Beyond just jumping the shark!

Rating: 2/10 (18 April 2018)

I am not the sort of person who you'd expect to watch any of the "Pitch Perfect" films. However, my daughter begged me to try and I actually did enjoy 1 and 2. They were fun and non-demanding films....a nice change of pace from the often serious foreign films I often watch. So, it's not surprising that this 50-something guy decided to see the third movie in the franchise.
My biggest feeling while seeing "Pitch Perfect 3" was that they've 'jumped the shark'. If you aren't familiar with the phrase, it's a reference to the TV show "Happy Days" and refers to when it (and other shows or franchises) have peaked and they are desperately trying to keep your attention by doing awful things with the characters, such as introducing Cousin Oliver on "The Brady Bunch" or having Fonzie jump a pool full of sharks in his motorcycle. Instead of the semi-believable plots like there were in 1 and 2, the writers had obviously run out of ideas and were grasping at straws here. After all, what else would explain Amy having a super-villain father who kidnaps the A Capella group?? And, this is made worse with plot elements like bee attacks, more crude language and a strong emphasis on making the group sort of like hiphop stars!

Overall, this is a very badly written and even embarrassing film...one that seems cynical and has little regard to the fans who embraced and enjoyed the series.