--- title: "Ocean's Twelve: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/oceans-twelve/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/oceans-twelve" critics_score: 46 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ocean's Twelve (2004): what the critics said Critics' score 46 from 9 reviews: 3 positive, 1 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews split sharply, and the spread is wide: a handful of critics enjoy the film as a loose, improvised riff on the caper, while more of them find it smug and undernourished. The praise clusters around the cast, whose ease with one another is credited on both sides of the divide, and around Soderbergh’s handling, the handheld camera, quick zooms and stylistic detours that keep even the sceptics watching. The reservations cluster around the script. Even admirers concede the plot is trivial and the pace slacker than the original’s; detractors go further and call the film lazy, plotless and pleased with itself, with the Julia Roberts sequence and the celebrity cameos singled out as the worst of the in-jokery. The Guardian and Slant Magazine are the harshest, treating it as vacuous rather than merely slight. The gentlest verdicts, from RogerEbert.com and The New York Times, accept the digressions as the point. Most critics do not. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 9 December 2004. The critic praises the film's playful improvisation on caper themes and the charm of its stars, especially Clooney, Pitt, Roberts and Zeta-Jones, over any strict adherence to plot logic. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/oceans-twelve-2004) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 2004. The review finds the sequel an enjoyable if trivial and self-satisfied caper that prioritizes loopy digressions and star chemistry over narrative coherence, calling it a blast when it works. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/10/movies/well-the-gangs-all-here-why-not-another-caper.html) ## Time Out — DA Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 February 2005. The sequel lacks the punch, pace and precision of the original but remains high-end entertainment thanks to the charismatic cast, Soderbergh's sharp eye and jovial chit-chat. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/oceans-twelve) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2004. The review finds that Ocean's Twelve retains a playful sense of style and cool but loses the romantic friction and thematic depth of the first film. It singles out the breezy star charm and French New Wave-inspired narrative tricks as what keeps the film lively despite its shortcomings. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/oceans-twelve-1798200290) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 2/5. The lazy, convoluted plot sees the gang fall into self-indulgent traps similar to the original Rat Pack film; Soderbergh gives it a hip sheen and the cast has chemistry, but the knowing cameos and overall tone feel too smug. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-czgmbe/oceans-twelve/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2004. Warner Bros can count on another hit from the star-studded sequel, but Soderbergh has delivered a sloppy, plotless film that neglects storytelling for self-referential smugness and lacks suspense. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/oceans-twelve/4021230.article) ## The Times — Cosmo Landesman Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2005. The review calls it an indulgence too many, with no story or characters, relying on celebrity self-indulgence and postmodern bilge instead of proper heist tension or style. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/celebrity/article/film-theyre-all-at-sea-6rj5w77bfrp) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 4 February 2005. The critic finds the sequel horrifically smug and disappointing, with a lazy plot and complacent in-jokery that makes it vacuous and dull compared to the first film. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/feb/04/oceans-twelve-review) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2004. The critic dismisses the film as a pointless celebrity circle-jerk that prioritizes star recognition over substance or storytelling. They single out the mugging performances and meta Julia Roberts sequence as emblematic of its empty, poseur aesthetic. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/oceans-twelve/) ## Empire — William Thomas The review calls the film a mess compared to its predecessor due to unfocused heists and a weak script, but notes it coasts on the cast's charm and maintains a breezy sense of fun. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ocean-twelve-review/) ## The Independent 4 February 2005. The critic finds the sequel self-indulgent and lacking substance, arguing that it prioritizes the stars enjoying themselves in glamorous locations over coherent plotting or memorable gags. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/ocean-s-twelve-12a-485338.html) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy 7 December 2004. The critic highlights the film's flippant insouciance, heightened bonhomie among the ensemble, glamorous European locations and Soderbergh's fun with actors and stylistic diversions, calling it delicious high-end junk food. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/ocean-s-twelve-1200529156/) ## Eye for Film — David Stanners 4 February 2005. The film is stylish with handheld camerawork and quick zooms, delivering twists and a cheeky finale that keeps viewers engaged after two hours. However, the plot feels insubstantial, it is not as strong as the first film, and many big names have little to do. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/oceans-12-film-review-by-david-stanners) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/oceans-twelve.md