Review: Pitch Perfect 2

When Pitch Perfect arrived in 2012, we had never really seen anything like it before. The acapella music was fresh, the comedy was crude and undeniably funny, and the surprise star was the relatively fresh-faced Rebel Wilson. Now three years later we lose the surprise of the original film – yet star-turned-director Elizabeth Banks continues to embrace the silliness and high energy of its predecessor, crafting a ride that’s nearly as fun.

After an embarrassing incident occurs when performing in front of the President, US acapella champions The Barden Bellas are disqualified from their celebratory tour. However, after uncovering a loophole the group discover they are still eligible to compete in the World Championships and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), Chloe (Brittany Snow), Beca (Anna Kendrik), and the rest of the Bellas face-off against ruthless German competitors, Das Sound Machine.

Whilst Pitch Perfect 2 undoubtedly lacks the surprise of its predecessor, Banks is canny enough to once again utilise the best assets of the first film. That means more focus on Rebel Wilson’s scene-stealing Fat Amy, more creepy one-liners from Hannah Mae Lee’s Lilly (“Sometimes I keep a penny under my tongue”), more hilarious commentary from John Michael Higgins and Banks herself (as acapella commentators John and Gail), and more energy in the musical numbers.

In terms of the narrative crafted by screenwriter Kay Cannon, Pitch Perfect 2 adopts the traditional post-university story arc of character’s struggling to move on, with this placed against the backdrop of female bonding and further acapella championships. There’s a convincing camaraderie between the Bellas and this is played with warmth and conviction by the film’s cast, with Banks never letting proceedings get to sentimental.