In the human world, you might call upon a Sherlock Holmes, Philip Marlowe or even an Encyclopedia Brown if you’ve got a mystery to solve. But if you’re an insect, you’d probably enlist the help of Inspector Sun.
OK, you likely wouldn’t seek the seven-legged spider sleuth out—he’s not exactly the most academic of arachnids. But his record speaks for itself: What he lacks in brains, he makes up for with sheer luck.
It’s a bit frustrating to Sun, honestly. He’s tired of everyone telling him that his successes are simply due to good luck. And he’s determined to prove otherwise to everyone.
And it just so happens that his luck brings a case right to his … er … feet? While flying from Shanghai to San Francisco, the investigator is alerted to the murder of one Bugsy Spindlethorp. The spider was on his honeymoon with his lovely black widow wife, Arabella, and the two were hoping to leave the life of crime they once lived behind them.
Obviously, Arabella’s the prime suspect. After all, black widow spiders are known for their husband-eating habits. And Bugsy’s body has fang marks that match those of a black widow. It seems like an easy “case closed.”
But the web of deception thickens—because Inspector Sun discovers other clues … clues that seem to exonerate the widowed widow. And clues that also reveal the danger Inspector Sun—and everyone else on the flight—are truly in.
At one point, Inspector Sun rats out a superfan of his who has stowed away on a flight. But when security attempts to throw her out of the plane (into the Pacific Ocean below), he puts aside his annoyance to save her life. The spider (and others) put themselves in danger to help others, too.
And while Inspector Sun might not be the best detective, he is good enough not to convict a likely suspect until he has undeniable proof that she did it. Even though the case looks obvious, Inspector Sun refuses to close it without checking all evidence.
Inspector Sun jokes, “I’d like to believe in a lot of things, but I’m not a praying man-tis.” Insects refer to some other insects using negative phrases like, “What the devil?” and, “Speak of the devil!” Arabella makes a dream catcher and uses it to hypnotize a guard.
Bugsy tells Inspector Sun that he and Arabella are on their honeymoon, and the two passionately kiss a couple times. Bugsy insinuates that other adult actions are happening, too. Later, Inspector Sun enters the plane’s honeymoon suite to find clothes scattered around the room.
Inspector Sun plays with a pen that turns from a caterpillar into a butterfly when turned upside down, a subtle nod toward to a lewd novelty pen that strips a pictured man or woman when said action occurs. A woman asks to step in to dance with Arabella.
When Bugsy is found dead, one insect describes it as a “lovers’ tiff.”
Bugsy’s body is visible with one leg removed. Later, it’s discovered that the bug was also drained dry, and his corpse is just a shallow husk. Another bug is found like that, too.
An assassin bug shoots acidic venom that melts whatever it touches. A security guard attempts to push a spider out of a plane. A glob termite attacks Inspector Sun and eventually explodes in a large goop of yellow guts. Inspector Sun and his assistant accidentally knock out other bugs.
A couple of bugs are eaten by fish. Some are licked by a creature, which turns them into the same type of insect as their attacker. This is the same bug that’s been draining the others. It furthermore goes after a dog, and the dog apparently dies offscreen, as we never see the animal ever again.
A human woman is bitten by spiders. A building explodes. A villainous locust yells, “Death to anyone in our way!”
We hear interjections such as “dang,” “jerk” and “moron.”
Insects drink wine and alcohol. An insect makes a reference to an illegal substance being smuggled called “beetlejuice.” A stage performer hiccups as if he is intoxicated.
A fly is served a piece of excrement on a plate to eat. Inspector Sun is defecated on by a bird, and he flings the stuff off of him onto another spider. A captain smuggles illegal cargo. Inspector Sun admits that he cheated on some exams.
On a list of famous detectives, I’ll be surprised if I ever see Inspector Sun.
The spider isn’t the brightest of creatures, nor is his story in Inspector Sun all that compelling. It’s a bit of a wonder how such an idea as a spider detective was spun.
Now, in terms of content, it’s always a hard sell to make a murder mystery child-friendly—perhaps why the subjects of said film are insects rather than people. But a couple lewd references, the apparent death of a dog and various insects and some alcohol consumption sully what may have been a fun mystery in which kids could tag along.
And such content issues stick out a bit more when you’re advertising to a young audience.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
