Can "Ocean's Twelve" even really be called a heist movie? It's predecessor was tight, coherent and it trimmed most of the fat. This movie is basically all fat. Clearly the ensemble cast had a great time making it, but that doesn't translate to the screen at all.
The best thing about "Ocean's Eleven" is that behind all the glitter, it's a simple and well-crafted plot. Criminals try to rob a casino, the owner tries to prevent it. That's basically all you need. This movie is incredibly jumbled, with a bloated plot that just goes from one illogical, laboured twist to the other. There's nothing inventive about these twists. Our heroes basically do almost nothing and succeed through dumb luck. You're not supposed to film the first draft, but it seems like that's exactly what they did.
There's a lot happening in this movie, but at the same time the pace is very sluggish. In the second half we have a long (and I do mean long) sequence where Tess, played by Julia Roberts, pretends she's Julia Roberts. It's a fun idea, but it goes on forever and has very little bearing on the plot. Hell, the first act in Amsterdam is mostly time-wasting as well. This movie barely has a structure, you could mix the scenes randomly and it wouldn't much difference. What a far cry from the first one.
"Ocean's Twelve" also introduces the characters of the Night Fox and LaMarque. While the Night Fox certainly is a fun character (Vincent Cassel in a stellar role), both characters feel very much like a deus ex machina. They can be anywhere, at any time, doing just about anything. Obviously we barely see their heists, we just have to assume they use almost superhuman talents. Why write something clever if you can just have two 'master thieves' resolve every plot thread? For entertainment? That ship has sailed.
P. S: Screw this movie for hiring screen legend Jeroen Krabbé and giving him... zero lines. Hell, just use an extra.
The best thing about "Ocean's Eleven" is that behind all the glitter, it's a simple and well-crafted plot. Criminals try to rob a casino, the owner tries to prevent it. That's basically all you need. This movie is incredibly jumbled, with a bloated plot that just goes from one illogical, laboured twist to the other. There's nothing inventive about these twists. Our heroes basically do almost nothing and succeed through dumb luck. You're not supposed to film the first draft, but it seems like that's exactly what they did.
There's a lot happening in this movie, but at the same time the pace is very sluggish. In the second half we have a long (and I do mean long) sequence where Tess, played by Julia Roberts, pretends she's Julia Roberts. It's a fun idea, but it goes on forever and has very little bearing on the plot. Hell, the first act in Amsterdam is mostly time-wasting as well. This movie barely has a structure, you could mix the scenes randomly and it wouldn't much difference. What a far cry from the first one.
"Ocean's Twelve" also introduces the characters of the Night Fox and LaMarque. While the Night Fox certainly is a fun character (Vincent Cassel in a stellar role), both characters feel very much like a deus ex machina. They can be anywhere, at any time, doing just about anything. Obviously we barely see their heists, we just have to assume they use almost superhuman talents. Why write something clever if you can just have two 'master thieves' resolve every plot thread? For entertainment? That ship has sailed.
P. S: Screw this movie for hiring screen legend Jeroen Krabbé and giving him... zero lines. Hell, just use an extra.