Great fun; but have they jumped the shark?

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2004)

This is a great fun summer blockbuster of a movie, with great visually effects and a nice balance of action and humanity.

* * Possible Spoiler Warning * *

Tobey Maguire demonstrates a deadpan comic delivery brilliantly, especially at the party scene when he misses all the cocktails. And the newspaper editor is still top fun as well. In this sequel we also have the addition of the landlord's daughter, and even several passer-by kids (especially the ones who comment on Peter flipping over a racing car).
But like a lot of people, I am definitely wondering if the storyline has shot itself in the foot, and given away too much too quick. There seem to be a heck of a lot of revelations in this movie, with about 99% of the dramatic tensions set up in the first film all sorted out. Sure, there is an obvious setup for an inevitable sequel, and the energy hasn't lost any steam (and of course there are a whole multitude of villains and other plot devices in the source material). But I am of the feeling that this may have taken away most of the dramatic punch out of the whole series.