More of the same - which is not a bad thing

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2015)

The film starts with the Bardon Bellas at the top of their game until a wardrobe malfunction in front of the President makes them underdogs once more: their only chance of redemption is the World Acapella Championships, in which they will face uber-foes, the massively efficient Das Sound Machine. But Beca has other things on her mind...
If you saw Pitch Perfect – and you probably did if you're going to see this one – then you won't get many surprises. But you will get a similar amount of enjoyment, because this film doesn't try to do anything other than give you more of what worked the first time. Rebel Wilson's role is expanded, some of the Bellas are almost invisible, and Hailee Steinfeld gets to play the closest thing to an actual character.
And the musical numbers are all good fun, too. Music is a funny thing: it can deliver up moments which grip you by the throat and bring tears to your eyes. The last time I remember that happening was when Bruce Robinson appears on stage at the festival in Still Crazy, and there is a similar moment here, which I absolutely loved.
Incidentally film-makers, please learn about female anatomy: the TV announcers comment about what was visible referred to the internal bit, not the external bit.