REVIEW: Pitch Perfect 2 Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow

It’s not often that a comedy sequel lives up to expectation - and let’s just say expectations were very high on this occasion - but Pitch Perfect 2 does exactly that. In this follow-up to the hugely successful original, the Barden Bellas are back but they are in serious trouble. After a stunt goes horribly wrong at a performance in front of American President Barack Obama, the a Capella group is stripped of their US championship title. In the hope of restoring some pride and as a last hurrah during their final year at university, they enter the World Championships. As well as that, group leader Beca (Anna Kendrick) has her own battles as she tries to kick start her music career. All of the elements that made the first movie special are back including the fantastic cast, killer tunes (Timber and Wrecking Ball to name a few) and hilarious one-liners. While there are times where it feels that some of the characters are slightly overused when it comes to their comedic value and some of the gags feel a little forced, you can expect some serious laugh-out-loud moments. The exchanges between Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins, who play the competition commentators, are incredibly sharp and very funny. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that they steal the show. Keegan-Michael Key and Hailee Steinfeld join the cast this time around as the crazy music producer and the latest member of the Bellas. Both of them shine in their own right and add new elements to the plot. Pitch Perfect 2, which is almost two hours long (it could have been shorter), is thoroughly entertaining and worth the wait for fans of the first movie. The stakes are higher, the songs are bigger and (most of) the jokes are equally good. It also has just the right amount of heart and definitely left us wanting more… although we have to admit that we think a third may be a performance too far.