Very Entertaining if not disappointing

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2005)

Oceans 12 has been given a lot of bad press, Some, if not most of it, deserved. However, there is no escaping the fact that this is a very funny and very entertaining movie.
The film does have it's bad points though, first of all Andy Garcia reprising his role as Casino Owner Terry Benedict, is hardly given screen time apart for some at the beginning and some at the end, as a result the film is robbed of a really menacing 'bad guy' even though our hero's are in fact villains themselves. With this in mind I cannot help but feel that the trailer is somewhat misleading, as it wrongly portrays Benedict to be a major protagonist in this sequel, when he's there only to flesh out the plot.
Three good things about this movie is Matt Damon, Matt Damon and Matt Damon as he is the only person on the screen that is taking his role half seriously, and he's a delight to watch, especially when he takes the reigns when most of his cohorts are incarcerated.
Most of the cast from the first film, seems to be there only to tie it in with oceans 11 as Elliott Gould hardly says a thing neither does Carl Riener, and Bernie Mac spends the majority of the movie in a dutch prison and is hardly seen.
Clooney and Pitt, don't seem as cool or as smart as in the 1st movie, and the whole team show themselves to be nothing more than frightened children afraid of the boogeyman, when confronted with an irate hotel owner to whom they owe nearly $200 million. So in contrast from the 'who care's who we're stealing from' type of guys we were introduced to a couple of years ago. This is where the disappointment of the movie comes.
Catherine Zeta Jones, is introduced as some Interpol type of cop, who conveniently used to have an affair with Pitt's character, and for the first time in ages, she doesn't adopt a phony American accent, which subsequently make this one of her less annoying roles.
We are also introduced to a character called 'nightfox' who tries to steal a faberge egg by somersaults, back flipping and dancing over the laser floor sensors, just like erm....Catherine Zeta Jones did in Entrapment.
I almost die form Calcium overdose when the movie gets so cheesy to include a scene with Bruce Willis as Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts, pretending to be Julia Roberts, the cheese continues, when a woman comes to question the group from prison, which, (and quite predictably might I add), turns out to be Damon's Characters Mother. and the mozzarella marathon continues in the clichéd and predictable scene where Jones is reunited with her father.
Contrary to the shape my review is taking, I did like the movie, and there was enough shenanigans to keep me chuckling throughout. However, a further sequel would be ill advised as it in no way stands up to the 1st movie.
This movie will not win any Oscars, but an award should be given to Casey Afflecks Moustache, for 'best supporting actor in a comedy role' such is it's hilarity.