Much like the Western in the 1940s and 1950s, the “comic book movie” as a genre has absolutely exploded over the last two decades. What once felt like an impenetrable oddity has now become one of the most assured commercial successes, as major studios have pushed to churn out as many comic book movie adaptations as possible with no end in sight.

But of course the “comic book movie” isn’t necessarily a genre. A History of Violence and Guardians of the Galaxy are both “comic book movies” but could not be more different in tone, execution, and theme. As studios have flocked to pick up as many comic book properties as possible, the most talented filmmakers have used this as an opportunity to tell unique, disparate stories within the “comic book” umbrella. Logan and Spider-Man: Homecoming and Wonder Woman are all doing very different things, and we the audience are all the better for it.

So with comic book and superhero movies showing no sign of slowing down, Collider’s Haleigh Foutch and Adam Chitwood felt it prudent to take this opportunity to look back and try to single out the “best” comic book movie of each year since the trend exploded. While many point to 2000’s X-Men as a turning point (and it was), that discounts the impact of 1998’s Blade, which similarly took a more grounded, adult approach to the material.

And that’s where we begin our story. Below, we look back and choose the best comic book movie of every year since 1998, when Blade was released. As with all lists of this nature, this one is subjective – there will undoubtedly be disagreement. But this piece is meant to provoke discussion and reflection more than stand as a be-all, end-all authority. So let’s try and keep that in mind.

For an even more comprehensive look at comic book movies, check out our ranking of every superhero movie of the 2010s.

1998 - Blade

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Image via New Line Cinema

When you look at the enduring legacy of Marvel Comics and the current dominance of the MCU at the box office, it’s easy to think that the former always meant the latter was a given. But that’s very much not the case. In fact, just a few years before 1998’s Blade set the stage for the cinematic movement that would redefine contemporary filmmaking, Marvel Entertainment Group filed for bankruptcy. The last movie based on a Marvel character that hit theaters was 1986’s Howard the Duck (which was also the first since the 1944 Captain America serial), making Blade the first Marvel movie since the underwhelming DTV 90s duo of The Punisher and Captain America. And against all the odds, it was a hit, taking home $131 million at the box office on a reported $45 million budget.

Too often forgotten as the movie that launched the modern superhero craze, Blade adapted loosely from the Marvel Comics character, reinventing the vampiric vampire hunter and tailoring it to star Wesley Snipes. Director Stephen Norrington worked from a script by David S. Goyer, who would go on to be a formative figure in DC movies with his work on Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films and Zack Snyder’s DCEU films, and it’s easier to see the lineage of the “grittier” take those films offered in Blade. And it holds up very well, especially for a film with such a peak late-90s soundtrack, undercurrent of goth culture, and of course, an action star of the era in Snipes. Stephen Dorff also crushed it as the villainous Deacon Frost, and Blade’s mature R-rated take allowed for the kind of enduring, gleeful villain the MCU struggled to nail for a while. Ultimately, Blade re-wrote the rules. It said firmly that comic book movies weren’t just for kids, they weren’t just for die-hard fans, and the could re-born and re-molded – no capes, cowls, or secret identities – bloody and bold as they wanted to be, to take new life on screen. – Haleigh Foutch

1999 – Mystery Men

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Image via Universal Pictures

While 1999 is one of the best years for film ever, it’s slim pickens when it comes to comic book movies. So Mystery Men, a loose adaptation of Bob Burden’s Flaming Carrot Comics, kind of wins by default here. But it’s a pretty fun movie that has a bit of a darker edge to it, as it follows a group of lesser superheroes with unimpressive powers (like the power to be invisible but only when no one’s looking) who are forced to save the day when a villain named Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) prepares to unleash a weapon on Champion City. Mystery Men was a little ahead of its time, and one imagines it may have been a bigger success had it been released when general audiences were more familiar with comic book movie tropes. But Ben Stiller is a hoot as a man with the power of being angry, and the cadre of colorful characters and the film’s willingness to be extremely weird make it an entertaining and unique comedy. – Adam Chitwood

2000 - X-Men

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Image via 20th Century Fox

If Blade helped spark the current wave of superhero movies, X-Men helped define it. A pall hangs over the whole franchise in the aftermath of the horrific allegations against Bryan Singer, but X-Men was the movie that set the template for the superhero craze we’re still living in two decades later. Producer Lauren Schuler Donner saw the untapped potential of the X-Men’s popularity and ushered the project to the screen in a protracted, nearly two-decade-long trudge to the finish line that saw a rotating door of Hollywood’s biggest names come and go, from James Cameron to Michael Chabon. Ultimately, screenwriter David Hayter was hired to bring the film to its finished form, an ensemble superhero epic that grounded the material with a sociopolitical undercurrent, going on to become the top-grossing movie of the year and proving that superhero movies could deliver at the box office in a big way.

