Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow is an intriguing detective novel written by acclaimed author Lee Choon Toi. The story revolves around Inspector Sun, a brilliant detective renowned for his keen investigative skills and sharp intuition. The plot unfolds in the seemingly tranquil city of Mosswood, which is plagued by a series of mysterious deaths. All the victims are influential individuals in the city, and all of them have been found dead with spider bites, linking them to the myth of the deadly Black Widow. As Inspector Sun delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of deceit, power, and revenge. He discovers that each victim had a connection to a criminal organization known as the Crimson Spider, led by the enigmatic Black Widow.
Inspector Sun and the Curse of The Black Widow
I used to enjoy the mystery books by the great John Bellairs, such as The Curse of the Blue Figurine, when I was a child. As a second grader, I was fascinated by the cover and brief description on the back of Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie, but unfortunately, the text was obviously too advanced for me. The curiosity of mystery in movies and literature is appealing to many kids, but there are so few films that are appropriate for them. This being said- Inspector Sun and the Curse of The Black Widow is a lighthearted romp in the style of the Pink Panther films starring Peter Sellers and with an Agatha Christie/Charlie Chan vibe to it. It is all so innocent and good-natured that you wouldn’t know it was a murder mystery (of bug characters). Some parents may be sensitive to this, so caution is advised.
Inspector Sun tells the story of the titular character, a cartoon spider detective with an Inspector Clouseau inflated sense of ego and an exaggerated brand of Sherlock Holmesian intellectual superiority. After he foils the Red Locust criminal mastermind and is chastised by his boss (think Herbert Lom as a Spider!), he bumbles his way through tracking a killer and follows death threats that are being sent to a bug millionaire. The plot is a very basic whodunit that is simplistic enough for a child. Some of the jokes are aimed at a more mature audience, but by and by, it is a family-quality film.
“…bumbles his way through tracking a killer and follows death threats that are being sent to a bug millionaire.”
I’ve heard the film compared to A Bug’s Life. This is definitely an apropos comparison, but it has that added macabre mystery element that many imaginative kids enjoy and which is very understated for the sake of family friendliness. The animation is clear and fantastic, and it is a staunch example of how far the cinema world has come in providing quality animated fare. It might be best to view this film on a large screen to see the exquisite effects. I do not know very much about pixels, and I usually never write about animated family films, but this was different than others I had experienced in that it combines old-school, cozy mystery storytelling with a modern-age twist.
I found the film to be exceptionally kinetic and chaotic in a good way. Inspector Sun’s character demeanor is effective and infectiously inspired (again, in a good way). Some of the minor characters, particularly the Inspector’s biggest fan, Janey, were simply grating on my nerves, however. For the most part, I found the whole film to be a very likable diversion. As a newcomer to this film genre, I was unaware of the different gradations of animation. This is not a Disney film and apparently was made originally in Spain. I watched it dubbed in English. However, the quality of the animation seemed quite on par and visually impressive to the layman. I do not think it was the aim of the filmmaker to maintain an agenda of contention or controversy like some Disney or Disneyfied films do. So that is a plus in my book.
Inspector Sun and the Curse of The Black Widow is not exactly the most original character in family viewing today, but I liked the fact that it had those old-school Inspector Clouseau moments and the mystery elements like the old-school cozies. This film avoids politicization and controversy, which is rare in many modern efforts, no matter what the genre is, even a family film. Enjoy the Inspector’s trials and triumphs in an earnest effort to provide a cozy mystery in an animated film.
Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow (2023)
Directed: Julio Soto-Gurpide
Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow
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It can be harder and harder to tell the difference between a high-budget Hollywood animated film and ones made more cheaply and/or overseas. Like most technological innovation, first the quality gets better and then it becomes less expensive for everyone. (Until the next qualitative leap, that is.)
We’re in a period right now where a picture like “Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow,” a Spanish production, looks nearly as good as something from the Disney and Sony animation arms, at least upon first glance. It’s got vivid CGI details, solid character design and smooth, pleasing action scenes.
The storytelling’s not up to snuff, though, and the voice cast is not exactly A-list… no offense to Ronny Chieng (“Crazy Rich Asians”), who provides the voice of the title character. (Like a lot of animated movies seeking an international audience, they used different voice casts for the Spanish and English versions.)
