PITCH PERFECT 2 REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Released in 2012, Pitch Perfect was a surprise hit, both with critics and at the box office, receiving over $115m. Of course, the success lead to a sequel being released three years later, with Elizabeth Banks replacing Jason Moore as director. A lot of sequels fail to live up to fan's expectations, however, does Pitch Perfect 2 follow that same path?

The Barden Bellas are back, and they are better than ever. After being humiliated in front of none other than the President Barack Obama, the Bellas are taken out of the Aca-Circuit. In order to clear their name and regain their status, the Bellas take on a seemingly impossible task: winning an International competition no American team has ever won. In order to accomplish this monumental task, they need to strengthen the bonds of friendship and sisterhood, and blow away the competition with their amazing vocals. With all new friends and old rivals tagging along for the trip, the Bellas can hopefully accomplish their dreams once again.

In answer to my question, no, Pitch Perfect 2 doesn't follow the well-tridden path of sequels that fail to live up to fan's expectations. In fact, it met mine and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Barden Bellas prove themselves worthy, despite the humiliating performance at the beginning of the film. I think that what makes the Pitch Perfect films so popular is that they're original and, by original, I mean that they're not based on already existing West-End or Broadway musicals. It also has a modern day setting so a lot of today's audience, especially young teenagers, will love it and be able to relate to the main characters.

Speaking of characters, the majority of the cast return including Anna Kendrick as Beca, Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy and Brittany Snow as Chloe, who is now the leader of the Barden Bellas. Anna Camp appears later on in the film as Aubrey, who is now running a retreat. Skylar Astin, who is ironically Camp's husband in real life, returns as Jesse, Beca's boyfriend. Hailee Steinfeld is a welcome addition to the cast and plays Emily, the newest member of the Barden Bellas. There's no Oscar-worthy performances here, however, each actor gives a solid performance. The stand-out is Wilson as Fat Amy, who develops a romance with Bumper (Adam DeVine), and the pair have some funny scenes together. Not only does Banks direct but she returns as Gail, the acapella competition commentator who, alongside John Michael Higgins, has some funny scenes.

Some people may think that it's an odd choice for Banks to direct, however, she proves to be great, both in front of the camera and behind it. I think that it helps that she appeared in the first film, as she knows the tone of the film and is able to replicate it. This is why fans of the original won't be disappointed, it's pretty much the same as the first but moves the story forward.

One of the most successful aspects of Pitch Perfect was its songs. The majority of them were fresh takes on popular, chart-topping songs and that hasn't changed with the sequel. The film opens with the Bellas performing Miley Cyrus' number one single Wrecking Ball. They also take part in another Riff Off, with other Acapella groups singing songs based on certain topics including 'Songs About Butts', which leads to the groups singing songs such as Destiny Child's Bootylicious. Another topic is 'I Dated John Mayer' which means that the group have to sing songs by artists that have dated John Mayer and leads to a performance of Taylor Swift's break-up hit We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. This is one of my favourite scenes from the sequel as I love hearing the fresh takes on well-known songs.

The comedy mainly comes from Wilson and her hilarious performance as Fat Amy, however, there are a lot of fun scenes throughout. One of the biggest themes of the Pitch Perfect films is friendship and it is clearly shown here, especially between the members of the Bellas. Emily is the newcomer and, at first, she struggles to fit in but becomes close with Beca who was the newcomer to the group in the first film. She helps Emily to build her confidence and discovers that she likes writing her own songs too which leads to them spending some time in the studio. This leads to Emily's original song, Flashlight getting interest from a producer and, despite it not being a cover, the Bellas perform it at the World Finals at the end of the film, with other members of the Bellas joining in. It's a monumental moment as the Bellas have proven themselves worthy to those who ever doubted them. 

The song Flashlight, which was written by Australian singer Sia, was recorded by pop singer Jessie J who released it as a single as a way to promote the film. The Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The film itself proved to be a more successful hit than its predecessor at the box office as it received over $287m with a third installment being released in late 2017.

Overall, Pitch Perfect 2 captures the tone of the original and is just as fun and entertaining. Those who like comedy and musicals will definitely find something to enjoy here.

7/10