Thor smashes into theaters in its most critically acclaimed installment yet--foretelling Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods.

It’s neon, rocking, and totally unexpected. Fresh talent director, the New Zealander Taika Waititi, gives Thor a brand new look. Literally--and when the Entertainment Weekly cover debuted, the sight of Thor’s shorn gold locks shocked subscribers. But even Chris Hemsworth agreed it was time for a change, admitting to being “sick” of himself as the character.

And so, pumped up with a memorable, dazzling ’80s synth track, the end of the world actually looks like a lot of fun. Not to say the film is cheap, or ridiculous in any way--there are epic moments galore, like the breathtaking panorama of the Valkyrie fleet, descending from the skies to battle the film’s villainess, that looks straight from the apocalypse. But Ragnarok has a lot of fun. There are countless juicy callbacks to previous films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as Iron Man’s unceremonious dubbing of Thor as “Point Break,” a quick (video) appearance of Black Widow, reciting the mantra to calm down the Hulk, and the quinjet plane that mysteriously took Hulk out of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Marvel’s films consistently emphasize they are a part of a greater universe, in a way that does not have to be limiting. And, Ragnarok recognizes the potential of being able to draw from such a rich tapestry of rapidly accumulating movie history. Doctor Strange makes a hilarious cameo as the straight-faced “wizard?” who guides Thor and Loki to his father, who, having finally broken free from Loki’s spell, has kept his exile in Norway, the homeland of Norse myth.

The film is visually full of color, raging and vibrant, with jokes that fly past your head like swings in a match. As the director notes, some of the most “underutilized” comic talents may hail from the God of Thunder himself, as Chris Hemsworth is indeed fearlessly funny as the self-recognized Hero. Mark Ruffalo, as the Hulk, is constantly stressing out. The film also isn’t afraid to make fun of itself. There’s an entire street festival for the Hulk, with bright green papier-mâché masks and everything. I’m revealing all of Ragnarok’s Easter Eggs, but there’s even an exaggerated play of Loki’s death that comes from the critically “too serious” Thor: The Dark World, where Luke Hemsworth, Chris Hemsworth’s brother, plays Thor, and Loki is Matt Damon.

“And what were you the god of, again?” smirks Hela, who, in a great reveal, is Thor’s older sister, the first, most ambitious and murderous offspring of Odin. She may be the Goddess of Death, but Hela has a penchant for stealing Thor’s thunder. The actress Cate Blanchett is so bad it’s good: as one of the most formidable pieces in the film, and the first female villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With clouds of darkness circling her eyes, a suit veined in green, and an intimate rapport with death, Hela is a rockstar with swagger. Better yet, she has a rich backstory. Her thirst for blood was once hers and Odin’s, and as she pulls back the curtain on the all-good Allfather by ripping away a ceiling fresco, Hela reveals a shocking mural underneath of herself and Odin fighting side by side, bloodying the realms into submission. It was war and nothing else, she says, that built up Asgard as a throne above the seven realms. She served as her father’s executioner, until Odin grew frightened by Hela’s willingness to kill, and banished her for life. But, as his own life draws to a close, Hela returns from exile. She draws her power from Asgard; she wants it all.

As Thor’s mother and father figures fade away, and his royal family drama somehow only accelerates, where does the Hulk come into play? The premise of the film is all too clever: after Hela returns, and Loki blurts out for the Bifrost to take them, Hela gets a free ride to Asgard, kicking her brothers out into space during intergalactic passage. Thor wakes on the alien planet Sakaar, where captured “contenders” on the junk planet are brought before its fabulous dictator, the Grandmaster, to play in his gladiatorial Hunger Games. Thor doesn’t know, until he steps into the arena, that the defending champion is the “incredible!” Hulk. Poor Hulk, who has been stuck as Hulk for two years; a great deal of laughs in the film come from Thor trying to convert him back to the nerdy little science human Bruce Banner he’ll need to get back to Asgard.

The other treat of the film is newcomer Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, once a fighter in the elite legion of Asgardian women warriors, who turned to drinking and gambling after watching her sister warriors being butchered by Hela, years ago. Unapologetically herself, brash, prideful, remorseful, and yes, constantly chugging drinks, Valkyrie is a woman of color, badass, complicated, likable, without trying to shove a message down your throat. We don’t get to see a woman like this very often in action movies, whose high action tend to exaggerate male stereotypes of fighting power. Valkyrie, as Thompson confirmed on Twitter, is also bisexual, which makes for the MCU’s first LGBTQ character.

And, finally, Loki: while Thor’s foil, the cackling, tormented, clever God of Mischief does not play as large a role in the film, it does him justice in quips, plots, and biting one-liners. Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki, remains the class act. There is still emotional gravitas to the character, as there must be, given the complicated past between brothers. But in an elevator, Thor admits, “But at the end of the day, you’re you and I’m me.” Ragnarok returns Loki to his squarely “chaotic neutral” roots, as some have said, and say where he should be, after he has been everywhere, done everything in previous Marvel films. It’s still a treat to see the brothers together again, as different as night and day.

Just as it hits its umpteenth movie in an universe that is only getting bigger, Marvel is expanding what it means to write a superhero movie. That comes with new directors, and new artistic vision. 2017’s Logan was a western noir with blood and guts dripping from its claws, 2016’s Deadpool an obscene feast. Ragnarok appears to take leave from its rocking cousin, Guardians of the Galaxy, although its fresh take on beloved characters is specially rewarding. So far, Thor cuts an impressive trail in its movie trilogy: the first being a small-town debut in the making of a hero; the second, one man against dark, impossible forces. The third is one heck of a ride. The end is near.