Ocean's Twelve - 6 stars out of 10

Ocean's Twelve - 6 stars out of 10

When you create an incredible film, it's tough to make a sequel without it inevitably letting down every member of the audience.  This is the story of "Ocean's Twelve."  Creating a cast from the "Who's Who in Hollywood Pop Culture" list, this entertaining group acts well but finds itself in the midst of a story inferior to its predecessor.  I think that the writers tried to be a little too tricky.  While it definitely makes you scratch your head when the group has to pull off the heist while most are in prison, the end resolution elicited a sarcastic "Really?" from my mouth.  On a positive note, they use the plot from the previous installment to explain why this millionaires could possibly need to pull off another heist.  I also love that they aren't the only ones trying steal the egg.  Vincent Cassel was a great villain and a great opponent for Ocean's crew, though the whole dance sequence (you know, the one through the lasers that went on forever?) was way cheesy and way long.  As always, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle, et al are awesome.  They just come off as a little "too cool" in an unrealistic way, not to mention that they aren't as fun when they are sitting in prison.  The highlight of the film is Julia Roberts posing as herself.  Her interaction with Bruce Willis is actually very sophisticated, taking on the role of a normal person impersonating a celebrity and trying to hide their overwhelming excitement.  The writers also did a great job of setting it up - "Did you ever notice that she kind of looks like--" "Never bring that up."  The film is worth watching for that sequence, but the rest falls somewhere between average and confusing.  "Ocean's Twelve" is a necessity if you want to see the third film in the series and it really is a decent movie - just don't try to compare it to the first.