"“Harmonising is cool, okay!”"

Following on from the huge success of the Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids, there was always the possibility of filmmakers latching on and attempting to tap into the same market which made the comedy a worldwide hit. And Pitch Perfect is of that very description, in a film that, like Bridesmaids, focuses on a group of women, all of which are just as vulgar as their male counterparts. The shifting of the balance is good for cinema, but it's verging on becoming tiring, as more directors follow suit.

However, where Pitch Perfect stands apart from Bridesmaids, is in the singing, as we follow the story of Beca (Anna Kendrick), a freshman at Barden University, under severe pressure from her father to gain a degree. But it's the extracurricular activities that catch the eye of this aspiring and creative DJ, as she joins up with The Bellas; an all-girl a capella singing group, preparing for the end of year finals.

Led by the egocentric, stern Aubrey (Anna Camp), The Bellas – who also consist of Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and Chloe (Brittany Snow) amongst others, begin their preparations, as they hope to take home the trophy they embarrassingly missed out on the previous year, and finally get one over on their all-male rivals and campus neighbours the Treble Makers. However, Beca must be careful as she starts to develop feelings for singing nemesis Jesse (Skylar Astin).

Pitch Perfect is very much your typical team competition Hollywood movie; of the Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Bring It On ilk, following all of the conventionalities of the genre; the disqualifications, the drop-outs, the arguments, the making up, and even the predictable comic commentators (John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks). Exactly what you would expect, and in a sense, hope for in such a film.

One of the most important aspects in going to the cinema is to enjoy yourself, and this is certainly achieved. It's good fun from start to finish and the sing-offs are great, making for genuinely compelling scenes, with mash-ups of popular songs and on the whole, some really inspiring performances. It's always nice to enjoy the very thing that the entire film is based around. Harmonising is cool, okay!

However, what does come with spontaneous a capella sing-offs, is a hell of a lot of cheese. You know when a musician is persuaded to briefly sing something on the spot when being interviewed on a chat show? It's like that times a million. When they randomly burst into song it's verging on the disgusting. Although in fairness it works in some parts, mostly because director Jason Moore plays up to it, revelling in the cringe factor.

The performances are impressive, especially Hendrick who plays the alternative teenager well. She has shown an incredible display of acting talent over the past few years, with a string of different characters, showing great versatility. This role couldn't be further removed from her performances in Up in the Air and End of Watch. Meanwhile, somewhat predictably, Wilson is given the vast majority of quirky one liners, playing the exact same role she is always given.

Pitch Perfect is good harmless fun, and a film that - if in the right mood for it - will do nothing but entertain you. When I came out from seeing The Raid I simply wanted to start kicking people, and after this I wanted to sing my way home. Oh, cinema.