Follow us on Twitter | Instagram
The Chupacabra is a mythical vampiric creature believed to feed on the blood of livestock. Last time I saw it on television was when Netflix released “The Imperfects”, where actor Iñaki Godoy played protagonist Juan, who turns into a flesh-eating Chupacabra whenever he is aggravated. While Juan transforms into a werewolf like scary monster, the 2023 Netflix movie “Chupa” gives a viewers a cutesy version of the famed beast.
Directed by Jonás Cuarón, the film follows schoolboy Alex (Evan Whitten), who is visiting Mexico from America to spend time with his grandfather and cousins. The vacation turns into an adventure of a lifetime when the kids find a baby Chupacabra lurking on their property, and they decide to keep it safe from greedy researchers. The film wastes no time giving away the first glimpse of its titular hero, an adorable kitten-like creature with wings, who is first sighted by a group working for a firm looking to monetize the Chupacabra’s magical healing powers
“Chupa” follows a lot of textbook clichés and has “be proud of your roots” as one of its core themes. Evan Whitten’s Alex is bullied back in America for being Mexican; for example, he is mocked for the food his mom packs him. He gets to learn a lot about his family in Mexico, like the fact that his grandfather (Tony Rivetti Jr.) was a famous Lucha libre (Latin American term for professional wrestlers) until an injury ended his career. The movie is most entertaining when the kids are just having fun or interacting with the Chupacabra, whom they name Chupa, by the way. Nicholas Verdugo was adorable as Alex’s younger energetic cousin, who aspires to be a Lucha libre and keeps running around fighting.
The special effects for the Chupacabra are a little unpolished, making it look quite unreal. So at least I wasn’t able to warm up to it a lot. Perhaps pre-teen viewers would love the fantastical animal who wins over the kids in the story too. I’m not sure if an older audience will be able to keep up their interest in the generic plot, which has a pretty predictable climax.
It’s a 6 on 10 from me.
Subscribe to our YouTube Podcast for reviews & ruminations