Pitch Perfect 3 Review: 3 Ups & 6 Downs

4. It's Depressingly Low On Laughs

Even if you're not into the musical aspect of these films, the first two were pretty reliable when it came to serving up steady laughs. Sadly most of the big jokes feel overly played-out by number three, especially Rebel Wilson's boorish shtick and so many of her jokes revolving around her weight.

Though there are some intermittent gags that hit the mark (Hana Mae Lee gets a few easy laughs as the near-mute Lilly), for the most part the jokes feel like they were either hastily scribbled down over a deadline weekend or mostly improvised while on-set.

The complete absence of The Treblemakers probably doesn't help, especially Adam DeVine, who stole a number of scenes in the previous movie but is pawned off along with Skylar Astin's Jesse with a single throwaway line here.

It's just hard to imagine the likes of Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson reading this script and being satisfied with it. It feels like first draft material in dire need of punching-up.