Review: Alex (Evan Whitten), who is grieving the loss of his father and facing bullying at school is sent on a trip to ancestral hometown. He doesn’t want to go but when he meets his grandfather Chava (Demián Bichir), and cousins Memo (Nickolas Verdugo) and Luna (Ashley Ciarra) and a strangely cute creature chupacabra, whom they affectionately name Chupa, everything changes.
The plot of the film follows the journey of these kids and their grandfather as they attempt to reunite Chupa with its family while being pursued by the film’s antagonists. The story has a lot of heart, with a touching bond between the kids and the creature, which is a common theme seen in films like ET. However, the film’s execution is not without flaws.
The first 45 minutes of the film are dedicated to setting up the backstory, which leaves less time to develop the bond between the kids and Chupa. While the effort to reunite the creature with its family is heartwarming, the climax could have been more dramatic and exciting. The film’s screenplay is peppered with adventure and fantasy that makes for an engaging watch. However, the overall writing and the direction is too simplistic and predictable.
Despite its flaws, the set up of Mexico, the farm, and the ranch, is well-done, and Chupa is a cute creature that viewers will root for. The young actors have pulled off a great perfromance, making it a decent watch, especially for children. Visually too, it’s a delightfully rich and colourful film where a bloodsucking mythical creature has been presented in a juvenile and cutesy way. There are a few emotionally moving moments that will tug at your heartstrings.
In conclusion, while Chupa has a lot of heart and a touching bond between the kids and the creature, it falls short in terms of delivering consistent thrills. More deep diving into the legend of chupacabra and conviction in storytelling would have catapulted this tale of an adorable goat-sucker into a total banger. For now, it still remains an entertaining one-time watch.
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