• Review by Leo Mayr- 7/26/18

Ocean’s 8 is a spin-off of the successful Steven Soderbergh heist films. While David Holmes was responsible for the music in Soderbergh’s trilogy, Daniel Pemberton was brought on to compose the score for the new film. Daniel Pemberton doing a heist film? In the best way possible, there’s really not much else to say!

To put it simply, the score is a blast from start to finish. Pemberton does his best at remaining close to Holmes’ style from the first three films, while also infusing it with his own unique style. Pemberton is known for trying unusual sounds and texture layering in his scores, and this one might be his most fun score so far.

Right from the opening credits, Pemberton infuses the score with just the right amount of energy. There’s a simple main theme that appears in a few places, but for the most part, each sequence has its own unique sound and style, making for a quite varied and unique experience. Every time you think you know what the score is going for, Pemberton introduces a new sound into the mix.

There’s not a lot of storytelling going on and the narrative is light on character emotions, but the way Pemberton infuses energy into each sequence makes the whole thing a fantastic experience. The movie has a lot less licensed songs than I expected and instead, Pemberton was able to create a vast amount of fun and unique tracks that wonderfully accompany this fun heist flick.

Pemberton was a perfect fit for Ocean’s 8, delivering a fun and unique heist score that rarely ever repeats itself. Each scene feels unique, and Pemberton never really drops the pace throughout the movie. There’s a lot to be enjoyed here, and the 66 minute album is well worth revisiting time and time again.

• 4/5