"Pitch Perfect" was made for $17 million, "Pitch Perfect 2" was made for $29 million- They spent $45 million on this instalment. Oddly, they have nothing to show for the extra $16 million other than one explosion, some grand locations and a DJ Khaled cameo. This film has the lowest production value out of any of the films- it could easily be a TV or Netflix movie. Somewhere along the way during production, "Pitch Perfect 3" lost its authenticity and was became subject to studio meddling. This is clearly the case because many of the moments in the trailers are not in the finished movie - For example, the parachute scene? Not in the movie. Costly scenes such as that should not be left on the editing room floor or more time should have been taken during pre-production to avoid financial losses. The film feels rushed, a little too glossy and arguably provides evidence that Hollywood has run out of good ideas- back in 2012, nobody would have expected the Bellas to be involved in a European heist. 

The film does deserve credit for taking the narrative in a different direction to the first two films- even though I still loved it, "Pitch Perfect 2" followed the same formula as the first. However, the narrative is so ludicrous and unbelievable, it doesn't feel like it belongs in the same series. The writers still manage to shoe-horn in audience favourites such as the riff off and a competition but this film tells a completely irrelevant and unnecessary story. It was a strange choice to have the film be about a 'Bellas Reunion' when they haven't been apart for that long at all- maybe if the writers and studio waited a few more years, an element of nostalgia would have been in play and this type of story could have been told (it would have also given them more time to come up with a more inventive plot). "Pitch Perfect 3" does provide the audience with some character development about Fat Amy and Aubrey - both have daddy issues. The choice of introducing paternal roles into these female centric, girl power movies is problematic and I feel that more interesting routes could have been taken. It is Fat Amy's father who instigates the absurd storyline- Amy's mum left her a savings account on a faraway island and her father Fergus, played by John Lithgow, finds out and wants his hands on it. Fergus also has history of owning weapons and being involved in presumedly gang/spy affair. 

The film's strongest act is the third where everything comes together- the Bellas are being held hostage so Beca and Amy must save them. Creativity and genuinely good ideas were absent from "Pitch Perfect 3" until this moment. Beca joins the Bellas as they sing a great rendition of Britney Spear' 'Toxic' while Amy simultaneously takes out all of her father's men and creates a bomb so they can escape. Just writing this feels insane- the first and second films would never suggest this direction for these characters. It's almost as if these films are crossing into the fantasy genre. The editing between the music and Amy's fighting was well done and I genuinely enjoyed this sequence. The stakes are also quite high (by the Bella's standards) as if they need to get back to perform at DJ Khaled's show. It's stupid and laughable but it works on-screen. The finale song choice was underwhelming but when Beca invited the rest of the Bellas on-stage, I did feel a sense of pride- no where near as emotional as the end performance in "Pitch Perfect 2" though. Going back to the point on studio meddling and cutting, during this performance, Beca pulls Cynthia (Ester Dean) into the middle and they have an intended-to-be touching moment but it just feels odd as Cynthia's role is actually smaller than ever before- it made me think that there must have been a subplot involving Cynthia that was completely cut from the film. 

If this was the first film in a series with a completely different cast, said series would be a nonstarter. It is the cast who keep life, energy and comedy in the mix with their performances and delivery. These films have been huge vehicles for the careers of Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson. Both ladies do not let the audience down and still seem committed to their roles. Kendrick's Beca is once again scouted by somebody in the music industry who she seems to have a fling with but Wilson's Fat Amy actually gets more story than ever before- she isn't just there as a comedic relief or to be Beca's side-kick. Even though the story they chose to give Fat Amy wasn't the best choice, it was still good to see more of Wilson and the character. It's alarming that Rebel Wilson hasn't seen much success outside of these films as if this is the end of this series, could it be the end of Wilson's career? (I hope not!). Fat Amy has some funny moments but they never elicit quite as big of a laugh as she has done in the past- this material kind of felt like the character's leftovers. The reaction was mixed to the addition of Hailee Steinfeld's Emily in "Pitch Perfect 2" and I liked how self-aware this film was of that- many jokes were at the expense of Emily so I think those who were irritated by her in the last film will be satisfied. Steinfeld is good but I would have loved to have seen the film reach full self-awareness by having the Bellas sing one of Steinfeld's hits. Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Ester Dean and Hana Mae Lee all have their fair share of funny moments. I loved the jokes about the 'other' members of the team, Jessica and Ashley; it was a clever running joke that didn't get old. Elizabeth Banks may not be in the director's chair this time (I wish she was!) but she does not fail to deliver some cracking one-liners and hilarious chemistry with John Michael Higgins. The cast are this film's saving grace- even though I would be put off to return to this series as they have clearly ran out of narrative material, if the key cast members are still on board, I'm still on board. 

Whilst watching, I didn't care too much for the music. However, I have since gone back to the soundtrack and have enjoyed a few of the tracks- I think that perfectly evidences how the scale of this film just isn't big enough, great music is lessened by poor set design. It was also odd having the Bellas compete with bands who used instruments. This was funny at first but it ended up being detrimental to the soundtrack and story- acapella is what set the "Pitch Perfect" films apart from the average musical and the bands who use instruments are completely forgettable and uninspired. Unlike Das Sound Machine, it is clear from the very start that the Bellas will be able to defeat them. Listening in retrospect, the riff-off was my favourite, I loved when the soldiers joined in by singing a Beyonce song which was irrelevant to the category. There are not any original songs which is surprising considering 'Flashlight' saw success, I was actually quite annoyed that Emily no longer writes original songs which was what she added to the group. This cast can also sing, there's no denying that. 

"Pitch Perfect 3" is a disappointing finale for the Bellas - they deserved better than this. The story was a little too unbelievable and inconsistent with the previous films for my liking. Somewhere along the way, this series has lost its authenticity- Universal clearly got caught in the massive success of the second instalment and forgot to produce quality material. The soundtrack is good but not as strong as the previous entries. The audience get some character development which is always nice but that character development ultimately takes the film in an absurd direction. The outrageous finale is so unbelievable and ridiculous, it ends up working. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and company clearly enjoy making these films which means they are still likeable and have funny moments. Universal may have spent more "Pitch Perfect 3" than either previous entry- Unfortunately though, this film is weaker in all areas. They can't go out like this, they just can't...justice for the Bellas!

50

/100

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