After seeing Thor: Ragnarok I can now forgive the MCU for leaving Chris Hemsworth out of Captain America: Civil War. Thor clearly needed some “me time” away from all the doom and gloom, and now that he’s had just that, he’s returning to the screen as a happier, healthier version of himself.

I don’t know if he took some improv or sketch comedy classes, or maybe even just saw a therapist, but it’s clear from the first scene of Thor jovially chatting with an apocalyptic baddie that this is a different Thor than we’re used to. Heck, he’s barely upset when his hammer is destroyed (I swear I could hear Kat Dennings crying out for Mew Mew when this happened), and considering how he reacted to not being able to lift it in his first film I’d say this is a pretty big deal. It’ not that he hasn’t been a fun god to be around before, but now he seems… lighter. Now he’s Guardians of the Galaxy levels of fun.

As is the movie. Honestly, between the look and feel of this part of the universe I wouldn’t have been surprised had Thor actually run into the Guardians on Jeff Goldblum’s gladiator planet. It’s practically a hub world seeings as he runs into everyone else there, from Loki, to Hulk, to Valkyrie. This story is nothing if not a story of convenience, with hardly any obstacle that feels more than a minor annoyance to be stepped over on the path to getting back home, but trust me when I say I’m not complaining. Show me anything you want to, Taiko Waititi, I’m happily strapped in for this ride.

Though Thor: Ragnorak isn’t my favorite superhero film of the year (heck, it might not even be my second favorite seeing as the competition is so strong), it is hard to find negatives to cling to past my anger at the trailer giving away so much of the movie, from plot points to jokes. Sure, I could make fun of how many times Cate Blanchett had to grease her hair back to go into battle mode with a headdress that would make Maleficent jealous, but I won’t. I don’t even want to. And that’s saying something, coming from someone who will grasp tightly to what others would likely consider minor annoyances.

From finally addressing what Loki has been up to since we last saw him in Thor: The Dark World, to the highly anticipated fight between Thor and Hulk, Thor: Ragnarok is brimming with highlight reel footage. And I would be shocked (shocked, I say!) to hear anything other than the majority of viewers agreeing with me that this is the best Thor film yet now that we’ve truly seen what it means to be the God of Thunder.

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(Be sure to tune into the Middle of the Row Podcast next week when Zac, Ben, Jon, and I get into a spoiler filled discussion of the film.)