The original Pitch Perfect was one of the surprise hits the year it came out, and the unexpected success has led to a sequel which is looking awfully familiar.
What made the first Pitch Perfect film so good was the uncanny yet terrific blending of characters done in a way that may have been seen before, but was nonetheless executed quite well. It was hard not to watch the first film and not laugh at the expected yet funny gags. The fact that the film also produced a near endless array of tunes which would could easily get stuck in anyone's head was also responsible for at least some of its success.
When it comes to the sequel, fans will get a heavy dose of what they got from the first film. It's a lot of very familiar jokes done in a very familiar manner, and the truth is that the result of doing so is a mixed bag. On one hand, it's endearing to see the girls up to the same old tricks, but no one could be blamed for feeling as if running back old gags is a bit lazy.
The movie hits on many of the same story elements from the first film, with a few tweaks here and there in the form of a newcomer and Anna Kendrick's character also facing a different kind of personal crisis, according to the Digital Spy UK. Part of the film feeling so familiar may be because of Elizabeth Banks, taking over the directorial duties, according to Reuters.
It's a tough task to create an entirely new movie when one so close to the original is now the one calling the shots. Banks seemed eager to follow in the footsteps of the first film without taking care to carve out a new identity for the second one, an error which is forgivable for a new director. The movie will almost surely be another box office success, even if it can feel like a carbon copy of the first one at times.
In an interview with Time, Anna Kendrick was reluctant to even speculate on whether a third installment could be in the works, saying that Pitch Perfect 2 would determine if another sequel would be necessary.
Pitch Perfect 2 will premiere on May 15.
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