Sting (2024), directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, stars Alyla Browne, Ryan Corr, Penelope Mitchell, Jermaine Fowler, Noni Hazlehurst, Robyn Nevin, Danny Kim, and Silvia Colloca. The film follows a 12-year-old girl named Charlotte (Browne) who discovers a spider capable of communicating with her through a series of whistles. She keeps the spider as a pet and names her “Sting.” Meanwhile, Ethan (Charlotte’s stepdad) attempts to support his new family as their apartment building’s maintenance supervisor. When tenets begin to go missing or turn up dead, it becomes clear that something sinister is lurking behind the apartment’s walls. As Sting grows, so does her appetite, making her the prime suspect. It’s up to Charlotte and her family to exterminate Sting and save everyone’s lives before it’s too late.

The cast is pretty much serviceable here, with many of their performances taking a less serious approach to the material. This fits nicely with the inherent absurdity of a giant spider movie. However, the tone doesn’t feel particularly original when considering previous spider films such as Arachnophobia (1990) and Eight Legged Freaks (2002). Alyla Browne is somewhat likable but can’t avoid the typical “moody teenage” trope that often makes these kinds of characters insufferable. Ryan Corr gives a fun performance as Ethan, but the character is often presented as a total dunce. This made him somewhat grating but does provide a certain “loveable idiot” quality. 

The film is much gorier than its spider film predecessors but retains a Tim Burton-like goofy quality that quells a lot of the would-be scares. Although this balances the film, it sacrifices its most unique quality: A spider film that is legitimately dark and scary. It results in the gore feeling quite tame even though it is a measurable improvement over similar films. There’s just nothing particularly new or subversive that makes this film stand out. However, I still consider it a decent meat-and-potatoes monster movie. The film features the important ingredient of playing into our real-life fears of spiders. If you’re a true arachnophobe, I’d sit this one out (or see it immediately depending on your personality). 

The film unfortunately features a handful of frustrating character choices where they seem completely oblivious to their surroundings. The fact that a majority of the characters spend ¾ of the film in the “What’s killing everyone phase” is extremely frustrating. It’s not interesting nor does it build tension. It only makes the characters seem unintelligent. Likewise, the film features gaps in logic that break reality and make things feel like a cartoon. The movie can never decide if it wants to scare you or make you giggle. 

The film redeems itself by featuring an unoriginal, but effective emotional core. The step-dad-step-daughter relationship is nothing new, being featured in recent films such as Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024). That being said, it’s a trope that seems to work. \

Overall this is a fun but unoriginal monster movie that features a tight runtime and skin-crawling special effects. The characters are silly and events are mostly predictable. What saves the film is its unoriginal but effective emotional core. I can’t recommend the film to general audiences, but it should satisfy exactly who it’s targeted at.  However, even those who enjoy the film may find it tough to remember after a couple of days. C+