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comedy to a lame action movie spoof. Sadly, it’s the only explosive moment in the film,.

“Is there a competition? There’s always a competition,” says perky Chloe (Brittany Snow) when the Bellas sign up for a show touring US military bases.

Seconds later, it’s revealed the acts – there’s also a rock group and a country and western band – will indeed have to compete.

This time the prize is to perform with DJ Khaled (playing himself, NEXT WEEK: pretty unconvincingly) in the big musical finale.

Some critics may see this selfmocking humour as subversive. I see it as a writer’s pointless attempt to steal a march on her detractors.

Kendrick is still rolling those eyes, Hana Mae Lee is still gurning and Wilson still thinks loudly referring to her own genitalia is both shocking and funny.

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The Greatest Showman. THE WEEK AFTER: All The Money In The World, To be fair, the song and dance routines are slickly choreographed and energetically performed. It’s a shame the film couldn’t be bothered to follow through with its own set-up. After establishing a conflict between the all-singing Bellas and their rivals, unseen synthesisers start creeping into the girls’ routines. It turns out the key to the film’s big transformation is Fat Amy’s criminal, vaguely Australian and painfully unfunny dad (John Lithgow) who briefly belts out a song before kidnapping the girls. By the time we had returned to his yacht for Wilson’s rolypoly Jason Bourne routine, I was more than ready to hear the fat lady sing.

SALUTES YOU: The Bellas go through their act

JOKE’S OVER: Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (12A) I EXPECTED this remake to trade on nostalgia. But it doesn’t quite play this game the way I expected it to. Robin Williams’ 1995 family hit isn’t the only old favourite...

Screenwriter Kay Cannon must have realised the road had run out for these characters, but as every hit sequel demands a threequel, she knew she had to take them out for another spin. The film opens on an unusual note as the Bellas perform on a yacht...