The Pitches are back, that much is true, but in what condition have they returned in? Are they still the glorious girls that won the a capella championships? While director Elizabeth Banks, who also co-stars in the movie, certainly seems to think so, I am not convinced. Just because the movie has been upscaled with appearances from Snoop Dogg and the Green Bay Packers, does not mean the plot has.

In general, the plot remains the same; the Barden Bellas have been dishonored during one of their performances, this time by a rather unfortunate rip in Fat Amy’s pants, and will have to do the impossible: redeem themselves. The only way to do this, however, is by winning the World A Capella Championships, something which the United States has never done before.

As the girls are preparing for the competition, they meet their number one opponent: the Germans. Das Sound Machine (DSM), as their a capella group is called, is dark, dominant and supposedly sexy. Becca, played by Anna Kendrick, continuously makes sexual references to the female leader, Kommissar, played by the Danish Birgitte Hjort. In all honesty, Hjort is not entirely worthy of these comments; she is portrayed as physically large, uptight and wears wacky clothing like net blouses. Because of this, every comment seems awkward and out of place.

However, Becca’s misplaced comments are not alone. In the first Pitch Perfect movie, there were a few lesbian remarks and sexual references. They were funny because they were casual and not overused. Sadly, this isn’t the case in Pitch Perfect 2. Most of the dialogue enforced stereotypes opposed to making fun of them, which caused it to go from funny to gawky.

In regards to stereotypes, I found the portrayal of DSM utterly basic. The only thing way they could have stereotyped Germans more would have been to put DSM in milk braids and have them yodeling a capella-style. The group sang English songs in a German accent, constantly used German phrases and had Volkswagen cars be part of their performance. Really?
Perhaps I am being too harsh; It is, after all, a sequel, and sequels are hard to make. One thing Banks did manage to keep in Pitch Perfect 2 is the emphasising of friendships. The idea that you learn more from friendships and experiences opposed to being in the classroom is definitely one I can agree with. Another thing which impressed me was Fat Amy, played by Rebel Wilson. After her hilarious debut as a supporting actress in the first Pitch Perfect, she is now one of the main characters. Her character is exactly the same; sassy, egocentric and ironic, which I am grateful of. Fat Amy–never change!

In all, Pitch Perfect 2 is a typical sequel: a must see for devoted fans which turns out to be somewhat disappointing. While it still has it’s funny moments, they just can’t quite compare to the original puns made in the first Pitch Perfect.

Pitch Perfect 2 is rated PG-13 for innuendo and language.