Pitch Perfect 3 is a 2017 American musical comedy film that was directed by Trish Sie and written by Kay Cannon and Mike White. A sequel to the 2015 film, Pitch Perfect 2, it is the third and final installment of the Pitch Perfect series. The film stars Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Hana Mae Lee, Ester Dean, Chrissie Fit, Alexis Knapp, John Lithgow, Ruby Rose, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Elizabeth Banks, and John Michael Higgens and follows the Bellas; as they are now graduated from college and reuniting for one final performance during an overseas USO tour.
Principal photography on the film began in January 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia and ended in April 2017. The film was released in the United States on December 22, 2017 and received mixed reviews from film critics and has grossed $183 million worldwide. It became the second-highest grossing musical comedy of all time, behind only its predecessor.
The Film Itself (4/5):
Surprisingly enough, Pitch Perfect 3 was actually a pretty decent movie. Combined with the various comical elements as the cast and crew as they all have fun with the characters that they’ve developed over the past six years, and the overall story of camaraderie and friendship among these girls as they all do something that they love makes for a good time. It seems that they learned from the mistakes they made with the overall sloppiness of the second film and were able to bounce back and really deliver one final performance from The Barden Bellas.
Picture Quality (5/5):
Despite being considered a “fake 4K” release, Pitch Perfect 3 looked absolutely stunning as it played out across my living room television. With its utilization of HDR 10, the presence of bright and vivid colors really made the experience all that much more cleaner than what the film looked like during its theatrical run. Cleanly presenting the various performances of the Bellas, there was no distortion in the picture to be experienced at all, and the overall feeling of the performances really added to the effect of making it feel as if you are right there in the middle of the performance.
Audio Quality (4.5/5):
Packaged with an English DTS:X audio track, Pitch Perfect 3 offers a really powerful experience for those who are able to make use of the technology. While the track doesn’t really offer as an immersive experience as an Atmos track, the audio that’s provided on the 4K UHD release was clean and clear, and really allowed for everything to be audibly heard and understood. The parts that really stood out with this audio track were the musical performances of the various groups as they were on stage. With the accompanying musical scores, the audio really roared through the speakers as well as the subwoofer for the bass track.
The Packaging (3/5):
The 4K UHD release of Pitch Perfect 3 comes packaged in your standard two-disc 4K UHD amaray case. Within that case is the standard 4K UHD copy of the film as well as standard Blu-ray copy of the film. The 4K UHD disc does feature a piece of artwork that is relative to the film and different from that of the case art. The included Blu-ray disc does not feature any artwork whatsoever outside of the standard release text. A digital copy redemption pamphlet has been included as well as a slipcover that’s been made available during the initial print run that features the same piece of artwork that’s been included on the case art.
Special Features (3.5/5):
Unfortunately, the 4K UHD release of Pitch Perfect 3 is like any other UHD release as none of the special features are included on the 4K UHD disc. All additional features have been made available on the included Blu-ray disc. Included with this release is:
- All New Musical Performances
- Gag Reel
- Deleted Scenes
- The Final Performance
- The Headliner: DJ Khaled
- Don’t Mess With Rebel
- And More!
Technical Specs:
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)
HDR: HDR10
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: DTS:X
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS-HD HR 7.1
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish
Runtime
Original Film: 93 minutes
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I really liked Pitch Perfect 3 and the story that it presented. The story gives us one last “hurrah” from the Bellas as they’ve already graduated from college and were trying to make it day to day in life. The experience of the 4K UHD release does a really great job at placing the audience right in the middle of the story, empathizing with the cast and crew, as well as sitting right in the middle of their performances as if you were right there in the audience. The visual and audible presentation of this disc was really nicely done, despite it not being as immersive as an Atmos track. DTS:X still definitely has its merits and really is a tough call when comparing the two. The included special features not only offer an extended look into the cast, crew and storyline of the film, but as well as the fun that they had in making this movie. If you’re considering grabbing this film for your collection, I’d definitely recommend grabbing it if you’ve enjoyed the earlier films. Pitch Perfect 3 will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD beginning on Tuesday, March 20, 2018.
And if you’re an active member on the /r/dvdcollection subreddit, remember there is a giveaway for a chance at a Blu-ray copy of Pitch Perfect 3. All of the details for the giveaway are available on this post.
Note: This Blu-ray was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.