Part of the film’s genius was also in the casting, recruiting celebrated veteran actors like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan to play Professor X and Magneto, and in one of the great finds of the era, casting the then-unknown Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Those performances fuelled the franchise for another 20 years, while the film’s less campy, more serious approach to the material (and even more serious performance at the box office) recontextualized how the industry perceived superhero movies. And of course, there’s the Kevin Feige of it. The future head of the Marvel Cinematic Universe made his filmmaking debut on X-Men, reportedly encouraging a more faithful adaptation of the comics, marking the arrival of one of the most important voices in the future of superhero cinema. From the creative approach to the tone, the cast to the production team, X-Men was one of the most pivotal moments in the history of superhero cinema. And while it may not be the best X-Men movie, it holds up as a pretty dang enjoyable action blockbuster too. -- Haleigh Foutch

2001 - Josie and the Pussycats

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Image via MGM and Universal Pictures

Runner Up: Ghost World

Let’s just say it takes a lot to beat out Ghost World. Josie and the Pussycats is one of those movies that never got the respect it deserved when it first hit theaters, but has kindled up quite the cult following in the years since. And thank goodness for that, because it’s an ahead-of-its-time comedy gem that boasts one of the best original soundtracks of the era. Produced by R&B legend Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds with Letters to Cleo frontwoman Kay Hanley providing lead vocals, the soundtrack absolutely rips. But as anyone who grew up with the smell of Herbal Essences and a tube of 3D Doritos in hand, that was never in question. What critics and the zeitgeist have only recently caught up with is the quality of the film itself, a gleeful Girl Power-era ode to the power of music and friendship that didn’t pander to its audience.

To the contrary, Josie and the Pussycats is a clever takedown of corporate culture and rampant consumerism that doesn’t just take down for-profit feminism, but shows us what the real stuff looks like; like damn good friends looking out for each other, supporting each other, and using their voices to amplify what they believe in. Rachael Lee Cook, Rosario Dawson, and Tara Reid star as the title trio, propping each other up at every turn and bouncing off of each other with giddy exuberance. And then there’s the always exceptional Parker Posey and Alan Cumming as the big bads trying to buyout their wholesome enterprise and repackage it for mass consumption. Like everything else in Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan’s unsung classic, the cast is bright and buoyant. Josie and the Pussycats is without question the most joyful movie on this list and easily the one most deserving of reappraisal. – Haleigh Foutch

2002 - Spider-Man

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Image via Sony Pictures

Runner Up: Blade II

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is a true one-of-a-kind piece of comic book filmmaking that’s just as much born from his love of Golden Age cinema as it is his passion for the pulpy splash pages of Marvel comics. It’s a combination that plays like a charm, perhaps the comic book movie to date that feels most like a classic comic brought to life, and I’m of the controversial, oft-@’ed opinion that it’s still my favorite Spider-Man movie. (I assure you there’s no need to @ me, I’ve heard it all.) Toby Maguire is objectively, hilariously too old for the role, but he also absolutely nails the earnest, wide-eyed good nature of the character. And he’s matched by a ripping, iconic turn from Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin. There’s a purity and unassuming quality to Spider-Man that sets it apart from its peers, giving it a singular shine that hasn’t dulled a bit for me in the years since. – Haleigh Foutch

2003 - X2: X-Men United

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Runners Up: American Splendor, Hulk

X2, sometimes called X2: X-Men United, was an extremely big deal when it was released. It was the highly anticipated sequel to the successful and genre-defining X-Men, and also came on the heels of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man setting box office records and getting audiences positively hyped for new comic book movies. And you know what? X2 holds up. The action set pieces remain spectacular, and the film is tremendously effective in continuing the Wolverine storyline that began with the first movie. What really sets it apart, however, is Brian Cox’s performance as William Stryker – one of the franchise’s best and most effective villains. X2 really dials into the hate and prejudice against mutants, but puts a militant human on the opposing side with the wherewithal to round up all the mutants he can – despite the fact that his own son is a mutant. The thematic parallels to the fight for LGBTQ rights are clear as day, and in that way the film is something of a time capsule. It’s also just tons of fun and the craft is elevated from the first movie in an epic yet elegant way, building to a bittersweet finale that sets up the Dark Phoenix saga perfectly. Too bad they never nailed that storyline… — Adam Chitwood

