Pitch Perfect 3 4K UltraHD

In "Pitch Perfect 3," now graduated from college and realizing it takes more than a cappella to get by, all the Bellas return in the final chapter in the series. After the highs of winning the World Championships, the Bellas find themselves split apart and discovering there are no job prospects for making music with only our mouth. But when they get the chance to reunite for a European USO tour, this group of awesome nerds will come together to make some music, and some questionable decisions, one last time. Based on the book by Mickey Rapkin.(Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director Trish Sie; commentary with Producers Paul Brooks and Max Handelman; nine featurettes: "Competition Crescendo" (HD 06:37), "Don't Mess With Rachel" (HD 04:27), "The Headliner: DJ Khaled" (HD 03:01), "The Final Note: John And Gail" (HD 02:22), "Just Because He's A Bad Guy" (HD01:54), "A Cappella Action" (HD 03:15), "The Women Of Pitch Perfect 3" (HD 04:21), "The Final Performance" (HD 04:30), and "Hollywood Of The South" (HD 02:28); a deleted scene (HD 01:01); a gag reel (HD 03:22); new musical performances (HD 04:24); three extended musical performances (HD 08:50); the "Freedom! '90 X Cups" official music video (HD 02:36); upfront previews; and a Movies Everywhere digital copy.

The 1.85:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD HDR10 picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, was photographed digitally using the Arri Alexa XT camera system and sourced from a 2K (not 4K) master Digital Intermediate format. As the 2K Digital Intermediate has been upconverted to 2160p, there is no real gain in native resolution. The picture is bright and colorful with a wide HDR contrast and strongly saturated hues that really pop. The wide color gamut is evident throughout with spectacularly bright colors, such as reds, blues, greens, and seemingly endless other colors that are richly and warmly hued. Hues are solid and fleshtones are healthily natural. Blacks are indy black and nicely resolved. The lighting design spreads light and brilliant highlights everywhere, whether in interior or exterior settings. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail exhibited throughout, especially evident in the fine fabrics of the costumes worn both by the women and men, and in the application of cosmetic makeup. WOW! segments are numerous, but the most dramatic are from 01:07:34 to 01::10:17, 01:14:08 to 01:15:23, and 01:21:27 to 01:25:24. This is a very stylish movie, with spectacular sets and exotic European locations such as the south of France. This is a picture that will light up your screen with impressive reference color fidelity and dynamic visuals. (Gary Reber)

The DTS:X/DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1-channel soundtrack is surprisingly pretty much limited to ear-level sonics and unusually devoid of an effective Immersive Sound experience given the theme and settings, and of course, the singing and dancing. Surround energy is aggressive, as the music is extended to the four surrounds but not to the height channels. There is a lot of musical performances with superb fidelity throughout. Deep bass is evident in the more hip-hoppish musical selections and as an enhancement to sound effects, such as in the brief violent action scenes and explosions. Bass extension is sporadic but effective when applied and most powerful delivered in the .1 LFE channel. Foley sound effects are well crafted and quite busy in application. The music is diverse, with the girls singing and dancing, other artists, and an orchestral score, all with a wide and deep soundstage presence that extends aggressively to the surrounds.

The Immersive Sound element is disappointing in that the sound designers must have been asleep or seriously budget restricted because it is very sparse. The first instance is the brief sound of aircraft flying overhead accompanied by electronic music and male oohs, then silence for a good 40 minutes into the movie until a rattling sound that swoops overhead accompanied with brief electronic sounds, more sporadic electronic sounds, accent sounds, helicopter sounds, and over the end credits brief and fast electronic gunfire swoops. That's it.

Still, the ear-level soundtrack is great, with terrific energy and superb fidelity that is fun and entertaining to experience. (Gary Reber)