Pitch Perfect 1 & 2

(spoiler free)

Once again the release of a sequel has prompted me to watch an original, this time round it was Pitch Perfect. I remember when this was released in 2012, the onslaught of quotes and memes that hit social media was something else suggesting that this movie was much more than a feature length episode of Glee.

Pitch Perfect was very watchable, its a solid comedy that would be at home at any movie night. For me the songs were the best part of the movie, these moments were always the most engaging. I actually would have liked more of these, the songs choices were good and I always found myself trying to work out what the song was before the chorus was belt out in acapella fashion. It was just everything inbetween these songs that I had issues with. I just thought that for the most part nearly all the characters were idiots and too unbelievable, I didn’t care for the story or the dialogue that filled the musical voids but this wasn’t too much of a problem as I was able to dismiss this until the next mash up was sung. Something that I did appreciate was the ‘movication’ part of the film. Jesse’s (Skylar Astin) love for movies of course resonated with me being a massive movie fan. The humour throughout was hit and miss but enough of the jokes landed making the film funny, it never goes far enough to be that memorable (bar one moment, if you’ve seen the movie you know what I’m referring too). My favourite element to the humour were the acapella commentators, John (John Michael Higgins) and Gail (Elizabeth Banks) – their blunt and politically incorrect comments nearly always made me laugh.

Pitch Perfect is fine, I can see why those with an interest in musicals etc would enjoy this movie. There is all kinds of humour included here so some elements should connect with you meaning that you should be able to have a chuckle at some point. More songs and less chat inbetween would have improved the film but nonetheless its fun and enjoyable for the most part.

Rating – 7/10

(spoiler free)

So the Pitches are back, in this sequel to the 2012 movie. Here we get a new concept as the Barden Bellas have disgraced themselves and must strive to win the World Acapella Championships to restore their now former glory. This was a good concept and it kept things fresh whilst also developing, so far we have a good premise.

Unfortunately Pitch Perfect just can’t quite hit the notes as well as its predecessor does. The film begins with the Bellas performing on their victory tour and the first song they sing is ‘Timber’ by Pitbull and Ke$ha – I love a bit of trash so I was on board straight away. However, after this first performances the song choices and musical moments are rarely as good. Like the first though the musical moments are the best so they still shine in an otherwise quite uneventful movie. I am thankful that there was no laboured romance element carried on from the relationships formed in the first film. The humour again was a mixed bag, new character Flo (Chrisse Fit) did not have the desired humourous effect as nearly all of her lines were meet with silence in the cinema. As reliable as the first film though, John and Gail were as controversial as always and manged to bring in the laughs were other parts of the film couldn’t. A conscious effort has been made to progress here, changing up the storyline, trying new things and not relying too heavily on the gags from the first film however too many things don’t really work meaning that audiences could be left a little underwhelmed.

I have no doubt though that fans of the first will love this, even if it is just to see Fat Amy at it again. Pitch Perfect 2 is cheesier and more long winded than the first, it will be up to the individual to decide whether or not that is a good thing. Ultimately though Pitch Perfect 2 is still very watchable and there are moments to be enjoyed here. For me it’s not as good as the first but that doesn’t really matter I’m sure fans will think it is ‘Aca-Awesome’.

Rating – 6/10