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Chupa (2023) Review – a wholesome tale about family, heritage and cute mythical creatures
We review the 2023 Netflix film Chupa, which does not contain spoilers.
Netflix’s Chupa is an adventure movie based on the legend of the chupacabra (aka. the goat sucker) . Instead of a blood-sucking monster, the film, directed by Jonas Cuaron , delivers a heartwarming tale about a boy who befriends a mythical (and adorable) creature.
Even before the film came out, many Spanish and Portuguese-speaking netizens were amused, to say the least, by the title . But the feature itself is nothing short of wholesome.
Chupa Review and Plot Summary
The film starts with a group of scientists led by Richard Quinn ( Christian Slater ) as they’re exploring a cave in San Javier, Mexico, in 1996. They seem to have found what they were looking for – an adorable little chupacabra cub most said only existed in legends.
It’s a furry cat-like creature with wings and a face that will remind you of Gizmo from Gremlins (the water-free version, of course).
Before Richard can grab the cub, his much larger and scarier mother appears, growls at the scientists, and runs for it, but Richard and his team give chase. After being hit by a car, the chupacabra is forced to leave her cub behind as she tries to distract the chasers from him.
We then meet our lead, Alex (Evan Whitten) , a 13-year-old boy living in Kansas City with his mother. At school, he’s bullied for his Mexican heritage. Complicating things further, Alex is still grieving the loss of his dad, who passed away from cancer.
The boy is set to spend spring break at his grandad Chava’s (Demián Bichir) ranch in Mexico with his two cousins, Luna (Ashley Ciarra) and Memo (Nickolas Verdugo) , all relatives he’s yet to meet.
At the ranch, Alex quickly befriends his two cousins and becomes intrigued by his grandad’s past career as a professional lucha libre champion wrestler. He learns that Chava has been struggling with a memory loss condition and that he has been secretly hiding the chupacabra cub in his barn.
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T he young boy bonds with the little monster and names him Chupa, vowing to protect him from the evil scientist.
There’s a lot to love about Chupa. To start with, the creature itself is beyond adorable. While the mythical beast it’s based on is a terrifying vampire-like creature, the Chupa presented in this film is simply part of a misunderstood species that needs protection from human interference.
The story is pretty formulaic, but it’s also done well. Cuarón’s decision to set the film in the mid-90s gives it an air of nostalgia that will undoubtedly appeal to Millenial audiences.
There’s a depth to most of these characters, and it’s impossible not to root for them. Alex is struggling with the loss of his father and uses unhealthy coping mechanisms, while Chava has to deal with the loss of his son and his declining mental faculties.
Even if you take the mythical away, this is a touching story about family, the importance of heritage, and the bonds that matter most to us.
Is the 2023 movie Chupa good or bad?
While there’s nothing new to the story of a child befriending a mythical creature and protecting it from evil adults, Chupa introduces this heartwarming trope to a new generation. And it does a great job with it.
It’s a good film with a fantastic cast (seeing Christian Slater in a villainous role is always a treat), an adorable rendition of the Chupacabra legend, and, most importantly, it tells a worthwhile story.
Is Chupa worth watching?
If you’re willing to look past the title mishap, then Chupa is worth streaming. And despite the aforementioned title mishap, the film is suitable viewing for the whole family.
There’s enough depth in it to keep the adults entertained and plenty of magic to keep the little ones captivated.
What did you think of the 2023 Netflix film Chupa? Comment below.
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Article by Lori Meek
Lori Meek has been a Ready Steady Cut contributing writer since September 2022 and has had over 400 published articles since. She studied Film and Television at Southampton Solent University, where she gained most of her knowledge and passion for the entertainment industry. Lori’s work is also featured on platforms such as TBreak Media and ShowFaves.
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‘Chupa’ Review: Jonás Cuarón Applies the Amblin Formula to a Fluffy Mexican Creature Feature
Three kids discover an endangered chupacabra cub in this cuddly family movie, which owes more to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' than it does to Guillermo del Toro's dark fantasies.
By Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
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According to legend, the chupacabra is a fearsome, blood-sucking beast — a lean and intimidating animal you wouldn’t want to come across feasting on your livestock at night. Not so the cub three kids nickname “Chupa” (Spanish for “sucker”) in Mexican director Jonás Cuarón’s family-friendly Netflix movie. This one looks like a fuzzy-wuzzy baby lynx, with inquisitive amber eyes and a pair of awkward azure wings it still hasn’t learned how to use. A single glimpse of this oversized kitten and you’ll want one for your own, if not the plush version to snuggle up with at night.
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The fact that his target audience isn’t old enough to remember movies like “E.T.” or “Harry and the Hendersons” means Cuarón and screenwriters Sean Kennedy Moore, Joe Barnathan and Marcus Rinehart are free to pinch from others in assembling their own would-be classic. For example, Christian Slater ’s character, Richard Quinn, was clearly inspired by Sam Neill’s iconic paleontologist, Alan Grant, sporting a similar fedora and specs when he’s first introduced in the field. Quinn’s obsessed with proving that chupacabras really exist, though he’s not interested in their well-being so much as their rumored healing powers, which he intends to sell to the American medical industry for a pretty profit.
Quinn gets pretty close to capturing a frightened chupacabra cub in the opening scene, but is blindsided by its angry mother. Both animals escape the cave where Quinn has cornered them, only to be badly wounded by a passing car. That’s where Alex comes in. None too keen to be banished to his grandfather’s boring farm, Alex is delighted to discover such an exotic companion, bonding with the newly christened “Chupa” in all sorts of adorable ways (including singing “En Tus Sueños” together in a nice nod to “Gremlins”).
The movie was produced by family-film vets Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, whose involvement with the “Harry Potter” franchise gave them plenty of experience with computer-generated critters. Cuarón embraces their benign, audience-appeasing instincts (as opposed to Guillermo del Toro’s darker sensibility), eliminating even the chance that chupacabras might hurt the Mexican characters — whereas the Bad American gets attacked by several at once. The director could use a bit more practice working with kids, who give stiff and slightly unnatural performances here (Ciarra seems the most comfortable on camera), to say nothing of the so-so visual effects, which favor cute over convincing where the CG chimera is concerned.
Despite its setting, the movie features majority-English dialogue. That’s a curious choice, since the entire adventure is intended to teach Alex to appreciate his Mexican heritage — and also because what “Chupa” had going for it was a willingness to tailor the fantasy-pet formula to Latino audiences. Who knows, the movie may actually play best to those who’ve never heard the word “chupacabra” and therefore have no expectations about what one might look like. But it also risks turning this half-bird, half-cat creature into the other sort of chimera: a dream that doesn’t quite come true.
Reviewed at Roma screening room, Los Angeles, April 4, 2023. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 95 MIN.
- Production: A Netflix release and presentation of a 26th Street Pictures production. Producers: Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan. Executive producers: G. Mac Brown, Anna Barnathan Barry, Brendan Bellomo.
- Crew: Director: Jonás Cuarón. Screenplay: Sean Kennedy Moore & Joe Barnathan & Marcus Rinehart; story: Sean Kennedy Moore & Joe Barnathan & Marcus Rinehart & Brendan Bellomo. Camera: Nico Aguilar. Editor: Dan Zimmerman. Music: Carlos Rafael Rivera.
- With: Demián Bichir, Evan Whitten and Christian Slater, Ashley Ciarra, Nickolas Verdugo, Adriana Paz, Gerardo Taracena, Julio Cesar Cedillo. (English, Spanish dialogue)
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