Creature features are still my second favorite subgenre of horror, so I jumped enthusiastically when I saw that Sting crawled its way to streaming after hitting select theaters in April 2024. And a movie about a giant alien spider preying on the masses was just a perfect date night movie. Written and Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, Sting follows an inquisitive 12-year-old who girl who captures and raises a spider that was running loose in her apartment complex. However, soon after capturing the critter, it doubles… triples… quadruples in size and begins feeding on everyone and everything in the building. Now, the 12-year-old has to aid her loved ones in eradicating the menace before it runs out of food and escapes into the city. Peep the trailer at the bottom of this review to see a glimpse of the madness!
Shot under Align, Pictures in Paradise and See Pictures, Sting features cinematography by Brad Shield and editing by Kiah Roache-Turner, Luke Doolan and Jeff Cummings. Chris Brown, Jamie Hilton and Michael Pontin served as producers. Lead and supporting cast members include Jermaine Fowler, Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Noni Hazlehurst, Robyn Nevin and Penelope Mitchell. From a production and performance standpoint, I have absolutely no qualms with this movie. All the actors turned in capable and compelling performances, and there were no glaring production mistakes that I could spot. In fact, the giant alien spider was created so magically that I’m not sure if it was practical FX or CGI. And, Hell, this movie had a moderate body count which means the gorehounds get exactly what they were looking for. It’s a win-win for everyone, really.
My only problem with Sting is that I feel like its pace isn’t always on an equal level. The beginning of the film starts of well and progresses into the second act fluidly. Then, it failed to keep my interest for a solid twenty minutes before pulling me back in at the climax. Just before people were falling into a dumpster. Even though the action, horror, scifi and suspense were continuing, the story just needed a little extra oomph to highlight the madness. Besides, though, this film was highly successful in delivering what was promised in the trailer and proves itself to be one of the best spider movies since Arachnophobia in 1990. And that’s saying a lot! For the record, Sting also has a post-credits scene that I think a lot of viewers will enjoy. Take that, Marvel. Overall a great movie. Well done.
Final Score: 7 out of 10.