2004 - Spider-Man 2

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Image via Sony Pictures

Once upon a time, Spider-Man 2 was hailed as one of the best sequels ever made. Now, in the wake of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the gritty DC approach, its status appears to have fallen despite the fact that it is Great, Actually. Sam Raimi’s approach to Spider-Man was certainly more elevated than what came later, but Spider-Man 2 gleefully toes the line between cartoony and relatable. This is a comic book movie for goodness’ sake, so why wouldn’t Raimi let his horror flag fly in that iconic Doc Ock sequence? But beyond the theatrics, Spider-Man 2 is also an emotionally grounded story about maturity, and Peter Parker’s inability to balance his duties as Spider-Man with his human relationships as himself. Spider-Man 2 is great storytelling from top to bottom. – Adam Chitwood

2005 - Batman Begins

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Image via Warner Bros.

Runners Up: Constantine, A History of Violence

All-told, Batman Begins is one of the most influential comic book movies ever made. And it’s good too! In the wake of its release, studios were aflutter with projects described as “a gritty reboot in the vein of Batman Begins.” Director Christopher Nolan’s approach to the iconic character was to present a logical explanation for every aspect of his being, resulting in a tremendously grounded comic book adaptation that avoided the logic leaps of, say, X-Men or Spider-Man and instead envisioned what the real world would look like if Batman actually existed. Christian Bale turned in a fittingly grounded performance, and every corner of Nolan’s design was in lock-step with the film’s modus operandi – from the “Tumbler” to Jonathan Crane’s transformation into Scarecrow. And on top of delivering on a blockbuster and pure entertainment level, Nolan was able to also craft a thematically rich story about fear. Not bad for a “comic book movie.” – Adam Chitwood

2006 - Superman Returns

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Image via Warner Bros.

Yes, Superman Returns is Good, Actually. Director Bryan Singer – whose personal allegations are deeply troubling and not something to discount – took an adoring approach to this reboot, crafting something of a sequel to Richard Donner’s film albeit with a new cast. And while many were upset by the film’s lack of action and violence, I actually think the tone is spot on for the character of Superman. This is an alien whose entire defining quality is protecting others. He doesn’t often go on the offensive, so to see him spend the entire movie saving people – especially in the wake of 9/11 – is a refreshing and inspiring thing. Brandon Routh made a terrific Superman, and it’s a shame he didn’t get the opportunity to further explore the character. – Adam Chitwood

2007 - 30 Days of Night

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Image via Columbia Pictures

30 Days of Night easily ranks among my picks for the most underrated horror movies of the 21st Century. Riffing on the genuinely inspired concept in Steve Niles’ comic book miniseries of the same name, the film sees a pack of ancient vampires descend upon an Alaskan town as it settles in for a month-long polar night. Chalk it up to Josh Hartnett backlash or vampire malaise after a string of subpar early-aughts offerings including Dracula 2000, Queen of the Damned, and Van Helsing, but audiences and critics pretty much panned the film upon release. Which is insane because it freaking rules. It’s the scariest vampires have been on screen in ages. Danny Huston? Terrifying. Ben Foster? Not even a vampire, still terrifying! Director David Slade and cinematographer Jo Willems shoot the hell out of the bleak, brutal horror movie, making the vampires feel like a force of nature, as unavoidable as the frigid winter. I’m still waiting for this one to have a proper cultural reappraisal, but for now, I’ll be here beating the drum that 30 Days of Night is one hell of a horror movie and one hell of an unexpected comic book adaptation. – Haleigh Foutch

2008 - The Dark Knight

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Image via Warner Bros.

Runners Up: Iron Man, The Punisher: War Zone

Christopher Nolan redefined what a Batman movie could look like with Batman Begins, but with The Dark Knight, he set a bar for grounded, naturalistic superhero storytelling that filmmakers are still trying to top to this day. It’s considered by many to be the best comic book movie of all time, and it’s easy to see why, because Nolan doesn’t condescend to the genre he’s working in, he embraces it and treats it with the respect you would any other great crime drama. The payoff is a film that plays like one of the greats in turn, featuring an all-timer performance from the late Heath Ledger as the Joker; one of the most transformative on-screen performances of the last 20 years. And Nolan is smart enough to know that just because you’re playing it straight doesn’t mean you’re sapping it of the spark of imagination and adrenaline that makes the superhero genre so enduring. Whether it’s the action scenes or the quieter character beats, The Dark Knight is a masterclass in precision filmmaking and it’s the only movie that could have won out in the same year that gave us the game-changer that is Iron Man. – Haleigh Foutch

