The Corner Penthouse

Ocean's Eight (2018) is a gender-flipped follow-up to the Ocean's trilogy (2001-2007) starring George Clooney and company, which in turn was an updated version of the 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra and company (The Rat Pack). The last time we had a gender-flipped remake, it was an utter disaster. Since Paul Feig is not involved in this one, maybe it fares better. Read on to find out...


Ocean's Eight (2018), which takes place in the world of George Clooney's Ocean's Eleven and its sequels, stars Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, the sister of Danny (Clooney). Debbie has just been released from prison, and during her time in the pen, she's been concocting the greatest heist of her career. To pull it off, it's going to take a team of the best in their field, starting with her former partner-in-crime Lou (Cate Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists: jeweler Amita (Mindy Kaling), street con Constance (Awkwafina), expert fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna), and fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter). The target is $150 million in diamonds that will adorn the neck of world-famous actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), who will be center stage at the fashion event of the year, the Met Gala


Okay, let's get this out of the way. This movie only exists because female-centric movies are the hot fad right now, and it's easier to remake an old film rather than write a new one. We've seen this all before with Ghostbusters, and we'll see it again, no doubt. Putting that aside, it's not a bad movie, but there's nothing remarkable about it either. The first half of the movie is boring, but once we get to the heist, it picks up and becomes fun.


As previously mentioned, the heist involves stealing diamonds at the Met Gala, the fashion event of the year. Yes, the heist involves jewelry and fashion. It's rather sexist that that's what screenwriters Gary Ross (who also directed) and Olivia Milch could come up with as the big caper. All of the actors do an admirable job, but they're not given the best material to work with. Most of the characters are simply forgettable, and James Cordon is wasted in a role that disappears just as quickly as he arrives.


At a runtime of 1:50:09, Ocean's Eight is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio with an 1080p transfer. Picture is crisp and clear with no issues that I noticed. On the audio side, there are two English tracks - Dolby Atmos True HD and 5.1 Descriptive - which are loud and clear; along with French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. The film includes English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful slipsleeve.


The bonus features that can be found on the disc are all in HD.

• Deleted Scenes (1:53) - Two scenes back-to-back with only scene numbers as identifying markers.
• Reimagining The Met Gala (12:47) - The cast and crew, and members of the Met staff, discuss how the film took over the famous museum for its version of the gala.
• A Heist In Heels (11:35) - Costume designer Sarah Edwards and the cast discuss the film's wardrobe.
• Ocean's Team 3.0 (13:20) - A discussion of the new team of cast members.

Also included in the Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack is a second DVD disc, which only contains the movie (no bonus features). The movie on the DVD is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. On the audio side, there are 5.1 Dolby Digital audio tracks for English, English Descriptive, French, and Spanish. The film includes English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.

A Movies Anywhere/Ultraviolet digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc Blu-ray case.


Although I enjoyed the movie, which is available on Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack and 4K/Blu-Ray Combo Pack, I did feel that it was a little lacking. The Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack only provides a handful of bonus materials. I was disappointed to find no trailers, TV spots, still galleries, or even a commentary.


Final Verdict: Ocean's Eight is worth a RENTAL to all fans of caper films and female-centric films.


All images were provided by Warner Brothers. The Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site. More images can be found on Warner's Flickr gallery, where you can find over 40 high-resolution images that you can download. Those images have also been uploaded to The Corner Penthouse Facebook page, though they are smaller and have been recompressed.