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

PITCH PERFECT REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Most musicals released in cinemas are motion picture adaptations based on Broadway or West End productions and aren't original. However, after the release of Pitch Perfect in 2012, it proved that there's still room for fresh musicals that are set in modern day and feature well-known songs. Pitch Perfect is entertaining and features a group of interesting and funny characters, especially Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy. 

Beca (Anna Kendrick) is that girl who'd rather listen to what's coming out of her headphones than what's coming out of you. Arriving at her new college, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together. When Beca takes this acoustic singing group out of their world of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the cutthroat world of college acappella. This could wind up either the coolest thing they'll ever do or the most insane, and it will probably be a little of both.

At the time of Pitch Perfect's release, Kendrick was known for her supporting roles including Jessica in the Twilight films and as Stacey Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. She makes the transition from supporting to leading actress really well and shows off, not only her acting, but her singing talents as well. She also has great comedic timing and makes Beca a likable protagonist. Despite her father forcing her to go to college, in her spare time she still works hard remixing popular songs on her laptop. Supporting roles come from Wilson as Fat Amy, Anna Camp as Aubrey, the leader of the Barden Bellas, Brittany Snow as her friend, Chloe and Skylar Astin as a potential love interest for Beca, Jesse. The stand out is Wilson as Fat Amy. She is arguably the most memorable character as she has plenty of one liners and brings most of the comedic elements to the film. She isn't afraid to say what she really thinks which makes her both funny and admirable. Camp portrays Aubrey as a determined perfectionist and, most of the time, she does come across as extremely bossy but that's only because she wants to win the national acapella competition. Snow is perfectly sweet as Aubrey's best friend and convinces Beca to join the group in one hilarious shower scene. Astin and Kendrick bring the romance to the film and we see their relationship develop as the two watch classic movies together such as The Breakfast Club. Unfortunately, Jesse is a member of the rival group and the two must keep their relationship a secret. Overall, the performances featured in Pitch Perfect are strong and there's not a bad performance to be found. 

Pitch Perfect features a lot of fresh takes on popular songs, including Rihanna's 'Don't Stop The Music' and Miley Cyrus' 'Party in the USA' just to name a few. This is where the film is at its most entertaining as it's fun watching all the groups perform their own version of well-known songs. In one scene, we the Barden Bellas partake in a battle between the other groups known as the 'Riff Off' and the topics of the song include 'Ladies of the 80s' and 'Songs About Sex' which then leads to Beca singing her cover of Blackstreet's 'No Diggity'. 

The screenplay is written by Kay Cannon and is based on the book by Mickey Rapkin and contains enough relatable dialogue to make it an enjoyable film. She was a writer on the 30 Rock television series and has come up with a screenplay that seems to give the right amount of time to each individual to make them memorable. 

Obviously, with the majority of the main characters being females, it's understandable that this will appeal to women, especially those in their early teens. A lot of people will be able to relate to Beca whose father is forcing her to do something she doesn't want to do. However, she doesn't let this deter her and still works hard on achieving her dream. She also doesn't fall for Jesse straightaway like many women in romantic comedies tend to do. The two bond over the course of the film and their relationship develops despite them being members of two rival groups.

Overall, Pitch Perfect is a highly entertaining film with a strong leading performance from Anna Kendrick and a hilarious supporting performance from Rebel Wilson. It also features original takes on popular and well-known songs.

7/10