Distributed by Viva Pictures, the animation studio behind The Amazing Maurice and Monkey King: Hero is Back. Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow follows the story of a seven-legged huntsman spider (Inspector Sun) who is a bumbling, almost idiotic detective who insists on working alone.
After the villain Red Locust turns himself in, Inspector Sun is suspended indefinitely after constantly taking matters into his own hands at work.
Director: Julio Soto Gurpide
Writer: Rocco Pucillo
Stars: Jesús Barreda, Andrea Villaverde, Catherina Martínez
Beginning in 1934 in Shanghai, the film shows Sun finally boarding a plane bound for New York. Even though he is technically no longer an inspector, he finds himself drawn into a mysterious murder that takes place aboard his plane; a perfect opportunity for the main character to solve the case, save other potential victims, and restore his name.
Directed by Julio Soto Gurpide (2017 CGI animated film, Deep) and written by Rocco Pucillo (visual effects coordinator for The Polar Express, Monster House, Snow White and the Huntsman, and R.I.P.D.), Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow is an animated film that is incapable of catering to a specific audience.
Inspector Sun's character designs and overall visual aesthetic resemble A Bug's Life or Antz, and not in a good way. The animation style looks like it's 25 years old, while the film looks like something you'll find on Dollar Tree shelves for years to come. The small plus is that the hairs on the insect characters are animated very well, but the renders seem to fall apart when you need to see the humans up close. At least with The Amazing Maurice and Monkey King: Hero is Back, the writing made up for the lackluster writing style, which was the hope with Inspector Sun.
Unfortunately, Inspector Sun is no fun, the story is completely boring, and almost everyone gets on his nerves. The main character tries to be this fusion of Inspector Jacques Clouseau from the Pink Panther and Hercule Poirot films. Sun's voice actor, Ronnie Chieng (M3gan, Godzilla vs. Kong), sounds like he's doing a Rich Fulcher impression throughout the movie, which is incredibly awkward.
A vivacious, fast-talking, superfan-turned-detective jumping spider named Janey (voiced by Emily Kleimo), who has followed Sun's entire career and wants to be his sidekick, is a character who, while seemingly destined for comedy . relief, she is annoying in both appearance and execution.
Janey is also a much more competent detective than Sun will ever be. Without her consent, she makes her way onto the plane and into Sun's life. He refuses both her help and assistance at least half a dozen times and she still shows up. She attacks you with her unbearable voice and her inability to shut up throughout the entire movie.
Humor is also the lowest of low comedy that pays off. Most of it seems to attend to feces, sometimes even literally, and in the opening scene a seagull is seen defecating on human police officers. The poop-free officer then says, "Do you know that both spiders and bird poop bring good luck?" Later in the film, the plane's pilot eats a plate with a literal pile of feces at dinner (with a fork). The non-poop humor involves a running gag where Sun can never hear what other people say (loudly) quietly.
The only aspect that Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow executes somewhat efficiently is the perspective on insect life. Everything that happens among insects happens simultaneously in the human world, sometimes resulting in quite unpleasant human reactions.
Red Locust's sinister plan, revealed during the finale, is also somewhat intriguing; even if the movie seems to inject zombie characteristics into what seems like something completely made up for the movie.
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