Thor: Ragnarök is the seventeenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the third film in the Thor series. The film is directed by Taika Waititi and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. The plot revolves around Thor seeking the cosmos for answers about the infinity stones. While on his quest Thor learns that Loki has been impersonating Odin. After returning to Asgard Thor becomes enslaved on the alien planet Sakaar and must find a way to escape in order to save his home from Hela and the impending Ragnarök. Thor: Ragnarök is a fun and exciting film that takes us all over the galaxy. There are many aspects of this film that work. It’s basically “Asgardians of the Galaxy” blending in many elements from James Gunn’s MCU films and elements from the 2006 comic storyline Planet Hulk. Taika Waititi does a great job at mimicking Gunn’s style while continuing to keep it a Thor film at heart. His style of improv comedy works well, for the most part. The score is rocking and the colors are beautiful and vibrant. There are also subtle callbacks to the previous Thor and Avengers films. Hemsworth and Hiddleston continue to turn in fantastic performances as Thor and Loki, respectively. We learn more about their relationship as they spend more time together in this film than they have in any other MCU film. Mark Ruffalo provides an interesting new take on both Banner and Hulk. Hearing Hulk speak and interact outside of fighting is great. Benedict Cumberbatch has a great cameo as Dr. Stephen Strange that provides one of the funnier scenes in the film. His powers have clearly grown since we last saw him. The new characters are great additions. Tessa Thompson’s Scrapper 142, a former Asgardian Valkyrie, is the standout. Cate Blanchett is amazing as Hela, Goddess of Death. She is one of, if not the most powerful MCU villain we have seen in action. However, the funniest of the new additions is Korg, voiced by Taika Waititi, who also did the motion capture. Every word he speaks is hilarious. On to aspects that didn’t work; the film had a little too much comedy. There are several dark events that happen throughout this film which felt like afterthoughts due to the comedic timing around them. A lot of characters die, yet none of it feels important or impactful. Hela, with all her might and power, is given nowhere near as much screentime as she deserves. The same goes for Surtur, who is supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in the MCU. The lack of Jane Foster and Lady Sif is a travesty. These are people Thor cares deeply about and their dismissal is handled poorly. We get a mention of Jane but hear nothing at all about Sif. To make certain aspects of the film work the writers retconned events from previous films, which comes across as confusing for viewers that pay attention to continuity. There are so many questions about the history of Asgard left unanswered. Glossing over this information was a poor choice by the writers because hearing Hela tell the stories is very interesting. Also, while the elements of Planet Hulk are good. I would have rather seen a Planet Hulk film that led to this one. I give Thor: Ragnarök a Decent 8/10. I was promised that this film would be the “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” of Phase 3 and it was not even close. Maybe Black Panther will fulfill that promise.