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Rating: 4.7/5
Review: "Thor: Ragnarok IMAX 3D review" (130 minutes)

"Thanks to director Taika Waititi's confident direction, one of the best Marvel's effort is a colorful hoot to watch."

To be honest, I didn't have high expectations for the third installment of the Thor franchise. I still find the first Thor one of the weakest Marvel movies. Thor: The Dark World is an improvement by showcasing more of the epic scope of the God's world. When the trailers for Ragnarok were released, I didn't know what to expect: the trailers show that it is a colorful, light-hearted CGI fest. Light-hearted is not something we have come to associate with Thor. The early reviews began to worry me more when some reviews state that it is the funniest Marvel movie to date. Even funnier than the goofball Guardians of the galaxy. So I went to the IMAX cinema with an expectation of just to be entertained. Imagine my surprise that I enjoyed it a lot. After walking out of the cinema, I was shocked that a Thor movie could be as entertaining as hell. Heck, it is one of the best Marvel movie.

The story: It has a pretty straightforward plot. What stands out it has a likeable energy throughout the whole movie. Right from the start where Thor is captured by a gigantic God, Surtur, director Taika Waititi captures your attention with witty lines and stunning CGI along with a brisk pace. It is definitely more light-hearted than the previous Thor installments but Taika also knows how to pack a punch. It is in fact the most action-packed Marvel movie to date. There is a lot of big scaled action. The action may not be extended but it is skillfully shot and thrilling enough to entertain the heck out of you. Even Marvel's usually weakest aspect, the villain, is improved here. Cate Blanchett plays a menacing Hela and that is enough to be a decent villain. She has a fair share of screen time and is involved in a few action scenes. Thor has definitely lighten up, he talks witty and brings in a few humorous jokes to the table. Loki is still decent and has not improved much over the last few years. Franchise newcomers Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster impress with their characters. The only disappointing character is Karl Urban's Skurge. But he is forgivable as he is surrounded with many impressive characters fighting for screen time. Music by Mark Mothersbaugh is surprisingly effective. He can skillfully compose both epic and electronic music. In my opinion, he has created some of the best music ever heard in a Marvel's movie. As much I was entertained, I still wish that the comedy tone could be toned down a little.

IMAX 3D: I didn't watch many movies in IMAX 3D (The Amazing Spider-Man and Batman V Superman were the only ones). It is the best experience in IMAX so far. The scope of the movie can be felt on the huge screen. The usage of the 3D is stellar and it seems that Taika planned the movie with 3D in mind. Some of the best moments are when a tiny object is set behind the vast environment such as Valkyrie's space plane in front of the hulking stadium. The depth is great and it is effective during the action scenes. There are two minor flaws: there is ghosting in some scenes and the Chinese subtitles were distracting.

Overall: This is one of the surprise hit for me. And that's why I enjoyed this movie so much. This year has been a good year for movies and Marvel has strike gold again with Thor: Ragnarok after the mildly disappointing Spider-Man: Homecoming.

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