The past two ‘Thor’ installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been decently received by fans and critics alike. However, the stale story of a galactic superhero being reduced to adventures on earth has become boring.

Enter “Thor: Ragnarok,” which is not only easily the best ‘Thor’ movie in the MCU, but one of the best films in the franchise to date.

Director Taika Waititi takes all of the boring parts of Marvel’s god of thunder and discards them for new, exciting ways to explore the character.

The main antagonist, Hela, played by Cate Blanchett, is one of the strongest villains MCU villains yet, with her power level definitely larger than most foes faced before. The twist with her character makes the movie more interesting to ‘Thor’ lore.

However, while she is a good addition to the MCU’s roster of villains, the character’s set-up is lacking in screen time. Hela could use another 10 to 20 minutes on screen to better tell her story and add to her relevance.

Meanwhile, returning god of mischief Loki switches back and forth between foe and friend as usual.

Many supporting characters add funny moments throughout the film. The rock-like creature Korg, played by Waititi, who steals almost every scene he is in.

The motives of hard-drinking warrior Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, throughout the movie are also fun to watch. She will add more cool moments in the future of MCU films.

Also, it is no secret that a certain angry green superhero appears in the movie. Hulk, who has not been seen since “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” shows up and actually fights Thor. He also helps introduce aspects of the ‘Planet Hulk’ storyline from the comics.

The best parts of the film are not only the overall improvement to Thor’s character, but also letting fun and humor become a stronger theme throughout the movie. While the humor is sprinkled throughout the entire film, it only feels forced a couple of times.

Overall, Thor is refreshed, and, instead of being a lower tier Avenger, this film pushes him to the forefront of Marvel movies.

“Thor: Ragnarok” gets 4 ½ out of five stars from me and jumps into my top five MCU movies so far.

With “Avengers: Infinity War” on the horizon, Thor pushes the MCU closer and closer to Avengers antagonist Thanos. “Black Panther” debuts February 16, and Thor will return in “Infinity War” May 4.