted surprise it once did. If anything, we’ve seen these sorts of movies once too often…”
Vulture
“I left ‘Ocean’s 8’ more convinced than ever that no amount of fierce, fantastic female ensembles can overcome the mediocrity of a dull male director.”
“The beauty of ′Ocean’s 8′ is how it manages to transcend its status as ’the female Ocean’s 11′, delivering a bold, funny and joyous crime caper that gives its predecessor a run for its money.”
Mashable
“‘Ocean’s 8’ is the LaCroix of movies: It’s sparkly, it’s fizzy, it goes down easy, and there’s not really any there there… but just as flavored water can really hit the spot on a hot summer day, so can ′Ocean’s 8′.”
With energy like this, the kind of energy likely to have audiences willing Bullock and Blanchett to swear off dudes and get together, an Ocean’s film should steal the breath from your body. Instead, it’ll draw some sighs, some smiles, and fervent hopes for a sequel more worthy of its cunning, charismatic thieves.
‘Ocean’s 8’ hits UK cinemas on 18 June. Watch the trailer below: