Photo via Universal Pictures
Written by Grace Baines
“Pitch Perfect” sang its way into my list of favorites with stellar comedy, music and a pitchin’ storyline. Its successor was funny and beautifully filmed and written, but it left the viewer wishing for a little more. In this campus comedy the Bellas have been kicked from collegiate Acapella and their one hope for regaining their place is to win worlds, the competition of the top Acapella groups from around the world. With a storyline like that the movie is of course grander. After all, they’ve jumped from National to International.
The film capitalizes on fans’ love of hysterical Rebel Wilson’s “Fat Amy,” using her to create humor in all scenarios. Anna Kendrick does not disappoint as Beca, bringing her humor and wit to the role reminiscent of the first movie.
One of the most important parts of a movie like this is of course the music. The song choices were perfect, with the corresponding energy from the cast. The music, like the plot, was also louder and grander than the first.
The villains for this movie, the German group Das Sound Machine, do not disappoint, with techno and EDM combined with classical music, their sound creates a powerful and distinctly villainous tone every time they take the stage. To compete, the Bellas followed the idea of something old and something new, but I won’t spoil the details for you.
Occasionally the scale felt overblown for the scene, like the directors were trying to do everything bigger and better, even when they didn’t need to be. The comedy was great, the music was extraordinary and the villains were next level, but it still felt slightly inferior to the first movie. It just wasn’t that extraordinary level that it’s predecessor hit.
This wasn’t always a bad thing. The overproduction even lead to some of the funniest scenes, like the riff-off featuring football players from the Green Bay Packers. This was a great addition to an already funny cast, and created a bit of awe-filled humor at the Packers dance moves and their “songs about butts.”
The movie, however, does take something that the first movie did well, and throw it to the next level. It turns the Bellas into a feminism powerhouse, with women powered tunes and an unwavering ability to stare down those who do not see these feisty and powerful women as a threat. The directors and producers braved a new form of comedy with this movie, and that was hardcore college-level girl power.
Was “Pitch Perfect 2” as perfect as its predecessor? No. But it is still a fabulous movie with guaranteed laughs, wows, and overall enjoyment. It was an absolute blast so prepare to get Pitch Slapped yet again.
