As I’m sure most moviegoers have noticed by now, Marvel movies almost always follow a formula. They use it in all of their movies; if you pay attention, it is obvious in the pacing, frequency of certain types of scenes, and similar character arcs.

That being said, this formula isn’t a bad one. It always guarantees a film of a certain quality, and has established a good reputation for Marvel Studios. But, like most movie tropes, it gets old.

We are over a decade into this modern wave of superhero films, and we need something new which, to a certain extent, this movie offers. With its colorful, science fiction aesthetic and increased comedic emphasis, Thor: Ragnarok is able to offer some much-needed variety in the Marvel catalog.

From a visual standpoint, this film looks fantastic. The junkyard-esque planet of Sakaar provides an exciting, vibrant backdrop for the  majority of the story, eliminating Marvel’s usual problem of half the film taking place in metal corridors and bunkers.

The jokes are also pretty well written. Most usually just make you exhale out of your nose a bit, but some actually trigger an audible giggle. Ironically, this is rare in most comedy-centric films.

The story overall offers variety from the standard formula to a certain extent, but these new techniques did have their shortcomings, especially in substance. To have a truly effective movie, you need a proper balance of comedy and drama to create contrast. Ragnarok offset that balance a bit too much, with too much banter and too many scenes that exist purely for their comedic value. Because of this, many of the events that should have some sort of emotional effect fall flat.

A well-rounded movie should make the viewer feel a variety of emotions throughout its duration, because as I said before, things tend to get old after a while. This movie was almost there, but with writers whose skillsets lie in comedy, dramatic shortcomings were to be expected.

Overall, Thor Ragnarok stands in the better half of Marvel films, and while it lacks dramatic substance and contrast, its comedic and stylistic triumphs set it above the average superhero flick.