The late 2010s saw an intriguing new trend come and go in Hollywood: the blockbuster remake for girls. A handful of iconic films were rebooted with a feminist — sometimes even misandrist — twist, retracing basic beats with a gender-bent flair. It was the era of Me Too, and with producers pushing hard for equity in front of and behind the camera, such a pivot made a lot of sense. It didn’t always stick the landing, though — but Ocean’s 8 made as strong a case as any for this trend to stick around.
By the time Ocean’s 8 debuted in 2018, it’d been a decade since the Ocean’s franchise pulled off a heist of its own. A successful remake of the original 1960 film paved the way for a beloved (if mixed) trilogy. The idea of more films, especially without the guiding hand of an auteur like Steven Soderbergh, felt like little more than a cash grab. Could this franchise survive without the deadpan charm of George Clooney and Brad Pitt — to say nothing for the stellar cast that surrounded them? Ocean’s 8 answered those anxieties with a shrug and a “kinda.” Tone-wise, it’s not touching Soderbergh’s mastery. Its cast is likewise a mixed bag of seasoned character actresses and slightly stilted comediennes — but it’s the heist that’s carrying most of the burden here.
