Pitch Perfect Movies Ranked
This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Emma Kershaw.
Pitch Perfect was introduced to us at a time when ‘Glee’ was in its prime and the simple idea of another jukebox musical didn’t seem that appealing. However, with an all-star comedic cast (including Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp and Brittany Snow) to deliver Kay Cannon’s quick-witted script, Pitch Perfect changed the musical comedy sub-genre with its unique plot and outrageous jokes, ranging from gags about crystal meth to the large number of ‘aca’ puns used throughout. The film quickly became a sleeper hit, grossing over $115M worldwide against a relatively minute $17M budget.
With two sequels released in 2015 and 2017 respectively, and rumours of a fourth instalment currently being in the works, the Pitch Perfect franchise is one of Hollywood’s most-loved success stories.
So, warm up your vocal cords and get ready for this aca-awesome edition of Ranked, where we’ll be ranking each of the Pitch Perfect movies from worst to best based on quality and public perception.
Cue Universal fanfare…
3. Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
Coming in at third place is Pitch Perfect 3, the franchise’s final instalment (for now) that was released in 2017.
Featuring the main original all-female ensemble cast, Pitch Perfect 3 sees the Barden Bellas reunite for one last series of performances as they compete against other bands (each with actual instruments, much to the Bellas’ dismay) to join DJ Khaled on tour as his opening act.
The plot for the third film sees quite a bit of action, with a kidnapping that results in an all-singing, all-dancing escape plan, featuring Rebel Wilson’s much-loved comedic acting that shines as she battles with a criminal to the tune of an a Capella rendition Britney Spears’ “Toxic” – what else?
Other notable moments in Pitch Perfect 3 include that iconic riff-off scene (it wouldn’t be a Pitch Perfect film without one) and the uplifting final performance of “Freedom! ’90” that sees Beca invite the rest of the Bellas on stage.
If you like sticking around for the credits, they’re extra emotional as clips rehashing the most memorable moments and outtakes from the entire franchise are played.
Key male cast members Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine and Ben Platt were absent from Pitch Perfect 3, and while the film introduces additional big names such as Ruby Rose, who plays the star of rival band Evermoist (aca-believe it), perhaps a better idea would have been including The Treblemakers as the main rivals, thus making the film one last hurrah for the Barden University students we had grown to love.
Another thing that places Pitch Perfect 3 at the bottom of the pile is the film’s queerbaiting which, although prominent throughout each film, was taken up a notch this time around. The film’s promotional material consistently hinted at a Bechloe canon, a romantic relationship between Beca Mitchell (Kendrick) and Chloe Beale (Snow), something that would have delighted fans who were hoping for some LGBTQ+ representation that never materialised.
Pitch Perfect 3 still took the box office by storm, taking in over $185M from a $45million budget.
Recommended for you: High School Musical Trilogy Ranked
