After releasing Ocean’s 12, Warner Bros. (WB for short) recruited Steven Soderbergh to direct a third entry to Ocean’s 11 with The Main Cast from the previous two films reprising their roles called, “Ocean’s 13.”
Ocean’s 13 was released in 2007. (around the same time as other threequels most notably Spider-Man 3, Shrek The Third & Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End) Unlike Ocean’s 12, the third movie earned positive reviews from critics. Plus, it made enough money at the box office.
A sequel called Ocean’s 14 was in development, with The Cast & Crew scheduled to return. Unfortunately, Bernie Mac died from pneumonia, resulting in The Main Cast & Steven Soderbergh to cancel filming out of respect for Bernie. In 2015, a spin-off film called, “Ocean’s 8,” centers around Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie and her crew consisting of women, was officially announced with Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean.
With Ocean’s 8 out right now, I want to share my thoughts on what’s good or bad about the third final installment of The Ocean’s Trilogy. If you want to see my reviews for Ocean’s 11 & 12, go check em’ out right now.
Todays review doesn’t contain any crucial SPOILERS. If you’ve never seen The Ocean’s Trilogy, feel free to read this article. Make sure you watch the first two films before you watch the third one, it’s a requirement.
Rich & Poor
Rich: Returning Cast Members from the previous two films, reprise their roles one last time as a team and they all did a fantastic job for their respective performances.
Newcomers such as Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin & Bob Einstein (Marty Funkhouser from Curb Your Enthusiasm) all did a good job for their respective performances.
Fun Fact: Brad Pitt & Al Pacino will reunite in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” along with Dakota Fanning, who also co-stars in Ocean’s 8. That’s three Ocean’s actors in one film.
Steven Soderbergh returns to the director’s chair for the last time, he did a great job directing.
Funny Moments are retained from the first two movies, especially Rusty Ryan’s habit for eating. Brad’s trademark is to eat anything between takes. Every actor has a unique onscreen trait like Christian Bale gaining or loosing weight for roles and Nicolas Cage’s exaggerated over-the-top acting.
Every member of Danny’s crew finally serves a purpose using their unique skill to infiltrate Willy Bank’s hotel/casino.
Practical Effects were heavily used to orchestrate The Heist.
Editing from the first movie, retains its sleek split screen technique.
Danny & Rusty mentioned their first encounter with Rueben.
One character made a reference to Brad Pitt’s real life family.
Don Cheadle’s character Basher Tarr, wears an outfit resembling The American Flag. Don went on to wear a similar outfit in Iron Man 3, when his character Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes, wears a suit called “Iron Patriot” based on The American Flag.
The third entry shows Danny & his crew seeking revenge on Willy Bank for a personal reason.
Without giving too much away, one of the villains earns himself a “punishment,” which is played for laughs.
Two characters mentioned Frank Sinatra. Frank on the other hand, starred in the original Ocean’s 11 back in 1960 with his Rat Pack buddies. I gotta love inside jokes. I’ll give this an Extra Point for the two characters taking a jab at Frank.
Danny has a favorite TV show which is his guilty pleasure. Ever heard of the trope “Real Men Wear Pink” on TV Tropes?
A famous billionaire makes a cameo appearance.
The final scene felt like a happy ending and it kinda feels sad when you realize that they’re won’t be an Ocean’s 14 after Bernie Mac’s untimely death. I’ll give the last scene Bonus Points for finishing a trilogy on a high note.
Poor: Shaky Cam is mostly used in certain scenes. What is up with the cameraman, did he consume too much energy drinks? Did they hire Speedy Gonzalez?
Product Placement featuring the following brands including Samsung, Dell, Apple & Southwest Airlines. I’ll give this flaw a pass, because I couldn’t find any other brand to shove down my throat.
The Final Verdict: A-
Ocean’s 13 is an amazing payoff to The Ocean’s Trilogy. The Main Cast did a fantastic job pulling off their last mission as a team. Steven Soderbergh did a great job directing. Every single member of Danny Ocean’s crew serve a purpose. The Heist kept me invested without easily making me feel bored.
if you’re excited to see Ocean’s 8, I highly recommend the entire Ocean’s Trilogy just in case if you want to know more about Debbie Ocean’s brother and his big heists with his fellow crew.
R.I.P. Bernie Mac, thank you for the memories and laughs. Your legacy will never be forgotten.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 