Ocean’s Trilogy 4K UHD Review

Ocean’s Trilogy synopsis:

The trilogy of beloved crime heist films – Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, and Ocean’s Thirteen – from Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia, will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time on April 30.

Inspired by and based on the 1960 heist film Ocean’s 11, the three films are directed by Soderbergh from screenplays by Ted Griffin, George Nolfi, and Brian Koppelman & David Levien respectively, and produced by Jerry Weintraub.

(from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

For my 2001 full review of Ocean’s 11 (2001), click here.
For my 2004 full review of Ocean’s 12 (2004), click here.
For my 2007 full review of Ocean’s 13 (2007), click here.

 

 

Nearly twenty years since the first Ocean’s 11‘s sequel, Ocean’s 12, Warner Bros. has delivered a 4K UHD Ocean’s Trilogy box set. Warner remastered these films for 4K resolution, and the quality is certainly noticeable. Not surprisingly, Ocean’s 11 looks the best out of the bunch, with its 2001 picture quality being given a crisp and vibrant presentation that brings it to life like never before.

While Ocean’s 11 was a remake to a cult classic 1960 heist movie, that original film arguably can’t hold a candle to its remake — something that seldom can be said for remakes. The 2001 film definitely lands on a shortlist of movies that are better than their originals. The ensemble that director Steven Soderbergh assembled here was truly inspired. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon lead the pack of cool – and funny – thieves who pull off a series of heists throughout the trilogy that are entertaining and fun to witness. Everything is done with flare and a sense of lightheartedness that makes these movies really easy to revisit again and again.

Now, granted, I realize these movies kind of glorify theft to a certain degree, which obviously can’t be condoned. However, most of the time, the acts are driven by love, loyalty, and friendship, which make it a little easier to rally behind our thieving “heroes.” One of the special features on the first disc, for Ocean’s 11, likens the guys to Robin Hood, and while I can’t say that’s a dead-on comparison, it’s not too much of a stretch either. In Ocean’s 11, Danny Ocean leads the gang in a heist against the three casinos owned by Andy Garcia’s Terry Benedict, mostly in an effort to try to win back his estranged wife, Tess, who’s played by Julia Roberts. In Ocean’s 12, a French thief rats out Ocean’s gang to Benedict and the guys must reunite to pull off a couple jobs in order to pay Benedict back. This time, Brad Pitt’s Rusty Ryan is trying to win back the affections of his detective ex-girlfriend, Isabel, who’s played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. For Ocean’s 13, Al Pacino’s Willy Bank swindles his business partner, Reuben – played by Elliott Gould – causing him to have a heart attack. Danny rallies the gang back together in an act of loyalty towards their friend, Reuben, and inact revenge on Bank. Each story has its elements of heart and humor, and it’s tough not to root for these guys.

I’ve seen these films several times since their release and they hold up tremendously well. The style – and David Holmes’ deliciously groovy score – give these movies an almost timelessness (with probably the biggest time capsule traits being the archaic cellphones we see them use). Aside from the fact that we’re rooting for thieves in these films, the main cautionary content from film to film would be profanity. The first two films have about two “F” words each and a bunch of other colorful words, with Ocean’s 13 having the least objectionable content. There are some subtle sexual references, mainly in the first one, with a little sensuality in the third, and there is a decent amount of blasphemy used in each movie.

If you’re a diehard fan of the Ocean’s movies and have 4K viewing capabilites, I definitely recommend this collection. It only includes three 4K discs (No Blu-Rays), along with all of the previous bonus features, as well as codes to redeem digital copies through MoviesAnywhere. If a few of you are perplexed as to why the 2018 all-girl spin-off film, Ocean’s 8, is absent, it doesn’t really fit into this set (especially since it ambiguously writes out Danny as supposedly being dead, but it’s always possible to have been a fake-out of some kind). So, as a fan of these movies myself, I loved seeing these movies revitalized in Ultra HD and recommend it for any other fans as well.

– John DiBiase, (reviewed: 4/30/24)

The Ocean’s trilogyUltra HD Blu-ray discs and Digital contains the following previously released special features:

Ocean’s Eleven

• Commentary by Steven Soderbergh and Ted Griffin
• Commentary by Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Andy Garcia
• Are You In or Out? The Making of Ocean’s Eleven
• Pros & Cons: Inside Ocean’s Outfit
• The Style of Steal
• The Look of the Con
• Original Ocean’s, Original Cool

Ocean’s Twelve

• Commentary by Steven Soderbergh and George Nolfi
• Ready, Jet Set, Go: The Making of Ocean’s Twelve
• HBO First Look: Twelve Is the New Eleven: The Making of Ocean’s Twelve
• Deleted Scenes

Ocean’s Thirteen

• Commentary by Steven Soderbergh, Brian Koppelman and David Levien
• Third’s a Charm: The Making of Ocean’s Thirteen
• Ahab with a Piggyback: The Means & Machines of Ocean’s
• Jerry Weintraub Walk and Talk
• Masters of the Heist
• Deleted Scenes