7/10

The Barden Bellas return to top form in this sequel to the 2012 original. After a humiliating presidential performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform. All the while, the ladies prepare for graduation and saying goodbye to four years of passionate performances, as well as the greatest friendships that any of them have ever known. While ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ falls just shy of it’s original in terms of it’s ability to make an entertaining movie out of formulaic plot, it does present the audience with enough originality in it’s performances to have you leaving the theater on a high note. The laughs are certainly there, mainly led by Rebel Wilson. She has a great presence for comedic timing, as the film flows the best when she is supplying her brand of physical humor. It’s not just in the veteran cast, but several great cameos give the film a fresh sense to keep from the laughs being repetitive or tedious. John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks are a great comedic 1-2 punch combo with their quick wits and unapologetic commentary on the presentation of competitive acapella. A surprising fact is that Banks actually directed this film, and this directing effort is leaps and bounds better than her first one in the horrendous ‘Movie 43’. Banks has a nice eye for revolving camera shots to include even the biggest of squads in on the act. Nobody is left out, and that’s hard to do in a movie with so many things happening at once. One thing i didn’t enjoy about the movie was it’s sense of being TOO self-aware. We’ve seen before in films like ‘Sharknado 2’ compared to ‘Sharknado’, that the magic doesn’t feel the same when a cast knows what to play off for laughs. That’s kind of a problem that this movie runs into. Too many times they go to a dry well to wink at their audience instead of creating the embarassing post-adolescent awkwardness that the college world instills in all of us. Because of those dry parts, the movie feels at times a bit uneven, and a bit predictable for a script we have seen a thousand times. I don’t think the whole America Vs Russia bit is anything new to anyone who has seen ‘Rocky 4’, or ‘The Mighty Ducks 2’, or ‘Miracle’, or ‘Top Gun’…..You get the point. None of this is of course relevant to the real reason why someone watches one of these films; the musical performances. One thing that worried me coming into this film was the creative ways they would remix some classic favorites. One of my favorite scenes in the first film is the battle between the male and female squads in the empty pool. I am happy to say that this film takes that creativity one step further. After a hilarious promo by David Cross, the film gives us a five squad battle that had my toes tapping with some new adaptations that blended smart humor with some very downloadable performances. The best part for me is always figuring out which songs they are trying to perform as fast as i can, and i appreciate the lengths they go to teach today’s youth about the songs that were hip in my adolescence. ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ continues on it’s tradition giving something for the man and woman in an easy choice for a date night. With a rumored third film coming, i will worry if there is enough gas left in this musical tank, but for now this movie gets a warranted recommendation from this film critic.