Movie:

The super star cast is back, with George Clooney, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt on the job again. Vegas hot shot Willy Bank (Al Pacino) upsets the gang which results in the 13 trying to set him up. On the opening night of Bank's new casino they rig everything to make sure he loses more money than he could have ever imagined. At the same time they get him where it really hurts: his ego. Even Benedict shows up to lend them a hand in pulling off their next heist. Cool, style and humour is once again the name of the game!
 
Sound and Vision:
From a technical point of view, this HD-DVD really disappoints. Although featuring native 1080p resolution, you would never tell from looking at the images. The colors are over saturated to such an extent that I had to change my TV settings to make it watchable. Also a lot of grain and noise is visible, and although the makers claim it was their artistic decision, it was a bad decision! The same goes for the contrast which is off the charts. Don't buy this one to show of!

The audio mix isn't bad, but it doesn't really use the surround channels as much as it could. A lot is just directed to the front speakers while we would have liked a lot more atmosphere via the back speakers.
 
Extras:

Commentary by Director Steven Soderbergh and Screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien

A very interesting commentary track, giving a lot of insight into the decision making, some inside info and a joke here and there. Worth listening!

Masters of the Heist (44:02)

Four high-profile real-life heists are explained using interviews and recreations. A very fascinating feature well worth watching on its own. Too bad it's presented in standard DVD resolution.

Additional Scenes (4:34): The usual deleted stuff, not really adding anything.

Jerry Weintraub Walk and Talk (2:24): very short feature where the producer talks you trough the casino that was built for the movie.

Vegas: An Opulent Illusion (22:47): a mini documentary describing the history of Vegas, with a lot of historic material, interviews and a very exciting part about big gamblers.

 
Conclusion:
Danny Ocean and the gang are back, but let's hope it's the last time they get together. While the first movie was fresh and exciting, this third one really shows that the formula is getting old. A convoluted plot with a lot of hardly credible twists and tricks is the logical result. Although maybe slightly better than the second one, I wouldn't recommend this to many people. Of course the excellent cast is always worth watching, so it still works as a Friday night entertainer.

Technically the HD-DVD disappoints with an image that is downright over saturated and inconsistent. Also the soundtrack isn't to write home about.