Back to Bellas

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2017)

If you were a fan of the first Pitch Perfect movie and were disappointed by the bloated sequel, you'll find Pitch Perfect 3 to be acc-awesome. I saw all three movies back-to-back-to-back at the Pitch Perfect Treble feature so I was able to put them into fresh context.
The third chapter gets back to basics and focuses squarely on the core cast, along with Hailee Steinfeld and Chrissie Fit from PP2.
Pitch Perfect always worked best as a "small movie". PP2 made the usual mistake of going big, rather than going deep. The result was needless plot distractions like the Green Bay Packers and Snoop Dogg. Sure, those elements were fun, but they didn't add much. Also gone is the weirdness of PP2, like the Teutonic Das Sound Machine, the Riff Off Host, and jokes about illegal immigrants.
What's left is a much tighter plot featuring the Bellas doing what they do best. My favorite scene in PP3 is the riff off where the group effortlessly segues from song to song. I'm sure it was heavily choreographed and rehearsed, but it seems so natural and reflects a chemistry developed from doing three movies together.
PP3 also avoids the third chapter mistake of trying to cram in everyone who appeared in the earlier features. A lot of the main characters are gone, and the roles of some of the remaining ones - most notably Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins - are diminished to give the Bellas more time. Even the finale, arguably, goes small to focus on the Bellas and their sisterhood.
In the end, this franchise finale is "pitch perfect". To paraphrase Jesse, if you like watching a bunch of girls doing covers of songs one last time, you'll love this movie.
As a final note - PP3 does a nice job closing this chapter of women's lives and also in paying homage to the past movies. Look for references and scenes from the past and enjoy how far these women have come.