Sort of an Agatha Christie whodunit set against the backdrop of a “Bugs” type universe where all the characters are insects, arachnids or other creepy-crawlies, “Inspector Sun” is fast-paced and modestly entertaining, clocking in at a breezy 88 minutes. Its primary audience is obviously kids age about 12 and under, I’d say.
It’s fun and family-friendly, but forgettable.
Set in Shanghai circa 1934, Sun (Chieng) is a foppish police detective who only has his job because his uncle is the chief. For some reason he dresses in fancy clothes and bow tie instead of cop uniform, complete with cane, fine manners and pencil mustachios, sort of a Thin Man type. He’s a huntsman spider, and his motto is that he only hunts alone.
The running joke is that Sun is not actually particularly smart or good at detecting, but just very lucky and amiable. As the story opens he manages to capture his nemesis, Red Locust (Rich Orlow), the head of a criminal syndicate swarm. Locust was responsible for an earlier encounter in which Sun lost one of his eight legs, though he doesn’t seem too bothered about it.
Finally let go from the police force for the large collateral damage incurred during Locust’s arrest, Sun decides to take a vacation and winds up on the wrong plane to San Francisco, where he runs into old friend Scarab (also voiced by Orlow), a rhinoceros beetle with some law enforcement background who’s now muscle for the captain, Skeleton (Iain Batchelor), an easily-irritated fly.
He’s also joined by stowaway Janey (Emily Kleimo), an eager young jumping spider who’s convinced she’s destined to be Sun’s apprentice. He keeps putting her off but eventually allows her tag along, where she quickly proves a more able investigator than he.
The second half of the title refers to Arabella Obscuri, a black widow spider voiced by Jennifer Childs Greer who’s recently married her 14th husband — her spouses tending to expire shortly after the nuptials. Of course, her new guy, a scientist named Dr. Bugsy Spindlethorp, follows this same pattern during their long flight. (He’s voiced by Greer’s real-life husband, Scott.)
All signs point to Arabella, who’s got that vampy femme fatale vibe, but Sun and Janey have reason to believe some other bug is behind it all. A number of suspects present themselves, including the Ant Queen, whose multitudinous worker minions act as stewards on the plane, and Lady Vatchu, a huffy, vaguely caterpillar-like Slavic type carting around a carriage of her larval spawn (both voiced by Jeanette Grace Gonglewski).
There’s also a surly cockroach, who has a chip on his, uh, carapace about the way his type gets treated by the other bugs, and a mantis with the totally non-leading name of Gill Tea (Paul Louis Miller).
You can figure how things go: lots of double-crosses, suspicions that turn out to be wrong and clues leading the inspector and his sidekick in all sorts of circular directions before winding up right about where we expect.
I liked how the bug world exists right alongside the human one, with insects and their kin just assumed to go anywhere homo sapiens do. There’s even a separate, formal entrance to the plane next to the human one for all the many-legged folk to board.
The 1930s style, from clothing to music and furnishings, is also a nice touch, reminding me a bit of the opening sequence to “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Oddly, all the spiders produce webbing from their foreleg/hands rather than their hindquarters, just like Spider-Man.
“Inspector Sun” is a decent piece of filmmaking, more ambitious in its look than its narrative. One thing you can’t achieve solely through technology is the ability to spin a good yarn — and in this respect Hollywood animation still remains several steps ahead of their upstart competition.
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‘Inspector Sun And The Curse Of The Black Widow’ Review – A Stale Murder Mystery Bursting With Antiquated CGI Animation
Distributed by Viva Pictures, the animation studio responsible for 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 blundering, borderline idiot of a detective that insists on working alone.
A smug Inspector Sun gloats about his triumphs.
After the villainous Red Locust turns himself in, Inspector Sun is suspended indefinitely after consistently taking matters into his own hands on the job.
Starting in 1934 Shanghai, the film sees Sun eventually boarding a plane going to New York. Despite technically no longer being an inspector, he is dragged into a murder mystery taking place aboard his plane; a perfect opportunity for the titular character to solving the case, save any other potential victims, and restore his name.
Red Locust fends off Inspector Sun and Janey on top of a questionable insect.
Directed by Julio Soto Gurpide (2017’s 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.
