Pitch Perfect 3 - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Pitch Perfect 3

Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
It seems to be a rule that any modern films HAVE to be made into a trilogy. If there’s a sequel after a successful movie, there’s almost a guarantee that things HAVE to come full circle in a third rule. Kind of like the Sith rule of two, it’s the Hollywood rule of three. There can be only three. No more, no less. Ok, all kidding aside, I really did love the first Pitch Perfect. The twist on the musical world with acapella music, fun college hi-jinks, and girl power humor was refreshing. It was kind of a GUILTY pleasure, as the movie really wasn’t THAT amazing, but I have watched Pitch Perfect so many times that I can nearly quote the stinking movie. Pitch Perfect 2 was a step down, but still an enjoyable flick. Good songs, and some fun moments. With that in mind, I went into Pitch Perfect 3 not expecting a masterpiece, but at least hoping to a good time with some new songs and the Bellas back in action. I was NOT prepared for the cinematic torture that I was about to endure, as the Bellas kick off their third and final film (please, for the love of all that’s holy, let this be the FINAL film!).

The Bellas have finally graduated college and are now living life in the real world. Like most sequels, cast members are dropped, which means that Becca (Anna Kendrick) is no longer dating her boy toy from the first two films, Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) has ditched Bumper (Adam Devine), and the rest of the crew is off trying to make something of themselves. When Becca quits her producing job, she and the other Bellas decide to get back together for a reunion tour (thanks to Aubrey’s military dad) and go perform for the troops overseas in a “4 countries in 4 days” extravaganza. When arriving across the world, the Bellas (minus Alexus Knapp’s stacie, and adding in Hailee Steinfeld’s Emily from the 2nd film) find out that this is more than just a tour. Multiple bands are there to play, and they’re all in a competition to see who will open for D.J Khalid (playing himself) in the final leg.

Naturally the girls can’t turn down an opportunity to face off against some opponents, so they bring out their best foot and prepare to rock and roll. The only problem is that this is a WHOLE new world of music for them. They’re not singing against other college acapella groups anymore. Now they’re dealing with world class musicians, with instruments and a wicked desire to win at all cost for fame and money. At the same time, the individual girls have their own battles to wage. Aubrey (Brittany Snow) is hoping to actually see her high ranking military father come out and show some attention to her, Fat Amy is reuniting with her scum bag dad (played by John Lithgow), and Becca is being courted by D.J. Khalid to go solo and leave the group.

I want to say that I don’t understand what went wrong, and that this was all an awful mistake, but sadly I DO know what went wrong. Pitch Perfect 3 shows all of the earmarks of sequel fatigue. The film was great in its first entry, and while the second movie suffered a bit, it still had that spark of energy. But by this time there was not much left to tell in the Pitch Perfect universe. The girls had just finished up college in the last movie, and their glory days are over. Director Trish Sie TRIES to bring the girls back together one last time, but like a reunion tour for a band who’s been broken up for way too long, the movie just feels like a shell of its former self.

It doesn’t help that the humor and direction of the movie are just ABSURD. The hilarious jokes and laugh out loud moments of the first couple movies are completely gone. Replaced with horridly forced attempts at being funny (Rebel Wilson tries, but she’s never been funny to begin with), and cliched emotional moments, the movie swings wildly in the wind. Even the songs are lackluster this go around. The big pull of the first two movies was some really cool acapella remixes of songs, but the music is extremely bland, and the mixups are just pedestrian in their makeup. The dancing and choreography is really well but, it feels like all flash and no bang at the end of the day. It doesn’t help matters any that the last 30-35 minutes of the film go completely off the rails and it turns into an ACTUAL action movie! Yes, you read that right. Pitch Perfect 3 was not satisfied with music and humor. It actually went full action comedy ,with explosions, kidnappings, and ransoms as well.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language and some action.




