Ocean's 8 Review: 5 Ups And 4 Downs

Downs...

4. Static, Underdeveloped Characters

For a movie about lovable thieves and criminals, it's difficult to deny just how little anyone grew or developed as a character. None of the side characters went through any growth outside of their bank account, you don't really know their motivations for doing anything (besides money), and you only end up liking them because of their specific character quirks (that the actresses likely provided, not the script) and their positioning among the 'good' characters.

Not even Debbie goes through any major change as she starts the movie as a smooth-talking thief and stays that way. Unlike Danny Ocean in Ocean's 11, who, through his earning of Tess's love, indicates that he's grown since the beginning, Debbie starts and ends the same way.

Anne Hathaway's Daphne is the only one that goes through any noticeable change, even though it is still rather minor and not exactly noteworthy. The film certainly offers characters that are both likable and entertaining, but there doesn't seem to be enough depth to fall in love with them, at least not yet.