Blu-ray/DVD review: Pitch Perfect 3

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Universal kindly sent HNS an advance copy of the Pitch Perfect 3 blu-ray/DVD/digital combo pack for review. Check out below what this product has to offer, and be sure to buy yours today HERE!

FILMMAKERS:
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks
Directed By: Trish Sie
Screenplay By: Kay Cannon, Mike White
Story By: Kay Canon
Produced By: Paul Brooks p.g.a, Max Handelman p.g.a, Elizabeth Banks p.g.a
Executive Produced By: Jason Moore, Scott Niemeyer, David Nicksay
Score By: Christopher Lennertz
Executive Music Producer: Julianne Jordan
Costume Designer: Salvador Perez
Edited By: Craig Alpert ACE, Colin Patton
Production Designer: Toby Corbett
Director of Photography: Matthew Clark

Now graduated from college, the fabulous Bellas of Barden University are back for one last call in Pitch Perfect 3. Beca, Fat Amy and the rest of the Bellas are off to face a post a cappella champion world in the high-spirited closing act to the franchise that sparked a worldwide phenomenon. Pitch Perfect 3 arrives on Digital on March 1, 2018 and Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand and and via the all-new digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on March 20, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Filled with all-new musical performances, a hilarious gag reel, never-before-seen deleted footage and more, the exclusive behind-the-scenes bonus features make Pitch Perfect 3 a must-own film.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO Blu-rayTM:

  • Competition Crescendo – In this featurette we break down the riff-off scene, starting in pre-production in the recording studio and moving into production. We’ll also discuss the Bellas’ competition: EverMoist, Saddle Up, DJ Young Sparrow and DJ Dragon Nutz.
  • Don’t Mess with Rebel – Rebel Wilson trained with stunts coordinator, Jennifer Badger, to prefect her many stunts that we see throughout the film. In this featurette, we’ll catch a glimpse of Rebel’s training and discuss the most bad-ass stunt of all – Rebel taking down four grown men in order to save the Bellas.
  • The Headliner: DJ Khaled – We check in with cast and filmmakers to hear their reactions on the music producer/personality being brought on, how he fits into the story and the love he has for the Bellas.
  • The Final Note: John and Gail – Everyone’s favorite Talk-a-pella podcasters are back, combining their resources to produce an exclusive d’aca’mentary following the beloved classic Bellas. We discuss their far-fetched endeavor with the cast and filmmakers to better understand our favorite aca-duo.
  • Just Because He’s a Bad Guy – The cast and filmmakers were overjoyed to learn that legendary actor, John Lithgow was joining the Pitch Perfect family, and he did not disappoint! In this piece, we’ll witness how Rebel and John are two peas in a pod, making their on-screen chemistry as father and daughter truly sincere.
  • “Freedom! ’90 x Cups” Official Music Video

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAYTM, DVD & DIGITAL:

  • Deleted Scene
  • Gag Reel
  • New Musical Performances
    • Fat Amy & Fergus Casino Duet
    • The Bellas: “See You Smile” Lullaby
  • A Cappella Action – In this piece, we break down the scene starting with Fergus betraying Fat Amy and kidnapping the Bellas, through the performance and wrapping up with Rebel Wilson as she performs the stunt of falling through the ceiling.
  • The Women of Pitch Perfect 3 – With Elizabeth Banks, Trish Sie, and an all-female cast, the Pitch Perfect franchise is breaking down stereotypes and industry norms left and right. In this piece, we learn why that’s so important throughout the development and production of Pitch Perfect 3.
  • The Final Performance In this heart-warming piece, fans will witness the genuine love and sisterhood between the Bellas both on and off camera as they get a behind-the-scenes look at the emotional wrap of the film and production.
  • Hollywood of the South – Hollywood may be the “Entertainment Capital of the World” but Atlanta is a close second – morphing into a metropolis for film productions and the cast and crews couldn’t be happier. We hear from them about the hospitality, versatility and southern welcome they experienced during their stay.
  • Extended Musical Performances
    • Evermoist: “How a Heart Unbreaks”
    • Young Sparrow / DJ Dragon Nutz: “You Got It”
    • Saddle Up: “Ex’s and Oh’s”

Pitch Perfect 3 will be available on 4K Ultra HD in a combo pack which includes 4K Ultra HD Blu-rayTM, Blu-rayTM and Digital. The 4K Ultra HD will include all bonus features on the Blu-rayTM disc.

