The trials of sequels

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 2004)

Perhaps my expectations were too high. Oceans 11 was a delightful surprise for me when it came out and when the previews of the sequel were showing in cinemas, the excitement inside me started to boil. With all the cast returning and some additional names signing on, I thought it would be at the very least, another delightful heist caper. However, I was sorely disappointed in the end. I think the problem for me was that all the "mishaps" and "twists" in Oceans 12 made Oceans 11 look like a fluke. I know that this was intentional but the tightness of the plot in Oceans 11 was clearly better scripted than this one. There was potential for a really dynamic and explosive sequel and instead it was merely celebrity eye candy with what I felt was a flat and unsatisfying ending. Still that's what makes a sequel so difficult to do, to top the first one is always a challenge in itself and Oceans 12 falls well short. It still gave me chuckles and Brad Pitt is much funnier than I thought he could ever be but a slick twisty heist film this is not.