2009 - Watchmen

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Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Watchmen was long considered the pinnacle of unadaptable comic books, and for good reason; it’s a dense, existential, provocative piece of material filled with interludes and subplots, a massive ensemble of barely likable to downright reprehensible characters, and a criticism of the superhero narrative in general that resists cinematic adaptation. And then there’s that impossible ending. Zack Snyder’s 2009 film version doesn’t get all of that right, but it’s about as dotingly faithful and stylishly made as you could ask for in a feature-length film. I’ve made my case for why I think the controversial ending switcheroo works in the context of the film, but putting that aside, along with the entire conversation of which cut is best (it’s the Director’s Cut,) Watchmen is one of the most visually stunning comic book movies of all time, anchored by a knockout ensemble (they’re all great but Jackie Earle Haley is definitive,) Larry Fong’s lush cinematography, and some of the most outstanding fight choreography on this list. – Haleigh Foutch

2010 - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

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Image via Universal Pictures

Runners Up: Kick-Ass, Super

Edgar Wright is one of the best and most exciting filmmakers working today, so of course he made a great comic book adaptation. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is vibrant and pulsating and full of life, but for all its unique ways of bringing the action of the graphic novel to the screen, it’s ultimately a sweet coming-of-age story about a selfish jerk who learns to become a somewhat compassionate human being. It helps that it’s also hilarious and has a cast stacked full of incredible performers (Chris Evans as Lucas Lee is perfection), and also has a killer soundtrack. This is the kind of movie where if one thing goes wrong, it all falls apart. And luckily for Wright, he’s a genius, so pretty much every single thing he does here works beautifully. – Adam Chitwood

2011 - X-Men: First Class

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Runners Up: Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor

X-Men: First Class is the best X-Men movie ever made, and a window into an alternate universe in which this franchise could have really soared. The decision to set the action in the 1960s was a brilliant one, but there are three main elements that set this movie apart: Matthew Vaughn’s vigorous direction, Vaughn and Jane Goldman’s flirty yet dangerous screenplay, and the absolutely incredible ensemble cast. Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Kevin Bacon, and Rose Byrne all in the same movie? And it’s good? The film maintains the grounded tone of the previous films while also embracing the 60s flair with a Bond-like approach to the aesthetic and action. It’s fun and serious at the same time, allowing the young mutants to have fun while also absolutely nailing the heartbreaking final act in which Charles and Erik’s relationship is irreparably broken. What a picture. – Adam Chitwood

2012 - The Avengers

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Image via Marvel Studios

Runners Up: Dredd, The Dark Knight Rises, Men in Black 3

The Avengers redefined what movies can be. Take one look at the Great Scorsese Debates of 2019 and it’s easy to see that it’s a complicated legacy in terms of how it changed filmmaking and distribution, but it was an innovative, ambitious, and audacious act of franchising and long-game payoff all the same. Shepherded by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the Marvel Cinematic Universe started with a gamble on the then somewhat obscure Iron Man, slyly expanding with each new installment and the crossover post-credits scenes, until it all culminated in 2012’s Avengers.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, who established a knack for ensemble storytelling with series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly before establishing his film directing credentials with 2005’s Serenity, Avengers wove together the key players of the newly established Marvel Cinematic Universe in a thrilling, expertly balanced team-up tale. We’re rounding a decade since Avengers changed the game, and compared with the epic scope of Infinity War and Endgame, it almost feels quaint. But the beats and (most of) the jokes still land, the cast really is iconic in the film that cemented their place in the canon of film history, and that shot of the Avengers assembling, you know the one, still conjures up a pure thrill of delight. It may have one of the clunkiest openings in all of the MCU, and you can see them ironing out the kinks of forging a cinematic universe in real-time, but there’s a sense of wonder and of awe at the idea of heroes that never seems to dissipate. – Haleigh Foutch

2013 - Snowpiercer

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Image via The Weinstein Company

Runners Up: Man of Steel, Iron Man 3

If you want to see Captain America monologuing about eating babies, boy do I have a movie for you! Before he became the awards darling du jour with the phenomenal Parasite, Bong Joon Ho built a career subverting genre expectations, from crime thrillers to monster movies. Inspired by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette’s post-apocalyptic graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer is a proto-Parasite of sorts, staged across the devastating class disparity between the passenger cars in a never-stopping train full of survivors in an environmental apocalypse. Chris Evans leads the starving, squalid passengers in the back to revolution, fighting through the increasingly decadent extravagance of the forward cabins towards the horrific truth of an existence from which there seems no escape. This was another one of those really tough years. I love Man of Steel and Iron Man 3 both very much, but Director Bong’s prowess with his camera, characters, and action set-pieces alike are an unrivaled force. – Haleigh Foutch

