As 2018 comes to a close I thought it would be a good time to share my favorite physical releases of the year. I am a big supporter of physical media and will continue to support it. I like owning my movies that I can hold, not in some cloud somewhere. I love box art. This year was a great year for exclusive Steelbooks at Best Buy. Some of them will make my list. In deciding the number I fell on the most obvious one, 18.

Number 8 is the third part in an epic saga, Thor: Ragnarok in stunning 4K!

After a somewhat disappointing second outing, Thor returns with a new director and an awesome blend of humor, action and music. Thor: Ragnarok is everything a sequel should be.

Thor starts the movie captured by a monster called Surtur, who tells Thor of a prophecy that tells of the destruction of Asgard known Ragnarok. Thor of course defeats Surtur and returns to Asgard to find his brother Loki has taken the place of their father Odin. After Thor confronts Loki they head to Earth to find Odin. Thor and Loki learn that Odin is dying and with his death, their previously unknown sister Hela will return to rule Asgard. Odin dies, Hela returns and destroys Thor’s hammer. Thor is hurled into space and lands on the battle world Sakaar. On Sakaar Thor is forced to fight the grand champion in a gladiator fight. Thor learns that Hulk is the champion and they plan to escape Sakaar to confront Hela and reclaim Asgard.

Ragnarok is a colorful blast of awesomeness. Thor and Hulk have a great buddy comedy arc. Also awesome is Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster, Cate Blanchett as Hela and the director Taika Waititi as Korg. All of these characters blend seamlessly with amazing techno, synth score with some classic Led Zeppelin sprinkled in. This movie is just a feast for the eyes and ears. Ragnarok funny, action packed two hours of comic book goodness.

If ever there was a movie made for UHD its Thor: Ragnarok. Colors explode off the screen in eye popping detail. The costumes just ooze texture. The sets have amazing depth and clarity. This is one spectacular looking disc.

The audio is also stellar. The music is off the charts catchy. From the original score is so unique that it being so thumping good on the UHD disc is no surprise. The dialogue is crystal clear. The battle scenes are loud and incredible. You need to show this movie off to your friends and let them know why they need a 4K TV.

No extras are found on the UHD but the accompanying blu-ray is loaded. There are seven featurettes that cover the making of Ragnarok. A cool one deals with Jack Kirby’s influence on the film with a nice tribute. Over five minutes of deleted scenes, and a gag reel are also found on the disc. A cool little sequence that is animated in 8-Bit style. But by far the best extra on the disc is the audio commentary with Taika Waititi. It’s engaging and probably the funniest commentary I have ever heard. I won’t spoil what happens on the commentary but you need to listen to it.

The Best Buy exclusive Steelbook is amazing. Thor coming out of some red sand is striking, the inside looks great too, with Thor and Hulk leaping at each other in battle. This is one cool Steelbook.

Thor: Ragnarok is a stunning entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It needs to be seen in 4K to fully appreciate the awesomeness of the eye popping visuals.

Film: A

Video: A+

Audio: A+

Extras: A

Steelbook: A

Overall: A