The character designs and overall visual aesthetic of Inspector Sun looks similar to A Bug’s Life or Antz — and not in a good way. The animation style looks like it’s 25 years out of date while the film looks like something you’d find sitting on Dollar Tree shelves in the next couple of years. The slight upside is that the hairs on the insect characters are animated extremely well, but the renders seem to fall apart when humans are needed to be seen 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 isn’t funny, the story is entirely dull, and nearly everyone gets on your last nerve. The titular character is attempting to be this amalgamation of Inspector Jacques Clouseau from the Pink Panther films and Hercule Poirot. Sun’s voice actor, Ronnie Chieng (M3gan, Godzilla vs. Kong), sounds like he’s doing a Rich Fulcher impression the entire film, which is incredibly awkward.
A snappy, fast-talking, superfan-turned-sleuth jumping spider named Janey (voiced by Emily Kleimo) — who has been following Sun’s entire career and wants to be his sidekick — is a character that, though it seems to be meant for comedic relief, is annoying in both appearance and execution.
Inspector Sun telling Janey to be quiet, which is a highlight of the film.
Janey is also a much more competent detective than Sun will ever be. Non-consensually, she forces her way onto the plane and into Sun’s life. He rejects both her help and assistance at least half a dozen times and she still shows up. She assaults you with her unbearable voice and inability to shut up throughout the film.
The humor is also the lowest of the low comedy bearing fruit. Most of it seems to cater to feces — sometimes literally, even — with the opening scene seeing a seagull defecate on human police officers. The poo-free officer then says, “You know how spiders and bird poop are both good luck?” Later in the film, the fly pilot of the plane eats a plate with a pile of literal feces on it at dinner (with a fork). Non-poo-related humor involves an ongoing gag of Sun never being able to hear what other people are (loudly) saying under their breath.
The only aspect Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow executes somewhat efficiently is the perspective of insect life. Everything taking place amongst the insects is simultaneously occurring in the human world, which sometimes results in decent grossed out human reactions.
Red Locust’s sinister plan, revealed during the finale, is somewhat intriguing as well; even if the film seems to inject zombie-like characteristics into what seems like something completely made up for the film.
Inspector Sun has an encounter with the ant queen.
Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow is a vivacious glimpse into the minuscule world of insect sleuthing. It’s unfortunate that the lackluster animation and crudely juvenile humor aren’t nearly as lively.
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He discovers that each victim had a connection to a criminal organization known as the Crimson Spider, led by the enigmatic Black Widow. This revelation intensifies the investigation, as Inspector Sun realizes that he is not only dealing with a serial killer but also a highly dangerous criminal syndicate. Throughout the novel, Inspector Sun encounters various obstacles and challenges that test his investigative skills.
He plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Black Widow, narrowly escaping multiple attempts on his life. As the tension escalates, Sun starts to question the loyalty of those around him, unsure of who he can trust in his fight against the criminal underworld. The narrative of Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow is fast-paced, filled with thrilling twists and turns. Lee Choon Toi skillfully weaves together elements of mystery, suspense, and action, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The characters are well-developed and engaging, allowing readers to become emotionally invested in their fates. As the story reaches its climax, Inspector Sun unravels the truth behind the Curse of the Black Widow. The resolution brings justice to those who have fallen victim to the Black Widow's vengeful spree. However, it also leaves Inspector Sun scarred and forever changed by his encounter with the criminal organization. Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow is a gripping detective novel that combines elements of traditional crime fiction with a dash of the supernatural. Lee Choon Toi's storytelling is riveting, and his vivid descriptions transport readers into Inspector Sun's world of danger and intrigue. It is an enthralling read for fans of mystery and crime novels, promising to keep them guessing until the very end..
Reviews for "The Black Widow Curse Unveiled: Join Inspector Sun on the Case"
- John Doe - 1 star
I found "Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow" to be extremely disappointing. The plot was convoluted and hard to follow, with too many unnecessary twists and turns. The characters were poorly developed, lacking depth and motivation. The writing style was also subpar, with awkward sentences and repetitive phrases. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a satisfying mystery read.
- Jane Smith - 2 stars
While "Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow" had an interesting premise, it fell flat in execution. The pacing was slow, with long stretches of tedious descriptions and mundane dialogue. The characters were unlikable and lacked charisma, making it difficult to connect with their struggles. Additionally, the ending felt rushed and unresolved, leaving me unsatisfied. I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.
- Sarah Thompson - 2 stars
I was excited to read "Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow" based on the promising synopsis, but I was ultimately disappointed. The writing style was dry and lacked any spark of excitement. The plot was predictable and lacked originality, with clichéd elements that made the story feel formulaic. The characters had no real depth or development, making it hard to care about their fate. Overall, this book failed to captivate me and left me wanting more from the genre.