Warner Bros. Pictures The late 2010s saw an intriguing new trend come and go in Hollywood: the blockbuster remake for girls. A handful of iconic films were rebooted with a feminist — sometimes even misandrist — twist, retracing basic beats with a gender-bent flair. It was the era of Me Too, and with producers pushing hard for equity in front of and behind the camera, such a pivot made a lot of sense. It didn’t always stick the landing, though — but Ocean’s 8 made as strong a case as any for this trend to stick around. By the time Ocean’s 8 debuted in 2018, it’d been a decade since the Ocean’s franchise pulled off a heist of its own. A successful remake of the original 1960 film paved the way for a beloved (if mixed) trilogy. The idea of more films, especially without the guiding hand of an auteur like Steven Soderbergh, felt like little more than a cash grab. Could this franchise survive without the deadpan charm of George Clooney and Brad Pitt — to say nothing for the stellar cast that surrounded them? Ocean’s 8 answered those anxieties with a shrug and a “kinda.” Tone-wise, it’s not touching Soderbergh’s mastery. Its cast is likewise a mixed bag of seasoned character actresses and slightly stilted comediennes — but it’s the heist that’s carrying most of the burden here. Directed by The Hunger Games’ Gary Ross from a script co-written by Ross and Olivia Milch, Ocean’s 8 is pure, unfettered wish fulfillment. It takes what’s possibly the girliest special interest, the annual Met Gala, and turns it into a heist for the ages. Sandra Bullock is Debbie Ocean, younger sister to Clooney’s Danny Ocean, who followed in his footsteps in every conceivable way. Freshly released from prison after an art scam gone wrong — blame her pompous ex-boyfriend (Richard Armitage) — Debbie is off to get revenge on a large scale. Of course, Debbie will never admit that her latest heist is all about revenge. As she tells her partner in crime, Lou (Cate Blanchett), again and again, her siege of the Met Gala is more of a “one last job” situation. She’s assembled a rag-tag team — including a jewelry maker at her wits’ end (Mindy Kaling), a fashion designer buried in debt (Helena Bonham Carter), and an expert hacker (Rihanna) — to steal $150 million worth of diamonds from around the neck of a vainglorious gala guest (Anne Hathaway). It’s a heist as gutsy as it is implausible, but it’s just ambitious enough to land her in the thief’s hall of fame. “Somewhere out there is an eight-year-old girl, lying in bed, dreaming of being a criminal,” she tells her team on the eve of the Gala. “Let’s do this for her.”Ocean’s 8 shirks Old Hollywood flair for a much more modern approach. | Warner Bros. PicturesThere is, admittedly, a lot to envy in Ocean’s 8. Watching Debbie coolly lift makeup from department stores and scam her way into a five-star hotel is satisfying in itself — even if you’ve never been tempted to commit a crime. I never found myself fully connected with Danny’s plan to rob three casinos in Ocean’s Eleven, satisfying as it is to see said plan unfold. There’s just something that clicks when the stakes have something more to do with diamonds, beautiful gowns, and cameos from celebrities I recognize. Eleven had a foot in Old Hollywood, was tasked with reviving the glamour of ‘60s Vegas for one last hurrah. Ocean’s 8, for better or worse, is new school. It’s not quite as timeless — especially where some of those aforementioned cameos are concerned — nor does it tap into the same element of danger as its predecessors. Still, it does get kudos for its efforts to bring this franchise into the present day. For a franchise where its female characters occasionally feel like footnotes, Ocean’s 8 breaks into the boys’ club and delivers a classic story to a fresh audience. Ocean’s 8 is now streaming on Netflix.