Disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (22 June 2015)

Pitch Perfect 2 surprised me. I was surprised how lacklustre I found this film was in comparison to its predecessor, and I was surprised just how disappointed I was that this was the case. Pitch Perfect hit me like a tonne of bricks, and despite my outspoken initial apprehension I was quickly charmed by the all-girl capella group The Bellas and was rooting for them on every step of their journey. I was left with egg on my face – my apprehension couldn't have been less warranted. The performances were funny, believable and the song renditions were catchy. It was so much fun.
Fast forwarded three years and the Bellas are in deep trouble after a disastrous performance to President Obama. Their only chance of reinstating the Bellas' legitimacy and reputation is to win the World championships. A simple enough premise, yet one which feels far too similar its precursor. Unfortunately, rival capella group The Treblemakers have a drastically reduced role in this film, with their role antagonist role replaced by German group Das Sound Machine who simply aren't as engaging. The group's leaders are written to be such cold individuals there's little time for laughing in their company. This is part of the problem. The self-aware tone of the first film is lost here, Das Sound Machine are written and played so orthodoxly it begs to return to the far less earnest tone of the first film. Sadly, the only two consistently funny characters are two capella commentators played by John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks.
There's nothing wrong with the choices of song renditions in the film. The wide range of recognisable hits are genuinely performed as energetically as in its predecessor but when performed by characters who repeatedly struggle to land their jokes their company because tiresome.