If you haven’t done so by now, you should first read the review of Pitch Perfect 2 by our very own Laura Dengrove. Laura had both positive and negative things to say about the film, overall feeling that Pitch Perfect 2 was a bit….pitchy. She felt something was missing from the film that the first movie had.
I may have to disagree a bit with her. While yes, the second film is different than the first, I actually found it funnier. Like Laura said, the film didn’t rely on Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) for the brunt of the jokes and, honestly, I feel that was a good idea. While Fat Amy did have some good quips and I did laugh hysterically at her Pat Benatar solo, the additions of David Cross, Keegan-Michael Key and the randomness of the Green Bay Packers gave me some of the best laughs of the film.
My favorite part of the film is that the writers went with the 1980’s sequel formula. This time the team the Bellas have to beat is German and seemingly unbeatable. DSM (Das Sound Machine), the German group, is the Chozen to The Karate Kid 2’s Daniel Laruso and the Drago to Rocky IV’s Rocky Balboa. Das Sound Machine steals the Bellas tour and beats them in a small competition, sending the girls into full montage training mode. It was very nostalgic for me, having grown up in a family with an appreciation for 80’s cinema.
Now, you are probably wondering if the Blu-ray is worth picking up. Obviously, if you enjoyed the film you should pick up the movie. Chances are that you will watch it more than once and I will always fall on the side of supporting a film you enjoy. If you are on the fence and need a push in one way or the other, I know that the disc extras normally help decide.
On the Blu-ray/DVD combo, there are some Blu-ray exclusives including Never Before Seen Treblemakers Performance, Das Sound Machine Finale Breakdown, Line-Aca-Rama, Green Bay Rap, Snoop Dogg Is In the House, An Aca-Love Story: Bumper and Fat Amy, Elizabeth Banks’ Directorial Debut, Legacy: Hailee Steinfeld, Aca-Camp and the Residual Heat Internship.
The bonus features you can also find on the DVD are Deleted/Extended Scenes, a Gag Reel, Extended Musical Performances, Feature Commentaries with the Filmmakers and The Bellas are Back.
So, are these features worth it? A resounding yes. The Treblemakers missing performance is of Bruno Mars’ Locked out of Heaven, which I preferred to MIKA’s Lollipop. The deleted scenes are pretty funny. Fat Amy taunts one of the German a Capella members with farter jokes, which is funny because father in German is Vater, but sounds like farter. The Gag Reel is your typical collection of stupid faces, nose picking and uncontrolled laughing but the Line-Aca-Rama had me in hysterics.
Bottom line, if you liked Pitch Perfect 2 and enjoy curling up on the couch with some funny bonus features, Pitch Perfect 2 is for you. If you haven’t seen the film yet, give it a shot. I heard mixed things about it and ended up actually liking it more than the first.
Pitch Perfect 2 is available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD this Tuesday from Universal
========================================================================================================= Ann Hale is the horror editor for Pop-Break.com and a senior contributing writer, reviewing horror movies and television shows. She is also a writer for Geekandstuff.com. Ann attended East Carolina University, majoring in English Literature. She is a collector of Halloween (the film) memorabilia and is a self-admitted opinionated horror nerd. You can follow her, her collection and her cat, Edward Kittyhands on Twitter and Instagram @Scarletjupiter
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