OCEAN’S 8 (Rated PG-13)

Heist capers, even the mediocre ones, are usually a lot of fun. Quality is not an issue for “Ocean’s 8,” which picks up, in a sense, from where the “Ocean’s” trilogy left off.

The hand of Steve Soderbergh is greatly on view.

Soderbergh, the prolific producer and director of many feature films and television programs, serves as the producer for this one, having relinquished the director’s spot to Gary Ross (“The Hunger Games”), who is also credited as the co-writer with Olivia Milch.

To his credit, Ross keeps the Soderbergh spirit alive in much the same way as the original “Ocean’s Eleven” (not the Rat Pack version) set about a meticulous recruiting effort by former inmate Danny Ocean (George Clooney).

Apparently, larceny and grand schemes run large in the Ocean family because this time the ringleader is Danny’s sister Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), who just spent 5 five years, 8 months and 12 days plotting her next big score upon release from a New Jersey correctional facility.

Reference is made to Danny Ocean’s passing (or is he really dead?) and Debbie visits his gravesite for inspiration to carry on family history. In any event, the criminal equation this time is completely distaff. Debbie sets about to recruit the capable women needed for the job.

But first, fresh out of lockup, the penniless Debbie hits New York City, shoplifting at the fancy Bergdorf Goodman for beauty products and then conning her way into a free room at a ritzy hotel. The game is soon afoot to get a trusty crew.

The target of Debbie’s meticulous plan is to steal the famous Toussaint diamond necklace worth a stunning $150 million. It’s the property of the legendary Cartier jewelry emporium on Fifth Avenue where it remains locked in an impenetrable vault.

This will not be a jewelry store version of a casino heist breaking into the vault. The diamond is scheduled to make an appearance at the annual elegant Met Gala held in the tight security confines of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s dinner party.

Debbie first enlists the help of old colleague Lou (Cate Blanchett), a brainy tough cookie with street smarts who despite her harsh exterior actually comes to act like the voice of reason to restrain Debbie’s over-the-top instincts likely hardened from a stretch in prison.

Together, Debbie and Lou assemble an interesting crew to infiltrate the Met Gala and get close to the event’s celebrity host, Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), who will be dressed in a stunning gown cut low enough to allow plenty of room for the display of the diamond necklace.

Needing a fashion designer to work on dressing Daphne is Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), whose floundering business needs a big cash infusion, and she proves game to join the crew to keep her enterprise afloat.

Mindy Kaling’s Amita, a shady jeweler, has worked with Debbie before on low-level schemes. Expert fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson) has retired to motherhood and family duties in suburbia but can’t let go completely of her past life with the stolen goods in her garage.

Constance (Awkwafina) is a young street hustler and deft pickpocket that Lou and Debbie meet in Queens. Rihanna’s Nine Ball, a dreadlocked hacker, is a brilliant key to decoding the museum’s security to create the necessary vulnerabilities.

If you kept count, the crew described above totals seven participants. So where does the eight in “Ocean’s 8” come into play? Could it be an unwitting accomplice in the grand scheme? That’s one of the plot twists that turns into having its own twist that is not to be revealed here.

The plot operates on Debbie’s pithy assessment of how a female crew works best. “A ‘him’ gets noticed. A “her” gets ignored. For once, we want to be ignored.” This appears to have more to do with entering the ladies’ room then being spotted among throngs of other beautiful women.

Claiming to be filmed entirely on location in New York, “Ocean’s 8” does benefit from a venue more exciting and elegant than casinos in Las Vegas. You can’t go wrong with places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art or swanky hotels like the Plaza and the Pierre.

Men are not ignored in pivotal scenes. The sleazy art gallery curator Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) is the subject of Debbie’s revenge plot. Late night host James Corden plays rumpled British insurance investigator John Frazier all too familiar with the Ocean family history.

“Ocean’s 8” is what a heist caper should be – fun and interesting to watch unfold with a plot that is convoluted but not so not puzzling that it could not be satisfactorily understood or explained without turning into a pretzel on steroids.

The chemistry with the female cast is good and believable enough in service of advancing the heist to an enjoyable entertainment. As a fan, in particular, of the first “Ocean’s” film, if not as much for the others, “Ocean’s 8” is a pleasurable diversion.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.