I may be in the minority, but I thought it was slightly better than Ocean's 11...

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2004)

Stylish. Original. Full of personality. All words used to describe Johnny Betts' hair. But, interestingly enough, they also form an accurate description of Ocean's 12.
This sequel has much of the same feel as Ocean's 11, but it takes a slightly different approach. Rather than focus on the heist, it gives more attention to the characters and their attempts at getting out of the trouble they're facing. In the first one, the movie starts off by introducing us to each of the main characters. Here, we watch as Andy Garcia tracks each one down and issues his threat - pay him his money within two weeks or suffer the consequences.
Also, in Ocean's 11, everything seemed to fall into place for our beloved thieves. Not anymore. Now everything seems to go wrong, and the crew finds itself face-to-face with one obstacle after another. I'm just curious, is it bad to cheer for thieves and wish them the best? It's OK if it's just a movie, right? I sure hope so.
You're dying to know which movie I preferred, right? No? Well I'll tell you anyway. I know I'll probably be in the minority here, but I enjoyed Ocean's 12 a little more than Ocean's 11. Why? Well, since you asked:
* Catherine Zeta-Jones! Finally, some eye candy for the guys! And no, Julia Roberts is NOT eye candy, except for people with a skeleton fetish. Plus, CZJ (as I like to call her) does a good job in her role as a detective with a father who was a thief. Her character adds another element of mystery.
* It's funnier than the first. Two great sources of comedy are the cameos of Bruce Willis and Topher Grace as themselves. Topher whines about how his Kabbalah bracelet isn't working, and when talking about the efforts he took to try to win the love of a girl he claims, "I totally phoned in that Dennis Quaid movie." I won't say anything about Bruce's cameo, but it's great. The humor is mainly a reflection of how much everybody obviously enjoyed making this movie.
* I do not like Julia Roberts. I have NEVER understood her appeal. And not to be shallow, but I don't find her the least bit attractive. So how is that relevant to why I prefer Ocean's 12? Well, Julia was a distraction in Ocean's 11, but here she has one enjoyable scene that made me not think about how much I can't stand her! When a movie can do that, then it has really accomplished something.
* The story is a little smarter, a little more clever than the first one. Some people might not like the fact that everything isn't spelled out along the way, but I enjoyed being kept in the dark a bit.
The important thing is that all is revealed at the end. I know a couple of people complained that they didn't understand everything because the story wasn't told in a linear fashion. One complaint was that the big revelation was "unfair" because it prevented the viewer from being able to figure everything out on his own. Fine with me. What's wrong with surprises?
One guy even complained that the ending was the movie's attempt to make you pay to go see the movie again just to understand it. I would have to disagree. I had no problem following the story, and you don't really have to watch it again to figure it all out, but it's one I *do* want to watch again so I can approach it with a different perspective.
I recommend watching Ocean's 11 first. If you've already seen it, then it wouldn't hurt to watch it again just as a refresher. Once you've done that you'll be ready to enjoy Ocean's 12. Just don't yell and scream at me if *you* end up not liking it as much Ocean's 11. After all, it's just a movie, and the fact that we have a different preference won't prevent a cure for cancer. If it does, then that'll sure be weird and I pledge to never see another movie again because man, it's just not worth stopping a cure for cancer.
THE GIST
A little more clever, and a little funnier than its predecessor, Ocean's 12 presents itself as yet another slick and stylish movie in the heist genre. If you can handle a little style over substance, then you should be entertained. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should you.
Rating: 4 (out of 5)