What's special about Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the character arc that he goes through. From an arrogant, stupid, brave but rash leader to a respectful, mature heir of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), the changeover is admirable. Sons-father conflicts are dramatically revering.
Asgard is a beautiful CGI child. From Bifrost gate-travel, The Destroyer and all the way through Jotunheim, nothing's less than appreciable. This aspect of the film ends up as a demotivating factor too - visual effects galore mold the movie less human, hence less interesting.
In this model of throne-king-successor story, Thor's friends are a bunch of run-of-the-mill characters. Thor's time on Earth and county hammer contest are funny occasions. God of Thunder's inability to lift his hammer is truly sad. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is an intriguing antagonist, and him together with a fast-paced screenplay leads up to a highpoint climax and a touching ending.
"Once, mankind accepted a simple truth. That they were not alone on this universe."