With all the excitement surrounding its release, it was almost impossible not to have extremely high expectations for “Ocean’s 8.”
Along with that, “Ocean’s 8” had an extremely large act to follow, with “Ocean’s 11” (2001), “Ocean's 12” (2004) and “Ocean's 13” (2007) being such well-known and loved films.
For me, “Ocean’s 8” met my expectations and was a good film. That being said, it did not go above and beyond what I was expecting. It was funny, intense, and dramatic but it was nothing worthy of an Academy Award.
Like every “Ocean’s” movie, this one was exciting and filled with meticulously planned out schemes and very likable criminals. The criminals are hard to hate and they had me rooting for them throughout the whole film.
One of the most interesting things about all of these criminals, though, was that they were all female. “Ocean’s 8” follows a group of talented female criminals who join together in an attempt to steal a necklace worth millions of dollars.
Similar to the cast of the other “Ocean’s” films, the characters in “Ocean’s 8” are played by extremely familiar faces.
The criminal girl-gang is played by many well-known actresses including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, rapper Awkwafina and musical artist Rihanna.
Rihanna’s role in the film had to have been one of the most enjoyable for me, and one of the most impactful. Rihanna played character the Nine Ball, whose specialty was computer hacking.
In a time when many STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers are filled by men, it is inspiring to see Rihanna’s character lead this girl-group through her highly advanced computer skills.
This movie is important, because it is composed of an almost all-female cast. And the girls don’t rely on any men at all in order to carry out their plan to steal their jewelry. Even though it follows a group of girl criminals, it is still following a group of girls who work together in a really incredible way.
With a PG-13 rating, I would say that this movie is, for the most part, family-friendly and would likely be acceptable for older children and pre-teens. The movie tells an entertaining story and has a very exciting and easy to follow plot.
I would definitely say that "Ocean’s 8" is worth the price of a theater ticket, especially if you are a fan of the other "Ocean's" films.
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Timber Mabes is a culture reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @timbermabes.
