Pitch Perfect, the first film, was hashed by critics but slowly grew a cult following. For most, it's a big "Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover" film, and many people find a soft spot in their heart to enjoy it.
So, with that in mind, I entered Pitch Perfect 2 with that mindset. It's a sequel to a cult classic, so I secretly knew it wouldn't hold up to the original. However, in a twist of fate, the sequel itself manages to have that star power and imagination that made the original what it was, and also gives itself it's own kind of uniqueness.
Story wise, Pitch Perfect 2 is pretty much the Iron Man 2 of the Pitch Perfect Series, in that it's story is a little less tangible and riddled with subplots a plenty, many of which actually are pretty funny and dramatic in their own ways, even managing to pull off a successful romance subplot. No prizes for those who guessed it was about Fat Amy.
What really gives this film and the one before it a lot of its spontaneity was by the A Capella moments where each singer has to emote and build a beat only by using their vocal chords, and since this is Generation Y it has to be modern "Pop" songs. For those terrified if the film would just be a two and a half hour Pentatonix album, you can rejoice in hearing that the songs and ways they are sung are not only good, but also memorable in execution. Especially in the fact that the music actually SOUNDS like music and not a bunch of beat boxing cry babies whining out lyrical-like moans as if each of the singers just stubbed their toes after they came out of a screening of an American Sniper/Lone Survivor Double Feature Matinée.
Comedy, Music, and Drama go hand in hand in a Trinity in the storytelling, and it was a smart move in having the music to be a heavy part of the film. However, I would have seen a slight bit of development from our protagonists other than just "Legacy", Beca, and I guess Fat Amy. However, what little character Fat Amy has always felt just right in my opinion. The rest of the cast are just as flat and stereotypical as they were in Pitch Perfect, the worst being Ester Dean's Cynthia, but perhaps that's just me being too damn Hoosier about that kind of thing.
The film trips up a bit when the Bella's all go to what I can assume is "Bella Boot Camp". It's long, unfunny, and serves only for each character to try and tie up any kind of loose ends. A full Eighth of the film takes place here, and while that doesn't sound long, in a movie like this, it eats a good chunk of screen time that could be enjoyed on the singing. The only funny part in that whole scene was with a bear trap for obvious reasons.
The two best parts in the film involve both an A Capella music battle that has the Green Bay Packers, seriously, and the final A Capella competition in Copenhagen. Both involve Das Sound Machine, the obligatory all German villains who couldn't look anymore evil unless they were wearing Stahlhelms and driving around Panzers on the stage before singing. Well, both prove to be formidable by their stage presence and vocal superiority. Most of the songs by DSM are big. They sound big, and they make it look big as well. Granted, both couldn't be more stereotypically evil, but they do have a likability to those with an ear for that kind of thing.
The film ends on a positive note, and we reprise the song "Flashlight", which actually is more beautiful than it sounds. Well, kinda. OK not really. But it's still a good ending, nonetheless. If you haven't seen it yet, go give it a look.
4-Stars- A-Ranking
So, with that in mind, I entered Pitch Perfect 2 with that mindset. It's a sequel to a cult classic, so I secretly knew it wouldn't hold up to the original. However, in a twist of fate, the sequel itself manages to have that star power and imagination that made the original what it was, and also gives itself it's own kind of uniqueness.
Story wise, Pitch Perfect 2 is pretty much the Iron Man 2 of the Pitch Perfect Series, in that it's story is a little less tangible and riddled with subplots a plenty, many of which actually are pretty funny and dramatic in their own ways, even managing to pull off a successful romance subplot. No prizes for those who guessed it was about Fat Amy.
What really gives this film and the one before it a lot of its spontaneity was by the A Capella moments where each singer has to emote and build a beat only by using their vocal chords, and since this is Generation Y it has to be modern "Pop" songs. For those terrified if the film would just be a two and a half hour Pentatonix album, you can rejoice in hearing that the songs and ways they are sung are not only good, but also memorable in execution. Especially in the fact that the music actually SOUNDS like music and not a bunch of beat boxing cry babies whining out lyrical-like moans as if each of the singers just stubbed their toes after they came out of a screening of an American Sniper/Lone Survivor Double Feature Matinée.
Comedy, Music, and Drama go hand in hand in a Trinity in the storytelling, and it was a smart move in having the music to be a heavy part of the film. However, I would have seen a slight bit of development from our protagonists other than just "Legacy", Beca, and I guess Fat Amy. However, what little character Fat Amy has always felt just right in my opinion. The rest of the cast are just as flat and stereotypical as they were in Pitch Perfect, the worst being Ester Dean's Cynthia, but perhaps that's just me being too damn Hoosier about that kind of thing.
The film trips up a bit when the Bella's all go to what I can assume is "Bella Boot Camp". It's long, unfunny, and serves only for each character to try and tie up any kind of loose ends. A full Eighth of the film takes place here, and while that doesn't sound long, in a movie like this, it eats a good chunk of screen time that could be enjoyed on the singing. The only funny part in that whole scene was with a bear trap for obvious reasons.
The two best parts in the film involve both an A Capella music battle that has the Green Bay Packers, seriously, and the final A Capella competition in Copenhagen. Both involve Das Sound Machine, the obligatory all German villains who couldn't look anymore evil unless they were wearing Stahlhelms and driving around Panzers on the stage before singing. Well, both prove to be formidable by their stage presence and vocal superiority. Most of the songs by DSM are big. They sound big, and they make it look big as well. Granted, both couldn't be more stereotypically evil, but they do have a likability to those with an ear for that kind of thing.
The film ends on a positive note, and we reprise the song "Flashlight", which actually is more beautiful than it sounds. Well, kinda. OK not really. But it's still a good ending, nonetheless. If you haven't seen it yet, go give it a look.
4-Stars- A-Ranking