Videos courtesy of Youtube/Images courtesy of Google
It's the last call pitches! Yes, the brilliant Bardon Bellas are back for one last showdown.
The Bellas made their debut on the big screen back in 2012 in 'Pitch Perfect'. A film which follows the lives of an all female acapella group while on their lyrical journey through college, competing in national and worldwide competitions, and learning to cope with their own everyday challenges. With a great cast and a diverse range of music the film became unique and very popular.
On December 20th 2017, the third and final instalment (directed by Trish Sie) from the Pitch Perfect film franchise hit cinemas. This time around, the ladies are seen in their post-graduation lifestyles heading in their own directions while pursuing their chosen career paths. None of them appearing to be happy or content. The ladies are also still being pursued and recorded on film by Gail and John (which sees the return of Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins) - The former announcers for the acapella group in the two previous films.The pair have decided to create a documentary of their own showcasing the Bellas as they are now.
Beca (Anna Kendrick), Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), Chloe (Brittany Snow), Aubrey (Anna Camp), Lilly (Hana Mae Lee), Cynthia (Ester Dean), Florencia (Chrissie Fit), Jessica (Kelley Jakle), Ashley (Shelley Regner), and Stacie (Alexis Knapp) are brought together once more due to an invite from the current Bellas group leader Emily (Hailee Steinfeld)- now a senior student at the Bardon college, for a reunion party at an aquarium. The group of ladies are excited to be able to perform at the event. Unfortunately all is not as it seems, they discover that they been invited to watch the current generation of Bardon Bellas perform rather than sing themselves.
Later in the evening, after the 'reunion' party, The Bellas are seen at a bar drowning their sorrows. This then leads to the characters desperately wanting to sing together again, which fuels their passion to find a new adventure for their group. Aubrey (Camp) - a previous Bellas leader, mentions to the girls that her father is in the military and they host a big annual event for the troops in Europe, in which they can perform. The girls can't contain their excitement as they accept the opportunity that is given to them. They then realise that fellow Bella, Stacie (Knapp) is eight months pregnant and will be unable to go on tour with them.
Of course this begins a new adventure for the acapella women! As they arrive at their first base (not "second base" much to Fat Amy's disappointment) they are greeted by two soldiers, Chicago (Matt Lanter) and Zeke (Troy Ian Hall) who then introduce them to their competition. This is when the ladies find out that this isn't just another ordinary performance. It is actually a tour in which DJ Khaled (who stars in the film as himself) along with his music producer Theo (Guy Burnet) are on the look out for a new artist to open Khaled's show and sign to their record label.
Three other bands are revealed to The Bellas. All of them playing instruments, unlike the acapella ladies. The lead vocalist of band Evermoist, Calamity (Ruby Rose), makes herself known pretty quickly and immediately comes across as 'the baddie' role while she mocks The Bellas for singing other artists' songs and not using instruments. In an attempt to defend themselves the ladies then introduce their favourite game to their fellow contenders. Yep, bring on the well known Riff-off! A musical mash up of songs from all of the performers in the hanger while DJ Khaled is sitting in the background playing on his phone, completely oblivious as to what is going on.
Along with the obvious tension between the ladies and the other bands competing in the competition tour, there's also something new for a Pitch Perfect film. Action scenes! Yes, I said action.
These scenes are mostly centred around the hilarious Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy while she is dealing with her own problems in the form of her criminal of a father, Fergus (played by John Lithgow). It's pretty fun to watch the actress in a kick ass type role which can be likened to a James Bond/Ethan Hunt style spoof. It's quite nice to see an unlikely character being given the opportunity to be the main focus other than that of the frontal story line of the film.
Of course all Pitch Perfect fans will know that the Bellas are known to get up to no good and end up in some pretty tricky situations which they certainly do this time around. Also while the comedy value is still very much there, it doesn't always feel so organic.
One thing that remains consistent, is the amazing talent from the actresses and The Bellas. With an awesome soundtrack and brilliant acapella sounds the ladies really can't do no wrong.
There were two performances that really stood out for me in the film. The first of which was their cover of the huge hit 'Toxic' which was originally made famous by Britney Spears. The ladies are seen performing this on a yacht as they use their vocal chords and clever choreography as a distraction while trying to get out of yet another difficult situation. To listen to the Bellas sing this song click on the video link above.
The second performance that I loved was the final performance at the end of the film. The Bellas never fail to put on a very impressive final show at the end of their features. It was great to see Anna Kendrick's Beca as the main focus once again, as she took centre stage in the spotlight to perform her own version of 'Freedom' which we all know was made famous by Wham! The original was a massive release. But I love Kendrick's version just that little bit more!
Pitch Perfect 3 is a movie that has a lot to offer. Amazing tracks, lots of laughs, action, drama and more! Being the third film of the franchise, realistically, I didn't have very high expectations for it. But it really did surprise me. It was far better than I had imagined that it would have been and I genuinely enjoyed it just as much as the previous two. Although the first will probably remain my favourite of the trilogy.
The film is still currently in cinemas nationwide, so if you've not had the chance to see it yet, then I recommend that you do. It's not one to be missed. I am feeling rather sad that this is the last that we will see of the Bellas, but the audience were definitely given the the closure that I and many others needed in this final film. The Bellas certainly got the ending that they deserved. Pitch Perfect 3 was definitely one of my favourite films of 2017!
