Plot: The Bellas conquered the world of collegiate a capella, but as with all good things, sooner or later, it all came to an end. Most of the Bellas graduated and transitioned into normal, non singing about everything lives, which some were able to handle better than others. Beca (Anna Kendrick) was able to move into the music production field, but when her creative contributions were overlooked time and again, she decided to quit, rather than work on lackluster music. Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) is living large as always, Chloe (Brittany Snow) seems poised to settle down if she can find the right guy, and all Aubrey (Anna Camp) wants to do is sing with her girls one last time. In other words, the Bellas don’t seem ready to move on, so when Aubrey’s estranged father is able to get them in a spot in a USO tour, the Bellas reunite for one last run. But of course, things never go as planned for these girls…

Entertainment Value: The original Pitch Perfect was a big surprise hit with a very fresh presence, while the first sequel was content to rehash pretty much all the elements, so I was curious how this second sequel would be approached. As it turns out, it doesn’t just follow in the footsteps of the previous movies and instead, veers into wildly different, but highly ineffective areas. I love when a franchise just goes off the deep end, but this one devotes a moderate amount of time to a horrible, out of place action subplot that is a total let down. I suppose I just wanted more songs and more Bellas charm, but with some fresh story elements, so a low rent action narrative that hogs a big portion of time was just not expected. Aside from that aspect, the movie offers the usual sing-offs and covers, but this time, the other groups steal a lot of spotlight. So the Bellas still have some fun moments, but the other musicians around them are given a lot of time as well, so the movie feels a little cramped. I also disliked how rushed a lot of the resolutions were, as if to hurry up and wrap a bow on each Bella’s personal story, but it was so haphazard, the emotional beats fall flat. The action elements are beyond awful, but otherwise, this offers some typical Pitch Perfect laughs, just not as many as usual. But for franchise fans, it is still worth a spin.

No nakedness. The usual sexual innuendo, but less than usual and while there are some rushed, desperate romantic moments, I appreciated Beca’s thread. Her character has developed well over the course of these movies, so I really liked how they handled her potential romance angle in this one. No blood, but this installment does have some violence however. The ludicrous action sequences have silly, but still violent fights and explosions, all the usual action movie moments. Most of the movie is normal Pitch Perfect style though, so the violence is limited to these scenes. Even in the action scenes, no real bloodshed happens. The dialogue is fine, but once again slips in quality and thanks to the misfired action scenes, the characters even less time than normal to shine in this one. I did love the dynamic that continues between Fat Amy and Emily, but that is likely the highlight for me. These are fun characters played by a talented cast, but the script just fails to make it all work. The action scenes are quite unexpected, so I can award a point for those, regardless of how ineffective they turned out. Otherwise, not much to write home about.

Nudity: 0/10

Blood: 0/10

Dialogue: 2/10

Overall Insanity: 1/10

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