Inspector Sun – REVIEW
Image: INSPECTOR SUN film still
This is a 2022 Spanish-made animation originally titled, Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow (Inspector Sun y la maldición de la viuda negra). It’s been re-dubbed in English and simply called Inspector Sun.
With the main character, Inspector Sun, donning a thin moustache and oiled, parted hair and overall still looking quite Spanish, there’s an immediate incongruity with his being voiced by comedian, Ronnie Chieng, who, though he doesn’t have a Malaysian accent, does have a sassy, American vocal tone.
In fact, none of the voices are particularly well chosen and that makes it very hard to connect with any of the characters. The script itself doesn’t help — it’s full of clumsy dialogue and cringe-worthy humour.
Set in 1934, Shang-hai the plot parodies early spy-thrillers. The characters are all various different insects, Inspector Sun is a spider. They inhabit a world parallel to the human world.
Inspector Sun has just been fired for being an incompetent spy. However, when he boards a sea-plane bound for San Francisco intent on a vacation, he becomes embroiled in an intrigue.
The intrigue itself becomes entangled with several overlapping plots and it all becomes unnecessarily confusing. Add to that clichéd, flat characters and lots of story tropes — including an incredibly annoying teen wannabe-helpful — and the whole things gets tiresome quickly.
What is done well is the world-building and the animation. The colours and background shapes are vibrant and beautifully drawn. The characters are also visually impressive, although a little too histrionic in their movements.
It’s hard to work out who exactly this film is aimed at. Its plot is too complicated for young kids but the script is not sophisticated or funny enough for adults.
It would be interesting to know how closely this stays faithful to the original Spanish version, which probably should have been left as it is and subtitled.
