I know it's a little unnecessary but I can't deny that I loved 'Ocean's 8'

Story

Ocean's 8 is a rebootquel of the Ocean's trilogy starring George Clooney.

Debbie Ocean is released on parole after a 5-year sentence and sets about executing one of the biggest heists ever. She brings about 7 other women and they steal a necklace from one of the most prestigious events in the world, the MET Gala.

Story-wise there isn't much here apart from what I stated above and I don't fault the movie for that, it knows what it is and isn't trying to be more than that. It knows what we came for and it delivers.
I am a huge fan of heist movies, they have the perfect blend of comedy, suspense and drama and this one is no different.

 I saw this movie with a friend and afterwards, I said to her "You shouldn't glamorise criminal behaviour" because this movie makes stealing things look fun. (That doesn't mean I'm going to steal something, but maybe in an alternate reality.)

Debbie's motivations seem excessive upon reflection but as we find out more we understand and she becomes more endearing towards the audience. Interesting how our protagonists and the people we are supposed to root for are criminals. 

Acting 

Honestly, I would have seen any movie with a cast like this. With 8 people in a starring role, it can be hard for everyone to make an impression, but that is not the case with this movie. Each woman is given a chance to shine and show their talent. Is the acting in the movie Oscar worthy? No. Is it believable and entertaining? Yes. However, the characters don't have much backstory.

Sandra Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, the sister to Danny Ocean who isn't actually in the movie. Given the fact that she is his sister there is a lot of mention of the family which does get a little jarring towards the end of the film.

Cate Blanchett plays Lou easily my favourite character in the movie, I don't want to make too many comparisons to the "original" but she is definitely the Brad Pitt to Sandra Bullock's George Clooney. The relationship between their two characters feels real with its ups and downs.

Anne Hathaway plays Daphne Kluger an actress who happens to be a terrible person. Anne was probably the actress who surprised me the most. Her character is callous and downright rude, but I found it refreshing,  especially because Anne Hathaway typically plays characters who are very nice. (i.e Andy in 'The Devil Wears Prada' and Mia in 'Princess Diaries')

Rihanna plays Nine Ball who is the hacker and tech genius of the group. There isn't much to say about her performance, she essentially plays Rihanna throughout the film. She does have a lot of entertaining moments throughout the film, even though they aren't very memorable

Sarah  Paulson plays Tammy a profiteer, and she is the reluctant one who is trying to live a normal life with her kids, but we know how that goes. Helena Bonham Carter plays Rose Weil a fashion designer on the verge of losing everything, Mindy  Kaling plays Amita, a jewellery maker who wants to get away from her life which is incredibly draining and Awkwafina plays Constance a pickpocket.

I grouped these four women together because they give the least memorable performances in the movie.
They were not bad as each woman shows off her talent but, they don't give Oscar-worthy performances either.
This movie also has a lot of cameos, Kim Kardashian, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Anna Wintour to name a few and it was fun to play  'Where's Wally' different celebrities.

Writing/Direction

The movie was directed by Gary  Ross, and its very clear that he trying to capture the same tone of Steven Soderbergh and for the most part he succeeds. It feels like you're watching an Oceans film from the way the film is shot to the way it is edited.
I personally don't see that as a bad thing, as you are never really taken out of the film with the jump cuts and quick editing. Its pretty par for the course with an oceans film.

The writers made each woman their own character rather than a female version of male characters that have already been established which is always a plus.

Set/Costume Design

Given the fact that the movie revolves around the MET Gala, having stellar set and costume design is pretty much a non-starter. The film looks absolutely gorgeous, definitely one of its high points.
Each of the 8 women has their own distinctive look so each woman stands out when she on screen and their look lends something to their character.
The movie as a whole has the same look and feel as the Devil Wears Prada in the sense that the clothes look very high fashion, if I got my hands on Lou's wardrobe I would be very happy. 

Overall Thoughts 

 I am a huge fan of the Ocean's 11-13 (the trilogy is one of my favourites) so I went into this quite skeptical. My main issue going in was the fact that it was a rebootquel of the original trilogy which in itself was a reboot.  Much like the Ghostbusters reboot why not create something new, rather than take a pre-existing idea and gender-bend it.

This film fits in with the pre-existing tone of the previous movies. In all honesty Ocean's 8 doesn't need ties to the previous Oceans movies. I actually think that weighs it down. A fun heist movie with 8 women is a good concept regardless of the franchise. With a cast like this one, I would have seen the movie regardless of the name.

The downside to this movie is the plot which is pretty by-the-numbers. I can understand why the writers would want to play it safe, seeing as this movie was a bit of gamble especially due to the largely negative reaction from the Ghostbusters reboot.

This movie fits very well with the pre-existing tone of the previous movie and delivers a fun movie that I would definitely watch again.