Review of Ocean's Twelve (2004) by Ethan B — 26 Jul 2014

Ocean's Twelve is less direct than its predecessor and has you questioning if it's ever going to get pieced together. In the end it does, but it makes one feel as though they could have come up with a better story.

I understand that they weren't trying to have the same storyline as the first film, but this one couldn't figure out where it was going. The dialogue made it fun, but good dialogue doesn't always equal a good script. Although the first understandably lacked character depth (as do most big group caper films) this movie barely had any. This one focused more on Rusty's backstory, as the last focused more on Danny.

While the first film demonstrates exactly what a final act should be, this one shows you how to make the first two almost obsolete. But somehow it fits into the entire irony of the film. The heist happened in the second act, and the movie could have just ended after an hour. I mean, they could have just picked any moment for when they so easily snatched the egg. They weren't constricted to the limitations within their created world. Instead, they created a world that could or could not have had any relevance to how they accomplished their feat. When it's explained there is no feeling of amazement, but you just end up with a ton of questions.

There weren't as many memorable moments as the first, however, the dialogue and characters were still entertaining enough to keep me interested. Although the Julia Roberts/Bruce Willis scene was a highlight of the film.

It doesn't have the glitz and glamour of 2001's Ocean's Eleven, nor the sting-like final act, but it's entertaining all the way through. You just can't daydream for a second or you'll miss a detail. It's extremely confusing at times and I'm still not sure why some of the things happened or even WHAT happened. It calls for way more explaining than it should. It makes you feel dumb for not understanding things, whereas the first film made you feel like you were helping out with the heist yourself.

Throw in a couple of cool twists and the film really isn't all that bad as a standalone. It's just really really hard to compete with the one that came before it.

Twizard Rating: 79.