A comedic look at the world of collegiate a capella groups, 2012’s Pitch Perfect takes us to Barden University. Incoming freshman Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) finds herself cajoled into membership in the “Barden Bellas”, a successful female singing collective.

Despite her initial disdain for the Bellas and their style of music, Beca comes around and develops an investment in the group. She helps spark the Bellas’ resurgence and leads them to new competitive heights.

In some ways, Pitch Perfect reminds me of 1997’s Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Both offered low-budget niche flicks that leaned toward parody, and both turned modest profits at the box office.

Both films also found substantial audiences on home video and spawned sequels that took in mega-bucks but lacked the creative appeal of their predecessors. Like 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, 2015’s Pitch Perfect 2 offered sporadic pleasures at best.

But the original works pretty well, as it takes potentially stale material and gives us new life – a little, at least. The movie works from a standard framework but adds enough pizzazz to become its own entity.

Of course, the use of a capella groups as a focal point brings an unusual twist, though not a huge one, as Pitch Perfect traces a fairly standard “underdog” story. We see the trials and travails of the Bellas, all as we head toward a semi-inevitable conclusion.

Despite many predictable components, Perfect comes with enough charm to make the package work. The consistently adorable Kendrick helps, as she contributes a likable turn.

Though I admit Kendrick seems somewhat miscast due to the nature of her character. We’re supposed to view Beca as an edgy outsider, and Kendrick can’t pull off that attitude to save her life. 26 during the movie’s production, she doesn’t remotely pass for a college freshman, either.

Nonetheless, Kendrick delivers enough verve and personality that I don’t really care. And did I mention she’s adorable? Because she is.

The supporting female actors contribute charm, with an emphasis on Rebel Wilson’s lively turn as Fat Amy. The more I see Wilson, the less impact I take from her shtick, but she still comes across as bold and likable here.

Unfortunately, the male actors fare less well. I’ve documented my disdain for Adam Devine elsewhere, and I can’t claim I find much more to like here, though the fact Bumper is supposed to be an obnoxious jerk makes him more palatable.

As the male lead/Beca’s ostensible love interest, Skylar Astin makes little impression. I guess we’re supposed to view him as engaging and charming, but he just comes across as a simp.

The male actors may leave a minor void, but they stay on the margins enough that they don’t really matter. Pitch Perfect emphasizes the ladies, and they carry the day. Don’t expect anything innovative, but the movie offers an amusing and enjoyable experience.

Pitch Perfect appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, the movie looked attractive.

Sharpness was usually solid. A few wider shots showed a little softness, but those instances remained minor. Instead, the majority of the movie seemed accurate and concise.

I saw no signs of jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent. Source flaws were a non-factor, as I witnessed no specks, marks or other debris.

Colors were good. The series opted for a fairly perky palette and the Blu-ray replicated these tones in an appealing manner.

Black levels were appropriately deep, and shadows seemed clear and well-rendered. Across the board, the visuals proved to be pleasing.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Perfect suited the story pretty well but won't win any awards. The soundstage appeared nicely broad at the appropriate times and could be moderately engulfing on occasion.

It's a talky little movie for the most part so the focus was mainly up front, but the audio expanded when necessary. Music became the dominant area of expansion, as songs and score filled all five channels. Effects didn’t do much, but the music added zest to the proceedings.

Sound quality seemed fine. Dialogue always appeared crisp and natural, and I had no trouble understanding it.

Music was warm and distinctive, and effects also seemed realistic and more than adequate for the tasks at hand. All of this made the mix a solid “B”.

We get a good collection of extras here, and we find two separate audio commentaries. The first comes from director Jason Moore, actor/producer Elizabeth Banks and producer Max Hendelman. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters, editing and deleted scenes, cast and performances, music, sets and locations, and related domains.

Overall, this becomes a solid chat. It moves at a nice pace and keeps us informed the whole way. Though it lacks the depth it needs to become a great commentary, it still works nicely.

For the second commentary, we hear from producer Max Brooks. He delivers a running, screen-specific discussion of his involvement in the film as well as the same topics covered in the first commentary,

Inevitably, this means Brooks repeats a fair amount of material we already hear in the prior chat. Still, he manages his own spin on the subjects, and he proves likable and engaging. The piece becomes too redundant to turn into a winner, but Brooks offers enough energy and perspective to make his commentary enjoyable on its own.

Next we find Music Video for “Starship”. This uses a mix of clips from cast and fans to create a unique piece. Its unusual nature makes it more appealing than I might expect.

12 Deleted/Extended Scenes take up a total of 15 minutes, 38 seconds. Most of these fall into the “extended” category, so they expand sequences in the final flick.

Still, the clips tend to add some fun material, as we get a bit more exposition for some segments and characters. I can’t claim any of the scenes seem crucial, but most offer amusing and semi-useful material.

A collection called Meanwhile… expands five segments. We find “Activities Fair” (4:51), “Hood Night” (5:07), “Burrito Hit” (1:37), “Tonehangers” (4:48) and “Confessional” (2:46).

Despite the odd title, “Meanwhile” just offers extended versions of existing scenes. Some funny material shows up here, though I suspect the clips would’ve gone way too long if this footage appeared in the final cut.

For more unused material, we get three Line-O-Ramas with a total running time of 12 minutes, 39 seconds. These give us alternate lines along with some bloopers. It’s a decent collection but not great – and some repeat from “Meanwhile”.

With Backstage at Barden, we get three short pieces: “Benji Goes to Barden” (1:20), “Gail Interviews Bumper” (1:55) and “Gail Interviews Benji” (1:11). These offer promotional video pieces with the actors in character. They become amusing and fun.

A featurette called On the Set runs one minute, 16 seconds and offers info from Moore, stunt coordinator Bill Scharpf and actor Rebel Wilson. This gives us a quick look at the scene where Fat Amy gets hit by a burrito. It’s watchable but insubstantial.

A Look Inside takes up two minutes, 54 seconds and includes notes from Banks and actors Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Skylar Astin. It’s pure promotion.

An unassuming comedy, Pitch Perfect does nothing to reinvent any wheels. Nonetheless, it comes with just enough verve and charm to make it a fun flick. The Blu-ray presents solid picture and audio along with a pleasing collection of supplements. This turns into a nice release for a likable film.