PITCH PERFECT 2 DVD (2015)

SYNOPSIS: Beca, Fat Amy and the Barden Bellas are to pitch slap the world! After a scandal threatens to derail their last year at Barden, the three-time defending champs worry that they've lost their harmony for good. With one chance left at redeeming their legacy, they must face off against the toughest competition on the planet: German supergroup Das Sound Machine and fight for their right to win at the World Championships of A Cappella. It will take the power of sisterhood to find their voice and see what it takes to be the world's top pitches!

MOVIE REVIEW:

Sometimes, Hollywood gets lucky when a relatively low-budget movie becomes a hit and made liked five times the budget back. Case in point - Pitch Perfect.

A sequel is inevitable given the amount of money made and most of the original cast members returned for this second outing. Three times defending champs, the Barden Bellas are suspended from participating in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) after Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) suffered a wardrobe malfunction at a performance for the President’s birthday gala. They have only one chance left to redeem themselves, that is to win the World Championships of A Capella. But before that, leader Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) and the rest of the girls must work out their differences before facing off the reigning king of A Capella, Das Sound Machine.

Aside from a script that screams predictable and lazily plotted, Pitch Perfect 2 wins mostly because of the perfectly coordinated musical numbers and energetic performances of the cast. As expected, the Barden Bellas are again in disarray and they have to rely on a retreat workshop to get the house back in order. All those hard work overcoming the obstacles just can’t compare to humming “Cups” over the campfire to regain their harmony. Yup it’s cheesy but I guess men will never understand the ladies.

Rebel Wilson continues to be a scene-stealer with her outright silly goofy antics liked rowing across a large lake to express her love for the former leader of the Treblemakers. Though quite a lot of screentime is devoted to Anna Kendrick’s Beca who is now an aspiring record producer and working as an intern at a record label, unfortunately it’s merely filler material until the next song-and-dance number appears. As a result, the rest of the quirky members of the Barden Bellas are mostly forgotten. Remember the quiet Asian girl or the black tomboyish member? Characters that make the first one a hoot are reduced to mere cameos. Well, at least there is an additional new member, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) that looks and holds her voice well.

Directed by Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games) who also has a small supporting role as a commentator for the ICCA, Pitch Perfect 2 sticks to the tried-and-tested formula to deliver yet another female-driven sequel that offers catchy songs and occasional jokes. We heard that Pitch Perfect 3 is already in the pipeline so stay tuned for more Barden Bellas! 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The only two extra features are Extended Musical Performances of Bellas and Das Sound Machine and a three minutes Gag Reel. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Audio is pitch perfect in every way. Music and dialogue is immersive and lively. Visual is equally top notch with deep natural flesh tones and images all around. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee