Thor: Ragnarok is the newest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, the question of whether or not you're going to see the film is probably something you've already decided. The question for many isn't whether they will see the movie, but when and how they will see the movie.
If you want to check reviews for Thor: Ragnarok before making the call, we've got you covered here. Once you've made the decision to see the movie, however, you need to decide whether you want to spend the extra cash to see the movie in 3D. That's where we come in. Here, we examine only the 3D experience in an attempt to help you decide if it's worth it.
3D is best when its used on movies that are going to provide a lot of visual spectacle that will take advantage of the technology. Needless to say, the modern trend of superhero films was made for 3D. From character battles, of both the one-on-one and massive army varieties, as well as the cosmic setting of Thor: Ragnarok, there's plenty that the material can take advantage of. Thor: Ragnarok is the biggest Thor movie to date in nearly every sense of the word. This is the sort of experience 3D is made for.
There's a lot of 3D potential in Thor: Ragnarok, but beyond that, the film also does a good job executing that potential. Several shots, including many within action-heavy fight scenes, would seem to exist specifically in order to take advantage of the additional depth provided by 3D. Thor: Ragnarok's 3D was created in post-production, as most is these days, which means some of these shots had to be set up with an understanding of how they would work once the movie made the 3D transition.
Slowly but surely, filmmakers seem to be coming to terms with the fact that playing with 3D in front of the screen can be as useful as it is fun. Thor: Ragnarok doesn't take full advantage of this capability, but they do use it. It's especially prominent early in the film during Thor's battles with his trusty hammer, which flies all over the frame, including out of it. Unfortunately, for reasons that are explained in the trailer, we don't get to see nearly as much of that sort of stuff in the latter portions of the film. The fact that it's not replaced with anything is a missed opportunity.
Quite often, depth in 3D is only well presented in scenes that are outdoors and have endless landscapes to display. While Thor: Ragnarok has its share of outer space moments, large portions of the story actually happen indoors, in various rooms and corridors in one palace or another. This often limits how much 3D is able to really shine. Having said that, the film does a great job making these rooms feel real. Everything is framed perfectly so the people seem to be truly standing in a real space, and the viewer feels like they're looking in on that space.
While brightness is always potentially variable with 3D films, since much is dependant on the projector itself, Thor: Ragnarok generally suffers from no problems of brightness. Director Taika Waititi infuses the film with a very bright color scheme that borders on neon at some points. These bright colors help keep the film from ever feeling dark, even when viewing through the necessary filter of a pair of 3D glasses. There was only the briefest moment where things were so dark as to be difficult to make out, but the moment was so brief that it's not worth reducing the points here.
When you remove your 3D glasses during the film you'll get a minor case of double vision as the two parts of the three-dimensional image slightly offset each other. The more depth the frame is trying to create, the more blurry the image will be without your glasses. the amount of motion blur will vary from one shot to the next, but for the most part, you'll get significant blur throughout Thor: Ragnarok showing that work was done to create multiple layers to the image. This even extends to simple scenes where they likely could have gotten away with doing less, but took the time to do more.
Motion sickness is a significant issue for some people when it comes to viewing 3D. Luckily, the camera behaves itself for the most part throughout Thor: Ragnarok and never gets so out of control that you're likely to want to lose your popcorn. Not everybody reacts identically and your mileage may vary, but if you're usually ok with 3D, you'll be ok with it here. Motion sickness is usually exacerbated by a fast moving camera during heavy 3D sections, and you won't find anything like that in Ragnarok.
Thor: Ragnarok is a pretty good movie, even among the generally fun Marvel Cinematic Universe. Odds are you're already going to go see it. The 3D side of the film is not perfect, but it does everything well, and doesn't do anything poorly. It's also quite fun, so if you're willing to spend the extra money, you probably won't be disappointed in it. If you don't, you won't really be missing the high point of the art form, but you will miss some cool effects that add, well, depth to the experience as a whole.
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