Ocean’s Eleven is in my A list of movies. Besides the gargantuan cast, and the blockbuster razzle-dazzle there was a mysterious charm about that movie which pulled me back to watch it again and again and again.... I guess that movie worked for a lot of people.
When Oceans Twelve came out I was afraid. Sequels, well many sequels blow it big time. One of the most famous examples being the Matrix trilogy. The good work done by the first part was nullified by the second and completely destroyed by the third. I didn’t want that to happen with this movie. Well I hesitantly watched as the plot unfolded before me. And what’s my verdict. Well .........................
Before the verdict comes out lets look at the movie itself
The movie starts out with Benedict(Garcia) tracking out all eleven members of the Bellagio Massacre and gives them a do-or-die 2 weeks deadline to return his money with interest which after some meticulous calculations comes to around a 100 million dollars. This task takes the almost-a-dozen crew to Amsterdam where they attempt to steal their way out of this debt.
Rusty(Pitt) hooks up with his old flame Lahiri(Zeta Jones) who is also a cop, trying to foil the dirty dozen in their mission. Who is the 12th knight you may ask? Julia Roberts (Tess) is called in late to help out the team. Also a mysterious thief ?Night Fox? is out to challenge the superiority of the dozen. How Ocean’s fights off Benedict, Lahiri, and the Night Fox and at the same time pull off some daring robberies is the gist of the plot.
All the cast from the previous film are back. All of them are in terrific form as usual. The plot is slightly muddled but still passes muster. The usual paraphernalia(special effects, Hi-Fi gadgets, Superb stunts) are packed in to complete the blockbuster package. So will it outdo Oceans 11?
Nooooooooooooooooooooo............................
Not by a long shot. If this was standalone film and had no comparison with ocean’s eleven then this would have a blockbuster hit and people would have returned home happy. But as a follow-up to Ocean’s Eleven this film is a huge disappointment. The mysterious charm I mentioned which I have found in all Steven Soderberg films is missing.
The end effect is an ordinary blockbuster film. It lacks the extra punch which 11 had. Terminator 2, Spider Man 2 and The Lord of the Rings trilogy have shown the path for great sequel making.
Mr. Soderberg, Its back to the drawing board as far as Sequels are concerned.