Ocean's Twelve, Overall, Is OK, But Not As Slick as the Original *some spoilers*

Rating: 7/10 (2 February 2005)

12 is the new 11. What kind of tagline is that? While this movie may have one of the worst taglines ever, it was a sequel to a fun little heist flick called Ocean's 11. While it could have been done a little bit better, Ocean's 11 was a very fun caper movie with a great cast. Ocean's 12 got an even bigger cast, but I did have some skepticism as to the plot. Regardless, it had been three weeks since I had seen a movie in the theatre (as neither Alexander nor Closer was playing and nothing good was out the first week). So is 12 the new 11?
Plot: .8/2: Terry Benedict (Garcia) is angry. Since mastermind Danny Ocean (Clooney), problem solver Rusty Ryan (Pitt), rookie Linus Caldwell (Damon), explosives expert Basher Tarr (Chealde), brothers Virgil (Affleck) and Turk Malloy (Caan), millionaire Reuben Tishkoff (Gould), computer nerd Livingston Dell (Jemison), inside man Frank Catton (Mac), grease man Yen (Qin) and old pro Saul Bloom (Reiner) robbed his three casinos out of $160 million in one night, he has been looking for an opportunity to get back, regardless of the fact that he got paid back from insurance. When rival French thief the Nightfox (Cassel), who wants to prove he is a better thief than the 11, gives him their locations, he pays each of them a visit and tells them they have two weeks to pay him back with interest. Tishkoff is the only one who can afford to pay back his share, so they decide to go to Amsterdam to find an opportunity to make some cash quick. Unfortunately, Saul bows out. They meet with Matsui (Coltrane), who gives them a job worth 2.5 million euro and chances to make more if they succeed. Unfortunately, the Nightfox beats them to the punch and Europol gets involved, with the case led by Rusty's former squeeze Isabel Lahiri (Zeta-Jones). Frank, who left a boot print, is quickly arrested and Matsui tells Isabel that Rusty and Ocean are involved. Ocean meets with Nightfox, who tells him that if he can get an Italian Fabergé egg before the Nightfox does, he'll pay off Benedict for him. For all necessary purposes, the plot works well, but there are problems. Much of the plot is easily predictable, aside from a few key points. Most of the 11 get painfully little to do, especially Frank who gets taken out of the movie barely a quarter into it. Linus is the only one who does more than he did in the original. Tess Ocean (Roberts) is left out for a while, but her part in the plot twist near the end is both good for the plot and the comedy. The Nightfox rivalry seems to be right out of Heist Movie 101. There is also a bit about Isabel's father that anyone with half a brain can successfully predict right off the bat. The plot is OK for a sequel, but by making half the cast seem to be there for the sake of being there, it loses some credit.
Comedy: 1.2/2: Ocean's Twelve is mediocre as a comedy. It has it's share of good moments, such as the opening sequence, Topher Grace's cameo and Tess' disguise, and really doesn't have any bad jokes, but it fails to use opportunities often. For example, Bernie Mac is a wasted opportunity. He is a great stand-up comic, but they never use him for anything funny. On the other hand, Casey Affleck and Scott Caan are still funny. It does have some good moments and thankfully doesn't do anything here badly, it just doesn't try often enough here.
Heist: 1.8/2: The actual thefts are great. The only complaint is that not everyone was used. While they may have had another purpose somewhere, Cheadle, Mac, Jemison, Reiner, Gould and Qin are not used to do their areas of expertise in any of the actual thefts. That's 6/11 that don't get to do their job. A little high, huh? Still, the thefts are interesting if not enthralling.
Acting: 1.9/2: While having an all-star cast does reduce the believability, it does increase the fun. Damon (The Bourne Identity) is the only one that shines here, playing the wide-eyed rookie Linus. Pitt (Se7en) is still as slick as he was in the original, and Affleck (Chasing Amy) and Caan (Sonny) are good, even though they get few scenes to shine in. Clooney (Solaris) is not nearly as witty as in the first, but he is still the best choice possible for Danny Ocean. Garcia (Godfather III) is menacing in his first few scenes, but disappears through the rest of the movie. Cheadle (Swordfish) still has the funny voice. Zeta-Jones (The Mask of Zorro) is good, but nothing spectacular. Bruce Willis has a hilarious cameo as himself. The cast isn't here to make you believe the characters, but it does add to the fun factor greatly.
Entertainment: 2/2: Ocean's Twelve is the kind of movie anyone can enjoy. It's audience encompasses just about everyone. While it won't gain quite as much acclaim as 11, it still is a fun caper flick.
Total: 77%: Ocean's Twelve is overall a good movie, but falls short of being as cool or fun as the original. It owes it's credibility thanks to a great cast and a couple smart heists. While I won't say to go see it in theatres unless you really liked the first, this is definitely worth a rental.