Is It Action or Comedy? Yes.

Back in May, in a review of “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” in this space, I rambled on for a while about how I felt that comic book movies that don’t star Batman should be, not dark and broody, but fun.

I’m pleased to report that Taika Waititi, the director of “Thor: Ragnarok,” read my words and took them to heart. I’m afraid, though, that he may have gone a bit too far.

There are scenes — many scenes — in “Ragnarok” that are flat-out comedy sequences. Yes, Marvel movies always have a few wisecracks thrown in for levity. But these are entire scenes that exist for one reason only: to make the audience laugh.

Of course, there are action and drama as well. For those not familiar with Norse mythology: Ragnarok is a sort of End of Days, when the universe is destroyed and then reborn. I am happy to report that Earth is unthreatened in “Ragnarok,” but the very existence of Asgard — home to Thor, Odin, Loki, Heimdall and everyone else — is at risk. So the stakes are high.

Which should have been a problem. A movie that’s half light-hearted laugh-fest and half realm-threatening battles and explosions should be so divided against itself it cannot stand. Yet somehow, “Ragnarok” works.

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are here as Thor and Loki, respectively. They, and we, know these characters inside-out at this point, and they deliver as expected. Anthony Hopkins makes the most of his few minutes as Odin.

Tessa Thompson, best known these days for her work on HBO’s “Westworld,” is both formidable and likeable as a fallen Valkyrie who reluctantly returns to Asgard to prevent its destruction. Director Waititi is just marvelous as the voice of a huge humanoid rock creature named Korg.

Two other Marvel characters make crossover appearances. Benedict Cumberbatch appears, quite unnecessarily, as Doctor Strange. And although his entrance is staged as a huge buildup leading to a surprise appearance, the Hulk has been in every trailer and TV commercial, so his presence isn’t really surprising at all.

As for the bad guys, Cate Blanchett takes a devilish, if not particularly original, turn as Hela, the goddess of death. Jeff Goldblum, though, is hilarious as second-string baddie Grandmaster.

But see? That’s what I mean. The film’s secondary villain is played completely for laughs. There’s really nothing threatening about him. And the scene with Doctor Strange is four minutes of pure slapstick, with no real connection to the rest of the movie.

Watching Thor bumbling around Stephen Strange’s townhouse, and Strange messing with Thor for no real reason other than to garner laughs, I was a tad uncomfortable. Call me old-fashioned, but I want my heroes to be heroes, not clowns.

But y’know what? I laughed. And during all the broadly comedic scenes that followed, I laughed. And when Hela did battle with Asgard’s defense forces and then with our heroes, my breath was shallow and my pulse was racing. And when I walked out of the theater I felt satisfied.

What more do you want from a movie?

“Thor: Ragnarok” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive material.