4K Video: Video:

Pitch Perfect 3 was reportedly finished at 2K for the home video release (it was shot using a 2.8K sourced digital camera system), but it is a VERY nice 2K to 4K upscale for the UHD release. I thought the Blu-ray was good, but the 4K disc is a really big improvement over the 1080p disc, and really shines here. The colors are bright and cheerful, with deep saturation levels and a wonderful display of HDR. The details are so much more sharp and clear, with the slight hazy look of the Blu-ray giving way to razor sharp details. Everything from the hair around Aubrey’s face, or the little nuances to the Bella’s costumes show up with pinpoint precision, and the background textures are indescribably well done. Blacks are deep and inky, with sumptuous shadow detail and very little artifacting that I could see (only a few bits of crush to my eyes). It’s a great looking 4K transfer, and head and shoulders above the Blu-ray.






Audio:

Bam baby! Yup, if anything, the Pitch Perfect movies have always had incredible audio, and this finale is no different. This time we have a boost to next generation audio with a robust DTS:X track that really rocks. As always, the vocals are amazingly crisp and clear, and the copious musical numbers allow the surrounds and LFE channel to intermingle with the front sound stage. Bass is hot and heavy, adding a lot of whomp to the songs, and the surrounds just dazzle with every little noise. It doesn’t matter if it’s the encompassing sound of the Bellas rocking out, or just little rasps of people’s footsteps along stone floors. Those side and rear channels get a whole lotta working out. The final action scene with Fat Amy laying the smack down is full of kicks, punches, guttural explosions and a full array of action sounds that really sink the listener into the action. It’s a great audio mix, and one of the best of the franchise in that regard.








Extras:

• Deleted Scene
• Gag Reel
• New Musical Performances
- Fat Amy & Fergus Casino Duet
- The Bellas: "See You Smile" Lullaby
• A Cappella Action – In this piece, we break down the scene starting with Fergus betraying Fat Amy and kidnapping the Bellas, through the performance and wrapping up with Rebel Wilson as she performs the stunt of falling through the ceiling.
• The Women of Pitch Perfect 3 – With Elizabeth Banks, Trish Sie, and an all-female cast, the Pitch Perfect franchise is breaking down stereotypes and industry norms left and right. In this piece, we learn why that's so important throughout the development and production of Pitch Perfect 3.
• The Final Performance – In this heart-warming piece, fans will witness the genuine love and sisterhood between the Bellas both on and off camera as they get a behind-the-scenes look at the emotional wrap of the film and production.
• Hollywood of the South – Hollywood may be the "Entertainment Capital of the World" but Atlanta is a close second - morphing into a metropolis for film productions and the cast and crews couldn't be happier. We hear from them about the hospitality, versatility and southern welcome they experienced during their stay.
• Extended Musical Performances
- Evermoist: "How a Heart Unbreaks"
- Young Sparrow / DJ Dragon Nutz: "You Got It"
- Saddle Up: "Ex's and Oh's"

Final Score: ​

It’s a sad thing to watch a loved series of films end, but it’s even sadder watching the final movie (please, oh please, oh please, let this be the last film!) go out on a such a sour note. I honestly had a blast with the first movie, and enjoyed the second, but the third entry into the franchise just went out with such a pathetic whimper that I hesitate to included it in the series mentally. Fat Amy kung fu fighting a plethora of gangsters was enough to completely destroy what little good will I had for the first 2 acts of the movie, and even the stunning video and audio wasn’t enough to allow me to really enjoy was I was seeing and hearing. Personally, unless you’re a rabid completionist and HAVE to see it, I would just skip Pitch Perfect 3 and just keep your memories of the first two intact.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow
Directed by: Trish Sie
Written by: Kay Cannon, Mike White
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS:X, Spanish DTS-HD HR 7.1, French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 93 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: March 20th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Skip It

 

[JBrax]

I also enjoyed the previous installments of Pitch Perfect especially the first. Sounds like a hard thud and I’ll skip per your recommendation.