Sequels are often just an excuse for studios to make money off a franchise based on the people starring in the movie, and it works well in "Ocean's Twelve." Like most sequels, it follows a formula, but with "Ocean's Twelve," the formula works on a sheer entertainment level, despite the repetition of jokes and cons.
The follow-up to "Ocean's Eleven" picks up three years after Clooney and company ripped off a casino in Las Vegas. Now that they need to pay back the money, the robbery crew goes off to Europe.
In keeping with Steven Soderbergh's style of conversational humor, the first half hour of the movie reintroduces each character, including the introduction of Catherine Zeta-Jones as a detective. which drags slightly, but is useful for some hearty laughs The movie keeps to its quirky original, by relying on the various conversations between each character to bring out the unique qualities of the cast, which make for creative humor.
The humor could not have worked without the excellent acting by every cast member, especially Brad Pitt. However, the strong point of the movie is the collaborative scenes involving the entire cast, where mass hysteria and humor break out, similar to the robbery scene in "Ocean's Eleven." Also, Bruce Willis makes a great cameo as himself in the film, injecting his cocky but smooth-operator personality into the film, but most importantly advancing the plot.
The director cleverly shot the movie in various filters to give the feeling of the crew's working environment. True to the formulaic sequel fashion, Soderbergh uses some great editing techniques, including telling the story backwards and leaving key points out until they absolutely need to be revealed in order to keep the audience guessing the next plot point.
One of the best characters who injected great variety into the film is Catherine Zeta-Jones. She is a great fit with the rest of the cast and provides some of the unexpected plot twists that Soderbergh relies on for both "Ocean" films.
Two awkward points make the film a semi-letdown. In the first film, much emphasis was placed on the robbery itself, whereas in the sequel, the subplots take too much screen time. The audience never feels like it's a heist movie, until the end. Up until then, it's like watching a 12-man buddy film.
Another letdown of the film is the lack of music to back up the various scenes. A movie without good music is like pasta without a good sauce it - just doesn't feel good. The first film had catchy music that expressed the mood and tone of the scene in a creative way. The sequel makes a halfhearted attempt at this, but it sounds like a rework of some of the original music.
Overall, "Ocean's Twelve" is formulaic, relies on the same kind of humor repeatedly, and is probably headed for "Ocean's Thirteen." People go to the movies to be entertained, and that is exactly what "Ocean's Twelve" provides - humor and entertainment.
