Pitch Perfect 3 is a 2017 American musical comedy movie, released on December 22nd, and is most likely the last installment in the franchise, (although there have been rumors about further Pitch Perfect films). The film was directed by Trish Sie, the third director to take on the musical franchise, and brought a taste of action to the A Capella series.

As the third installment in the franchise, this movie had high expectations to live up to. It received a 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb, which was lower than its predecessor Pitch Perfect 2 which has a 6.4 out of 10. I would give this movie a 7 out of 10 because I thoroughly enjoyed my movie-going experience, and I felt that the movie did a fairly good job of wrapping up the trilogy.

As a stand-alone movie, the score was fantastic and worked with all the scenes in the movie really well. From the hilarity of the use of ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears as a spy song, to the ever-favorite Riff Off mashup, which includes songs like “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, “Zombie” by The Cranberries, and “Grenade” by Bruno Mars, along other well placed songs.

Pitch Perfect 3 starts with the original Bellas from Pitch Perfect reuniting for what they think will be a performance, but they are soon disappointed when it turns out to be a performance by the next generation of Barden Bellas for them to watch. Because of the major letdown, Aubrey (Anna Camp) gets the original group a spot on the USO Europe tour to support the deployed troops.  DJ Khaled (as DJ Khaled) is the leader of the tour, which turns out to be a competition to headline for him in future concerts. The Bellas are placed under intense scrutinization and intimidation by the other groups: Evermoist, Saddle Up, Young Sparrow, and DJ Dragon Nutz. They quickly decide to start a Riff Off, which is a challenge for them as all the other groups use instruments instead of A Capella. The Bellas quickly gain popularity with the troops because of their musical ability. New love interests for Beca (Anna Kendrick) and Chloe (Brittany Snow) are introduced in the movie as well.

One thing I didn’t like as I was watching the movie was the seeming discontinuity in the plot. At times if felt as if the creators were adding more elements in the film just to make it more appealing. At first I didn’t understand the inclusion of Fat Amy’s (Rebel Wilson) father Fergus (John Lithgow), but his character was actually an essential part of the film’s plot when he turns out to have a mysterious past that Fat Amy must discover.

Overall, Pitch Perfect 3 was full of twists and turns, and it had me engaged throughout its duration. The movie had a wonderfully done score, great voices, amazingly picked featured actors, and a nice possible-conclusion to the franchise. Although the plot got complicated and confusing in parts, I still enjoyed my experience; if I had the chance, I would definitely see it in theaters again. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I highly recommend watching it and the previous two Pitch Perfect movies, which work really well together as a franchise.