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Insuring the prominent use of retro pop songs in movie trailers for at least another three years, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has garnered the expected critical praise, eye-popping box-office receipts, and sequel confirmations. James Gunn returns to write and direct, with much of the cast and crew of the original following suit. And while the script issues that plagued the 2014 hit have returned with a vengeance for the sequel, there are dazzling individual sequences that delight and elevate the film above the annoying original. Still, that only makes the embarrassing screenplay all the more frustrating, setting a low-ceiling on a potential high-point for the Marvel franchise.

The script problems aren't unlike those that have sunk the majority of the other Marvel films. But at least those features were further degraded by underwhelming action and head-banging nonsense that diminished the effectiveness of their respective films without the bother of their poor screenplays. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, however, is a lot of fun much of the time, which makes the very bad script more frustrating than it might have otherwise been. It doesn't matter how enjoyable a particular action set-piece is; as soon as someone starts to talk, the film becomes actively obnoxious and even painful.

The quips and cutesy humor are eye-rolling, and the crew's banter isn't far removed from the average television sitcom. While there are more moments of genuine laughter in this sequel than its predecessor, the hit-to-miss ratio is still far too low. Additionally, all the characters are carrying way too much baggage. There are too many scenes of people staring off, the music getting quiet, and the characters delving into their storied past, doing a lot of telling-without-showing, and boring the audience with exposition about characters that weren't very interesting to begin with.

Nonetheless, when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 pushes the script to the side, it's wickedly entertaining. There are some moments that will stand high as some of the most enjoyable sequences of the year. And that's to say nothing of the outright stunning visuals; some of the best to ever grace a superhero film. But it cannot be stressed enough how awful the script is, highlighting the very worst that Marvel screenplays have to offer. And then there's the exhausting final half hour, filled with CGI chaos and punchy-shooty stuff as per usual for the studio (even their best films have never been able to stick the landing). It's hard to berate a film that has so many pleasures, but its problems are severe and keep it from greatness (or even goodness). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is one of the best films to come from the MCU, but it might also be the most infuriating.

Score: 6/10