A small chunk of an asteroid falls from the sky during a massive snow storm, breaking through the window of a Brooklyn apartment, carrying with it a small spider-like creature. 12-year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) finds the spider, naming it Sting after shee sees a copy of The Hobbit on her bookshelf. Charlotte keeps the creature in a jar in her bedroom, feeding it roaches she finds in the rundown apartment building. However, this isn’t any ordinary spider—Sting starts to grow at an alarming rate, and even mimics Charlotte’s whistle to signal feeding time. While Charlotte initially tries to keep her new pet a secret, the spider starts to sneak out of its jar, traveling through the building’s air ducts in search of more substantial meals. As some of the other resident fall prey to the spider, Charlotte must accept that she has been harboring a dangerous flesh-eating creature, but is she too late and is Sting too big to stop at this point?! Professional exterminator Frank (Jermaine Fowler, Coming 2 America) had been called in to check out some strange bumping in the walls, but even he is not prepared for what he is about to encounter.
Sting is a solid giant spider creature feature/horror movie, which constantly builds the tension, and has fun with the audience mixing in fake-outs and jump scares along with a truly terrifying creature. As Sting goes on its rampage, we also get a mix of more graphic, gruesome kills, but alas well as ones that only happen off screen or in the shadows&mdasg;but the audio of these moments can be just as unsettling as if they actually showed the attacks. The film just feels like your classic horror movie. At the same time, there is also a lot of humor mixed it. This often comes from either the senile grandmother Helga, who keeps forgetting things right after she does them (like calling the exterminator), or Frank the exterminator, played by the hilarious Jermaine Fowler.
While all of this is going on, the film also explores some interesting character drama. The building is owned by obnoxious and demanding landlord Gunter (Robyn Nevin), who happens to be Charlotte’s aunt. She lives in an apartment with her senile and forgetful sister Helga (Noni Hazlehurst), Charlotte’s grandmother, who can usually be found knitting and/or watching TV. Some of the building’s other tenants include grieving Maria (Silvia Colloca) and her dog Bonnie, and creepy biology student Erik (Danny Kim), who may be able to help Charlotte identify what she’s dealing with.
At the emotional core of the film is this story of a stepfather and his stepdaughter trying to connect with one another. Charlotte’s father left a while ago, and her mother Heather (Penelope Mitchell, Hellboy) has moved on to a relationship with Ethan (Ryan Corr, Holding the Man), and together they have a new 6 month old, Liam. Charlotte sometimes feels ignored, especially with a new baby brother in the picture, and so she often goes exploring on her own, traveling through the air ducts into her grandmother’s apartment to secretly steal things. Charlotte does like Ethan, and they share a common interesting in drawing—he’s currently illustrating a comic book she helped to write. However, she also still refers to him by his first name, and puts her birth father on a pedestal (even though Ethan secretly knows the truth about him). The family is struggling financially, and in exchange for free rent, Ethan serves as the building’s super. But fixing all of this rundown building’s problems is a thankless effort, especially from Gunter who is constantly threating Ethan and expressing her disappointment. Between this “job” and taking care of the new baby, Ethan hardly has any time to do his actual illustration job.
The film is written & directed by Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood: Apocalypse), and features amazing practical creature effects from the Academy Award-winning Wētā Workshop—Charlotte names the spider Sting after seeing a copy of “The Hobbit” on her bookshelf, which happens to be a film that Wētā worked on. Coincidence? The choice to do practical effects help add a level of realism to the film, and make the scares more effective.
Well Go’s Blu-ray looks good and sounds excellent. The picture remains clean and clear throughout, and even in the darker sequences, the level of detail is fantastic, especially in close-ups of faces, or once we finally do see the creature in all its glory. The sound is also really well done, making excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to provide an immersive experience, particularly whenever we hear Sting skittering around the building or on the ceiling, or the gushing of the off-camera attacks. Well Go’s Blu-ray release includes 19 minutes of entertaining behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew as well as the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go releases. The Blu-ray comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a nice cardboard slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:31:34)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
- Subtitles: English SDH, French
Extras:
- Behind the Scenes
- Creating The Monster (6:03)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the decision to go with practical effects, designing the look of the creature, how Sting is brought to life by puppeteers, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director Kiah Roache-Turner, producers Chris Brown, Jamie Hilton & Michael Pontin, Sir Richard Taylor of Wētā Workshop, and stars Penelope Mitchell (“Heather”) & Ryan Corr (“Ethan”). - The Director (6:17)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the emotional character journey of the father and stepdaughter mixed with the creature feature monster movie, the genesis of the idea, the personal nature of the story, and what it was like working with the director. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers Jamie Hilton, Michael Pontin & Chris Brown, writer/director Kiah Roache-Turner, costume designer Georgia Woods, and stars Alyla Browne (“Charlotte”), Jermaine Fowler (“Frank”), Robyn Nevin (“Gunter”) & Penelope Mitchell. - The Cast (7:02)
The filmmakers discuss the casting process, and what the actors brought to their roles. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers Michael Pontin, Jamie Hilton & Chris Brown, and stars Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell, Ryan Corr & Jermaine Fowler.
- Creating The Monster (6:03)
- Trailer (2:20)
- Previews
- The Last Stop in Yuma County (2:13)
- Monolith (2:17)
- A Creature Was Stirring (2:05)
Final Thoughts:
Sting is a fun creature feature that provides a lot of laughs, some genuine scares, and some interesting character drama. The film features a solid cast, and the look and design of the creature is excellent—the use of practical effects helps to really sell the horror. Well Go’s Blu-ray release features excellent picture and a really immersive audio track, plus some behind-the-scenes bonus material. This release is definitely worth picking up for fans of scary creature features with some humor. The film is currently available on digital, and will arrive on disc July 30, 2024.
Sting Blu-ray
45% Off $29.98 $14.99 (as of August 23, 2024 01:16 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Sting DVD
48% Off $24.98 $12.95 (as of August 23, 2024 01:16 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Sting
$4.99 (as of August 23, 2024 01:16 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
