Pitch Perfect 3 Review: 3 Ups & 6 Downs

Downs...

6. It Randomly Becomes A Spy Movie (Seriously)

Though the trailers vaguely hinted at it, it's surprising just how aggressively Pitch Perfect 3 detours into a whole other genre entirely: the spy movie.

That's right. The film's third act sees the Bellas up to their neck in trouble as they face off against a moustache-twirling, James Bond-style villain, which leads to an epic explosion on a boat, a ton of bad CGI, and an audience wondering quite what the hell this has to do with a capella.

Though it's semi-commendable that the third film tried to do something different, it falls almost completely flat because there's nothing remotely clever or funny about it beyond the inherent absurdity of these characters being thrown into this heightened scenario.

It's an utterly baffling, desperate move, and perhaps if the film was smarter overall, it might feel like a self-aware commentary on perfunctory sequels. As it's not, it doesn't.