I did not expect to enjoy this movie, but it took me completely by surprise and I had a wonderful time... although I don't know if I took it the way I was supposed to. The scenes in Asgard are so over-the-top that they reach a delightful level of campiness, and I found myself enjoying the bizarre epic scope of those scenes combined with the decidedly non-epic scenes set on earth. It makes absolute sense that Kenneth Branagh directed this, because every line sounds "Shakespearean" - dignified and important. The movie also looks *great*. Rather than make this story gritty or silly, it is made grandiose. It goes far enough to make a really entertaining movie instead of a really pretentious, boring one.