2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy

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Image via Marvel Studios

Runners Up: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Kingsman: The Secret Service

Boy, Guardians of the Galaxy is just an absolutely joyous movie. It is so specifically James Gunn, and yet also tremendously universal in its reach. When all is said and done, we’ll likely look back on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and point to Guardians as one of (if not the) most influential films they ever made. Think of all the sci-fi movies that have come in its wake with an “edgy” sense of humor and team sensibility. But what makes Guardians difficult to replicate is the specificity with which Gunn approached each character. Even Drax, who’s used as a punchline a lot of the time, has an emotional arc within the film. It’s the story of a group of misfits and damaged beings who find solace in companionship even when they don’t want to admit it. They’re selfish and impulsive and imperfect, but at the end of the day, they’re willing to lay their lives on the line to save others. Reluctantly, of course. And that’s to say nothing of the craft (so colorful!), soundtrack (bop after bop), and performances (spot-on). Guardians of the Galaxy is a special movie. – Adam Chitwood

2015 - Avengers: Age of Ultron

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Image via Marvel Studios

Runner Up: Ant-Man

A controversial choice I know, but while imperfect, Avengers: Age of Ultron is deeply interesting and ambitiously weird. This is one big father/son story between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his resentful robot creation Ultron (James Spader), who can’t help but be like his dad despite how hard he tries not to. Thematically, Age of Ultron is tremendously rich. It sets the stage for the MCU to come, as Tony – thinking only he knows best – goes too far and puts the entire world in jeopardy. You’ve also got Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) wrestling with their violent pasts and whether either of them can ever have a “normal” life, and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) shows everyone up by proving the key to keeping personal relationships as a superhero is hiding them from your co-workers. The whole story is about wrestling with the reality of being a superhero team, and how that rubs up against the Avengers as individuals. The film isn’t flawless – it’s one set piece too long, Qucksilver and Scarlet Witch are duds, and Thor gets sidelined for the majority of the film – but it gets points for ambition and at least trying to tackle different themes in an organic way. That’s more than can be said for most superhero sequels. – Adam Chitwood

2016 - Deadpool

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Runner Up: Captain America: Civil War

Yes Captain America: Civil War is fun and epic and surprising, but Deadpool changed the game. Years in the making, 20th Century Fox finally agreed to make this irreverent R-rated superhero movie, and in doing so was able to break away from the competition between Marvel Studios movies and everything else. Deadpool embraces everything it can do that MCU movies can’t, and in that way stands out from the rest of the pack. Ryan Reynolds is perfectly cast, and the film’s non-linear narrative does wonders for stretching the limited budget as far as it can go – it’s a movie that feels bigger than it actually is. But the key is grounding all the vulgarity in an emotional truth at the center, and that’s a deeply sad and traumatic story for Wade Wilson. Underneath the dick jokes and graphic violence, Deadpool is a softie at heart.

2017 - Thor: Ragnarok

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Image via Marvel Studios

Runners Up: Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Wonder Woman, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

This was, without question, the hardest year to pick a favorite for. Wonder Woman is the most influential and 3/4 of a delightful film. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is wondrous. Spider-Man: Homecoming might be my most rewatched comfort movie of the last few years. Logan is… exceptional. But if I’m getting real honest with myself, Thor: Ragnarok is my favorite. It’s not the most meaningful, the most impactful, or the most emotional, but it’s one of the best times I’ve had at the movies in ages.

Taika Waititi continues his crusade to be the most while giving the least fucks, raising the bar, doing it fabulously, and fully embracing the sense of fun and wonder that was needed to unlock the full potential of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Channeling the vibrant colors and bold lines of Jack Kirby’s iconic comic art, Waititi pole vaulted off of the irreverent, humorous tone James Gunn introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy straight to winged horses and implied space orgies, infusing the MCU with his distinct sense of humor and personality. He also surrounded Hemsworth with a wild ensemble of characters to match the God of Thunder’s inherent extravagance; scene-stealer Tom Hiddleston as Loki, of course, fellow Avenger Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, and newcomers Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, and Cate Blanchett tearing it up as the whacky denizens of the cosmos. It’s just a blast, from start to finish, and every time I turn it on, the minutes of Thor: Ragnarok fly by, soaring down the bright, breezy rainbow bridge to Waititi’s wonderfully distinct beat. – Haleigh Foutch