The Bellas are back and whether you are a fan of the acca-awesome cinematic acapella singing group will determine exactly your feelings on the newly released Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download of Pitch Perfect 3.
This third, and final film in the series, feels like it was simply made for two segments of the population. One, the talent in front of and behind the camera. It served as one last chance to get the “band” back together and have a blast making a movie. The second is the legion of people who have adored everything Bella since Pitch Perfect debuted in 2012.
This time out, we find our ladies removed from college for a few years and let’s just say that life isn’t working out as they had anticipated. An opportunity arises for the group to reunite and head overseas to entertain the troops as part of a European USO tour. How they even get on the tour is a lesson in suspension of disbelief. Then again, there is a lot in Pitch Perfect 3 that requires that kind of movie mentality. But it is not like one enters the world of Pitch Perfect for the sealed shut pitch perfect plot points. Am I right?
Returning is the cast whose chemistry is still solid — Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hana Mae Lee, Ester Dean, Alexis Knapp, Chrissie Fit, Kelley Jakle and Shelley Regner. Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins return as those humorous acapella play-by-play announcers. Joining the series is John Lithgow as a father of a Bella and Ruby Rose (John Wick: Chapter 2) as a member of a rival band.
The Bellas re-join and without a moment of rehearsal, hit the stage ready to rock. Another case of letting that suspension of disbelief fly out the window.
Of course, this tour isn’t simply a voyage through Europe to entertain and salute our bravest. There is a competition — which is the lifeblood of a couple of Bellas, we’re looking at you Chloe (Snow) and Aubrey (Camp)! Seems that among the groups on this tour, EverMoist (an all-girl pop-rock band), Young Sparrow/DJ Dragon Nutz, Saddle Up and of course our Bellas, one will be chosen by international superstar DJ Khalid to open for him on his next tour. Now, why is DJ Khalid on this tour that is entertaining our service men and women and he’s not performing… oh wait, let’s suspend that disbelief, people!
There’s plenty of songs to tap your toes to, and we are always up for an acapella version of some of our favorite tracks, past and present. Some of the highlights are the Bellas version of Sia’s Cheap Thrills, the riff-off — which is fun, largely due to the fact that it is done slightly differently this time around due to the fact that the other USO tour members actually play instruments — and of course the track all of us have heard from their various pre-release promotional appearances, their take on George Michael’s absolutely incredible Freedom ’90.
Pitch Perfect 3 does have a few shining aspects to it that should resonant for folks who do not consider themselves Bella aficionados. There are lessons about how life changes and the fact that those gloriously awesome colleges days fade pretty fast into a landscape of life that is less free and can be a heck of a lot more mundane. But, once one finds themselves and their purpose, life is a glorious journey filled with family, friends and yes… a soundtrack to elevate the soul.
Sadly, the third act turns the entire Pitch Perfect universe on its head. It seems that filmmakers behind the series forgot about the tone of the first two-and-a-half films and suddenly turn our songstresses into players in an international crime ring that finds Bellas running from explosions in a strange at the least and utterly bizarre turn of events at the most. The Bellas singing Toxic, bring it on! The Bellas singing Spears’ dance floor classic to distract a Bond parody villain from an eminent rescue? No, just no.
We suspect that plot turn out of the Twilight Zone will not bother longtime Bella fans. What will thrill them is the bevy of bonus features that are worthy of a series close out.
There is an element of the entire series that is impossible to ignore and that is the positive power of women. Witnessing all these ladies come together and be the fierce musical and personal force of nature is without question the series’ best element. The Women of Pitch Perfect 3 finds star and producer (and director of the last installment) Banks joined by this film’s director, Trish Sie, as well as the all-female cast to discuss what makes the Pitch Perfect franchise so special and how it breaks down barriers and stereotypes.
Competition Crescendo is an interesting look at how the riff-off came to be… from preproduction in the recording studio all the way through shooting it live and in person on the set. Given how these riff-off have become such a popular aspect of the Pitch Perfect series, this is a nice touch giving fans an inside scoop into how the magic happens. Also given a spotlight is the Bellas’ foes in this riff-off, EverMoist, Saddle Up, DJ Young Sparrow and DJ Dragon Nutz.
Who better to wrap-up the series then John and Gail, our fave play-by-play announcers. The Talk-a-pella broadcasters return and give us an “exclusive d’aca’mentary” as they chronicle the final tour of the singing group. The cast and filmmakers chime in to add their own color commentary to why these ladies are just so darn popular.
If Wilson was teetering on stardom before Pitch Perfect, the film series made her an international star. Giving her a proper tribute is Don’t Mess with Rebel. As we mentioned, there’s this whole James Bond-ish quality to the final act of the film and Wilson goes in full force, training with a stunt coordinator to make those fight sequences believable. We’re left with the idea that the girl can do much more than just sing and make us laugh.
The Headliner: DJ Khaled gives the cast and filmmakers a chance to turn all fan crazy when it comes to the superstar who plays himself in the third Pitch Perfect flick.
John Lithgow is part of the Pitch Perfect universe and Just Because He’s a Bad Guy shows how revered the acting legend is by all involved in the film production. The best aspect of this featurette has to be witnessing the real-life chemistry between Wilson and Lithgow.
Speaking of that, don’t miss the Fat Amy and Fergus (Lithgow) full Casino duet. Don’t think Chicago has ever sounded so… well, just watch it! Fans will also want to watch repeatedly the Freedom! ’90 x Cups official music video, as well as a series of full length musical performances that were compressed in the actual film.
Fitting to close our review with our look at the last featurette as it chronicles that The Final Performance. Fans might even shed a tear as the sisterhood that is the Bellas comes to a close, at least on screen. As the film wraps, we get an inside look at how all involved handled the final goodbyes.
Film Grade: C-
Bonus Features: B-
As this is such a fan-centric series, we will give the film one more grade…
For Die-Hard Fans: B+