2) Ocean’s Twelve
Verdict: I guess, sure
Majority opinion seems to have ruled that Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven remake back in 2001 was that rare example of a cinematic reimagining that undeniably worked. It was indeed so successful that the powers that be determined it would befit a trilogy, and like other instances of cinematic lightning, it was only able to really strike the first time. Ocean’s Twelve came out in 2004, and angered more than any film I had seen at the time, so much in fact that I could never bring myself to seeing Ocean’s Thirteen three years later.
Watching Ocean’s Twelve 8 years later was…better. The Julia Roberts as Julia Roberts thing still annoys me, as it raises way too many questions and just distracts from the rest of the movie. The other part that ticked me off, Vincent Cassel just somehow navigating an impossible laser field, was somehow forgivable this time, perhaps because I’ve come to appreciate Cassel in general. Mostly, the movie is a reasonably enjoyable re-encounter of these characters and Soderbergh’s cool 1960s-style shooting, particularly in the first hour. And Ocean’s Thirteen, which I finally saw after, is a lot of fun, and worth seeing Ocean’s Twelve for.
