CHUPA (2023)

CHUPA (2023)

Tagline: Discover the Legend

(Action, Drama, Loving the Wings) [PG]

Stop being so dramatic kid, go home, get a dog.

In this one, Richard Quinn is looking for the legendary Chupacabra. He and his crew track down a cave in Mexico where an adult Chupacabra and a baby Chupacabra are living. Meanwhile, Alex is sent to Mexico from Kansas City to stay with his grandfather, cousins Luna, and Memo so that he can learn a bit more about his culture. It doesn’t take long before Alex discovers the baby Chupacabra which he has seen a few times around the house is now living in the shed at the house he staying in. As it turns out Alex’s grandfather is well aware of the legendary beast and they decide to protect it from Quinn and his men. 

First off, Demián Bichir (GODZILLA VS. KONG) is a solid actor with plenty of range. That and Christian Slater (HEATHERS) are part of what drew me to this film to begin with. Also, clearly, there is a Chupacabra in it. Who doesn’t want to watch stuff about Chupacabras? This is not meant to be some giant blockbuster or effects masterpiece. This is more in the vein of something like GREMLINS only without creatures trying to take over the town. 

This might be an odd thing to notice, but whatever you do, don’t touch a dead mouse with your bare hands. Really, as a general rule, you should touch anything dead with your hands. That ends this public service announcement brought to you by Alex from CHUPA. Oh and also, “chupa” means “suck”, fortunately however this movie doesn’t. This film is fairly light fare meant for family movie night and it has a sense of charm and purpose that give us more than just a hide the “goat sucker” flick. They touch on loss, the glory days of wrestling in Mexico, courage, denial, discipline, and overcoming pain all while still keeping with the story's core. 

Acting wise these kids get the job done, Evan Whitten who plays Alex is already off to a great start. Evan already has 15 projects under his belt at the age of 13. Some actors and actresses have an entire career and never get more than 1 film or TV show. Ashley Ciarra plays Luna and does a pretty decent job here. There is really nothing to complain about. Nickolas Verdugo does a good job as Memo, but his character isn’t given very many lines in the second half of the flick. 

I always pay attention to design in movies and the actual design work on the Chupacabra’s is pretty cool. I don’t think I have ever seen a Chupacabra movie where they bothered giving them wings. The feline-looking face also makes it easier to like something known for going “full vampire” on goats. There is CGI another animal in here that doesn’t have the greatest look, but it’s fine for the purposes of the story. There are also some physics issues, but this film isn’t trying to give us physics lessons, it’s just trying to be a cool little family film and it accomplishes that goal. 

I give this one a 4 out of 7. It is a fun movie that manages to touch on some tough topics without coming across as pretentious or like it’s trying to cram something into the story just for the sake of having it there.  

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF SOCAL CINEMA STUDIOS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.