REVIEW: Pitch Perfect 3 completes the Barden Bellas trilogy in a way that will keep true fans happy

REVIEW: If ever a flimsy film franchise was going to fold in on itself by instalment three, you would bet the lot it would be Pitch Perfect. So well done to filmmakers for not ending on a bum note.

PITCH PERFECT 3 (M)

Rating: two and a half stars (2.5 out of 5)

Director: Trish Sie (Step Up: All In)

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, John Lithgow, Ruby Rose, Elizabeth Banks.

Back in tune one last time

If ever a flimsy film franchise was going to fold in on itself by instalment three, you would bet the house it would be Pitch Perfect.

So credit where it is due to the makers of PP3: this final collection of the a capella antics of the Barden Bellas stands up surprisingly OK.

Rebel Wilson, left, and Anna Kendrick in a scene from "Pitch Perfect 3."

Nevertheless, it should be stated that this is best addressed as a fans-only affair. If you haven’t already succumbed to the selective charms of Beca (Anna Kendrick), Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the gang, there is nothing here that is about to change your mind.

However, those who have happily held a torch for all things Pitch Perfect will be quite excited by an unlikely change of direction.

At its core, there is a lightweight action-adventure plot propelling the movie. That’s right. Between the sudden singalongs and stoo-pid running jokes, there will be gunfire and explosions.

The Barden Bellas entertain the US military in a scene from "Pitch Perfect 3."

How this all comes to pass is nowhere near as important as where it all happens.

The Bellas are no longer cruising and crooning their way through college life. They are now out in the big bad world: working as entertainers for the US military on a globetrotting tour that includes stops in Greece, Spain and France.

The changes of locale - together with the rowdier nature of the concert venues the Bellas play - gives the movie an energy and freshness which was certainly missing from Pitch Perfect 2.

The only real total clanger struck by the movie is the awful Aussie accent attempted by John Lithgow as he plays Fat Amy’s dodgy, long lost dad.

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Venzella Joy Williams, from left, Hannah Fairlight, Ruby Rose and Andy Allo in a scene from "Pitch Perfect 3." (Quantrell D. Colbert/Universal Pictures via AP)