PITCH PERFECT 3 REVIEW

I suppose there is an art to guilty pleasure films. To perfect it, is to give viewers comfort and a break from having to stay focused 100% of the time when watching any other big, hidden message having film. Being someone who is new to the Pitch Perfect series I found out by speaking to fans of the series that this is another of their many guilty pleasure films and I can see why they would say that. To understand why people would see Pitch Perfect 3 as a guilty pleasure is the first stage of acceptance that leads you to come to realise that there is no way that you can look for anything hidden behind the story that critics nourish themselves with.

From what I witnessed, the Pitch Perfect series is a sea of paradoxes that on paper shouldn’t work, but do. Its relaxed nature is one of many elements that can make these films entertaining in its silliness. Pitch Perfect 3 relishes this and takes it to a level that may have already been explored before, but doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to see why their fans that keep this series going.

I quickly came to realise that many people had paid to see the stars of the film and the music. These women are certainly funny, and I did find myself laughing at times, but it is Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy that carries the comedic weight of Pitch Perfect 3. Every time she is on-screen, she brings the silliness game to a whole new level. She provides great one liners and over the top comedy that it makes Pitch Perfect 3 worth sitting through just to find out what she will do or say next.

However, it is unlikely that people are going to be calling for an encore because Pitch Perfect 3 get so lost in its kick back attitude that it forgets to tell a story that appreciates its characters. At times the story is pushed aside just so we can get to singing and music. In one sequence in which The Bellas compete in what they call “a riff-off”, I was questioning whether I was watching a film or listening to a cover album. You’ve probably heard of scenes dragging on in films before, but they have the credit of not losing sight of the story, the riff-off sequence drags on and the story is completely forgotten about after the scene is finished. It like the writers have run out of ideas to where they can take The Bellas and what they can do to each of the characters as individuals. They certainly try with branching storylines but in the end, they feel dreary and once they take centre stage it plays out like rushed stitching that masquerades itself as an important storyline.

There is no denying that the music of Pitch Perfect 3 is done in a unique way that shouldn’t have worked in the first place yet does. I thoroughly enjoyed the A Capella aspect of the film, however, once the film introduces actual music, the film enters this jarred place where it takes you out of the moment. If the entire soundtrack to the film was done in A Capella, then I feel that it would have been very inventive, very brave and most of all, would have worked. Being that the film is about an A Capella group, wouldn’t it have made more sense to treat the music as such.

For some reason DJ Khaled is in this film and plays a crucial part to this so-called story. Why? Is it for star power? Because I’m certain after two successful films, the star power of Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson would be more than enough to entice people to come back. I never been more puzzled by a narrative choice in all the viewing experiences I’ve had. This is the most unnecessary celebrity cameo since Ed Sheeran appeared in Game of Thrones. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure to his fans that it will be a pleasant surprise, but question his involvement in the project.

The tone of the film, What tone? The directions in which the films writers go are so out of sync with the feel of the film that individual sequences are seemingly thrown in for no reason but to give us a petty attempt at developing character relationships. who expected that there would be a spy/espionage styled sequence in this film? they show off a taste of this sequence during the introduction of the film, but it can’t maintain the build up because it takes forever to reach it.

I saw this with a guilty pleasure mindset and for me it just didn’t work out. Pitch Perfect 3 is totally all over the place, the story is non-existent and half the times it feels as though the scripts dialogue had a mind of its own. After all these discrepancies I came to an understanding, I get it. I get why people like this, I get why we hand over out cash to see films Like Pitch Perfect 3, they make us feel good as any other guilty pleasure films, and in the case of Pitch Perfect 3, make us more truthfully open, films like this are the key to unlocking our more expressive side. I credit Pitch Perfect 3 for being the key, but if this series wants to continue, it must realise the gigantic bonus of what a cohesive story can bring.

Final Result: 3/10 – Poor

Have you seen Pitch Perfect 3? What did you think? Please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

Next Time: The SMReviews 2017 Awards (Nominations)