Pitch Perfect 2 Review: The Bellas are back to fighting the same battles

Director: Elizabeth Banks
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow
Rating: ***

What it's about: These Bella girls just wanna have fun the only way they know— a capella. Still high from winning nationals (in the previous installment), this film opens with them performing for the US President. But then, the performance goes horribly, horribly wrong and gets them a lifetime of bad press in just a few days. As they take the misstep in their stride, they are stunned to get handed a suspension and a cancellation of their tour. They decide to bounce back by applying to the World A Capella Championships and proving their detractors wrong. Now, if only one of the Bellas would own up to a secret she's been keeping while the other duels with her originality, trying to keep it in check.

What's hot: Hailee is just the sort of actress a sequel like this needs. When you move to a second film in a possible franchise, you have to play to your strengths (which it does) and embrace some more wackiness (which it also does). It doesn't take itself seriously too often and that makes the humour all the more real, but...

What's not: There's barely any conflict to speak of. There's a middling middle. We see just a couple of showdowns between the Bellas and GSM, the German group they're pitted against. On the nitpicking side, there's so much production going into each set. Who's funding all that for a team everybody has given up on? And it's something of a drag seeing that the Bellas are fighting a few of the same demons they did in the first film. There's an Indian side at the world championship (an Indian flag flies proudly). John Smith, one of the commentators, makes a snide comment. (How are the commentators everywhere?). It really riles you up when fellow commentator Gail (the film's director Elizabeth Banks) just nods her head.  Finally, what a waste of Skylar Astin! This guy deserves his own film.

What to do: All that being said, the second half sees a far more balanced film. Stick around and you'll be treated to a satisfying end to a film that does well, but could've done so much better!