I was expecting to really hate this movie. It was another sequel following a not-great sequel. I had heard that it had pushed its release date several times, which is usually a pretty bad sign. And honestly, I just really didn't think it had much more to say or do here. But this wasn't a movie about Pitch Perfect as much as it was about moving on. It was a good ending to the story. So if you liked the first Pitch Perfect, you are likely going to enjoy this one, too. That being said, it is still quite a departure from the first, which makes sense, as that is where the story begins and this is where the story ends.
Pitch Perfect 3 is the final chapter in the story of a group of ladies that sang together in college. They don't really love their new lives and want to rekindle the flames of their college days. So they get together and go off on an adventure. But there's a twist... the movie is pretty self-aware that it is becoming a cliche and does a pretty good job of addressing it. It even has a scene with a yacht exploding as they narrowly escape. It felt like a metaphor for destroying the past and moving on with new lives.
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It's not great, but it was good enough to be entertaining. It does a pretty good job being fresh in spite of the stale characters. It jokes about itself constantly. Like, they discuss the uselessness of side characters who hear their names but realize they couldn't possibly be talking about them since they never do. That's not to say that there aren't some cringe-worthy moments, but they definitely don't take themselves too seriously.