ACROSS the noughties, Steven Soderbergh dominated the heist cinema scene. Rebooting a Rat Pack film from 1960, the recently returned from retirement director brought together an A-List cast for two slick, funny and entertaining blockbusters and Ocean’s Twelve.

Eleven years after the last Oceans film hit cinemas, the franchise is reborn this week with Ocean’s 8 but there’s no sign of George Clooney. Instead, the likes of Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter step up to embark upon the most ambitious jewel theft in history. The film is not so bold as its protagonists’ plotting but remains nonetheless fun.

Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, the incarcerated sister of Danny, who has spend the past five years, 18 months and 12 days concocting a scheme to steal a $150m Cartier necklace at New York’s prestigious Met Gala. First on Debbie’s to do list, however, is shopping - one con sees her get a shop to gift bag her stolen goods - and the recruitment of a team. There’s Debbie’s former partner in crime Lou (Cate Blanchett), ditsy debt-ridden designer Rose (Bonham Carter), jewelsmith Amita (Mindy Kaling), suburban profiteer Tammy (Sarah Paulson), techie Nine Ball (Rihanna) and streetwise Constance (Awkwafina).

Ocean’s 8 launches with a rip-roaring opening that promises more than the later stages ever deliver. Whilst Debbie’s recruited a smaller crew than Danny ever did, very few actually register. Part of the problem is they never work together, with each addition little more than employee of Bullock and Blanchett. Those who loved the slick aesthetic of Soderbergh’s film will enjoy Ocean’s 8 but those who found their twists frustrating can find no reprieve here. Ross plots his action with a tidy direction but delivers a whole that is too procedural.

Remaining in gender-swapping territory, also out this week is a remake of the 1987 Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell comedy Overboard. In that film, Hawn played a wealthy snob who is tricked by her disgruntled employee (Russell) into living a working class life, on suffering from amnesia after falling out of her private yacht.

Rob Greenberg’s remake reverses the roles, with Eugenio Derbez playing a rich, arrogant playboy and Anna Faris as his cleaner turned trickster. A selection of tweaks have modernised the story but, not having rated the original, I can’t claim to care for it.

- Toby Symonds