‘Pitch Perfect 3’ clearly is off-pitch

There are times when you know a movie series has lost its game, or at least has fallen considerably off it. Unfortunately, “Pitch Perfect 3” is one of those times.

The acappella singing remains fine, which it would have to be for this intended conclusion to the tuneful saga to justify even existing. The problem is with the story, which seems exceptionally contrived to keep the singing Bellas at the center of a competition ... and this time, one that has international implications.

Actually, there are newer Bellas this time, current students at the same university who make their predecessors – played by returnees including Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp and Rebel Wilson – feel like the older models that they are to a degree. Their general dissatisfaction with their post-college lives puts them in a prime position to want to regain their past musical glory.

They get that from a USO event that not only is a tour to entertain the troops, but also a music contest between many of the acts involved. The original Bellas find signicant rivals in fellow touring groups that run the gamut from country to hiphop, meaning that Beca (Kendrick) and her comrades really have to get back in sync to make the grade.

Fans who already are in the house for the “Pitch Perfect” franchise still may find enough to like about the movie (as usual, the unique twists on the tunes featured on the soundtrack remain major factors), but the plot is a stretch.

It also involves John Lithgow as the father – along with “Daddy’s Home 2,” he’s had a run of sequel-dad roles lately – of Fat Amy (Wilson, maintaining her taste for barrier-busting humor). His character here is an Australian mobster who’s after Amy’s inheritance, and things spin a bit (well, OK, more than a bit) out of control from that premise.

Elizabeth Banks (who originally was supposed to reprise her “Pitch Perfect 2” directing role on this as well) and current “Great News” television regular John Michael Higgins are back as the snarky commentators, and even they reect that the third time typically gives off a not-as-fresh feeling. Keep your ears on the songs, and try not to keep your mind on the story too much, and “Pitch Perfect 3” may sound better to you than it’s likely to ring with others.