  • 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience.
  • Blu-rayTM unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
  • MOVIES ANYWHERE is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. MOVIES ANYWHERE is only available in the United States. For more information, visit https://moviesanywhere.com.

Reviewer’s Thoughts: 

I’ve been a huge fan of the Pitch Perfect franchise from the start, and I loved Pitch Perfect 3. So I was very thrilled to be able to dive right into the blu-ray/DVD/digital combo pack and see what extra goodies were in store. Pitch Perfect 3 was the perfect ending to the franchise, and this content of this product did not disappoint. Fans of the franchise definitely need to pick it up – there’s a TON of special features that were created with the fans in mind. 

Any time I buy a DVD or Blu-ray, the very first special feature I look for is the Gag Reel. I’m always pissed if there isn’t one. Pitch Perfect 3 does not disappoint here. The gag reel offered a genuine look at what filming was like and you could definitely see the love the Bellas share in real life in this feature. There were several moments that had me cracking up.

As this is a musical franchise, you can of course expect to see special features with some New Musical Performances. In this feature, we were treated to two new musical performances on this product. The first was Fat Amy & Fergus Casino Duet. The second new musical performance was The Bellas: “See You Smile” Lullaby. We also get a few Extended Musical Performances. These are full versions of parts of what we saw in the film. Much longer and comprehensive performances that the musical film lovers will surely appreciate. We get performances from both the Bellas and Evermoist here.

A solo deleted scene is included in the special features titled Deleted Scene: Aubrey at Amy’s Hotel Door. It’s not very long, and pretty self explanatory what it entails by the title alone. It’s unclear why more deleted scenes weren’t included, since there were more filmed, but the single deleted scene a fun watch nonetheless.

The special feature called Competition Crescendo breaks down the riff off scene and shows both the Bellas and their competition. The riff offs are always my favorite musical bits in the film, so this one was fun for me to see. The A Cappella Action special feature shows both musical performance and action elements, and the way the film blended the two – especially with Fat Amy.

The heart of the Pitch Perfect franchise is the band of powerful women we get on our screens. The special feature The Women of Pitch Perfect 3 highlights exactly this. It’s so great to see it onscreen, and even more so that the studio chose to include a special feature about it. Pitch Perfect is truly all about girl power!

This was a fun one to watch – the Don’t Mess with Rebel special feature focused on Rebel Wilson and all of the stuntwork she did on the film. It was really cool to see her break down all of the fight sequences and kick some ass! If you want to see more on the chemistry between father-daughter duo Rebel Wilson and John Lithgow, then you’ll want to check out the Just Because He’s a Bad Guy… feature.

The special features also highlighted some fan favorite characters. One is The Headliner: DJ Khaled special feature is exactly what you’d expect – a look at DJ Khaled’s involvement in the film and the reactions from everyone about his joining the cast. The Final Note: John and Gail is a special feature that focused on all things our favorite broadcasters – turned – documentarians John and Gail.

Fans of The Voice are in for a special treat with the bonus feature of “Freedom: ’90 x Cups” Official Music Video. This feature includes the iconic Cups song we heard in the original Pitch Perfect but is a full video spliced together with performances from the whole cast and singers from The Voice. This was a nice surprise that was unexpected!

For a glimpse into the city where it all went down – Atlanta – you’ll want to check out the Hollywood of the South special feature.

For the fan of moviemaking and for those who like to know all of the little tidbits that go on behind the scenes of all aspects of film, the commentaries are going to be a sure stop for you. Pitch Perfect 3 comes with not only one but TWO commentaries, and these are jam packed with all kinds of little tidbits. There’s a Feature Commentary with Director Trish Sie and a Feature Commentary with Producers Paul Brooks & Max Handelman.

The Final Performance feature – this one had me feeling all the feels. It really brought out the nostalgia and diehard fans will love all the tidbits here. It gets pretty emotional though, so if you are particularly sad about the series ending, you might want to grab those tissues before pressing play.

Pitch Perfect 3 releases on DVD/ Blu-ray/ digital on March 20th!