In Chupa, the year is 1996 and in Mexico a hunter and his team are on the trail of the mythical creature, El Chupacabra. Legend has it the blood of a Chupacabra has great healing properties, and the government is keen to capture one for research purposes.
After discovering a mother Chupacabra and her cub hiding in a cave, the hunter and his team chase after the creatures, injuring the mother in the process. Eventually they lose sight of the creatures, but not before the cub is left alone.
A short while later, young boy, Alex, is sent to Mexico by his mother, to spend Spring Break with his grandfather and his cousins. Not long after he arrives, he hears of the legend of the Chupacabra, and becomes convinced he has seen one around his grandfather’s property.
The truth is, he has. The Chupacabra that Alex has spotted is the young cub, who is hiding out around the family home.
After realising the cub means him no harm, Alex befriends the creature and names him ‘Chupa’. But it isn’t long before the hunter tracks down the cub, leaving Alex and his family to step in and protect the creature.
Directed by Jonás Cuarón, Chupa is a children’s fantasy film starring Christian Slater, Evan Whitten, and Demián Bichir. The movie is new to Netflix from today – arriving just in time for the Easter holidays – and is a likeable picture, which young audiences should find enjoyable.
The story is easy to follow, the fantasy elements are handled quite well, and central character Alex is very relatable. The movie also offers up some discussions about belonging, heritage, family life, and dementia, which all help to elevate it in places.
However, while the film does have many positives, it is a little flawed in places. The reason it is a little flawed is because a.) this sort of story has been told many times before, and b.) at times the film is a bit slow.
But while the latter might be an issue for some youngsters with short attention spans, I doubt the former will be much of a problem. I also doubt the intended audience for this movie will be all that bothered about some of the film’s shortcomings once they see how cute and adorable ‘Chupa’ is.
As for adults watching Chupa, the film is fine enough in places, but the story does feel a tad dated. The movie might be arriving on streaming in 2023, but it feels as if it was written 30 years ago.
Heck, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I saw this movie sat on the children’s shelf at my local video shop sometime before the turn of the millennium. It would have been nestled alongside films such as Magic in the Water (1995) and Loch Ness (1996), with a rental price of £1.25 for a week.
Of course, I jest, but Chupa does feel very old school. So, adults viewing this movie won’t get much out of it, because they’ve seen it all before, and probably grew up watching this kind of thing.
But what they will find is a 90-minute movie that is lovingly put together, has some interesting themes, and has enough going on to keep kids entertained. The pacing might drop in places, but it keeps moving along nicely and there’s enough decent material in here to round out its running time.
Chupa isn’t going to win over everyone, and it does have a ‘watch-once’ kind of feel to it, but it has plenty of the right ingredients and its heart is in the right place. For kids of the right age it will work perfectly well, and I’m sure it will plug a gap in the Easter holidays if the weather takes a turn for the worst.
Whether you sit down to watch the movie as a family, or you stick it on when the kids are having a Easter egg-induced sugar crash, Chupa is perfectly fine viewing. Nothing award-winning, but not bad, and certainly likeable enough.
__
Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a Reply