Jay Rohr
Watching Chupa runs the risk your kids will want a vampiric goat-sucking monster for a pet. And they’re going to have to get in line behind me. Turning such a creature into the focus of a kid’s film is a bold choice, and in many respects, that risk pays off. Chupa makes the case for more cuddly cryptids. Yet, although entertaining enough to pass the time, it lacks the depth it aspires to.
The story follows 13-year-old Alex, a social misfit played by Evan Whitten. Growing up in Kansas City, he’s developed a dislike for his Mexican heritage since it sets him apart from the other kids at school, some of whom use it as an excuse to bully him. As such, he has little desire to spend spring break in Mexico visiting his abuelo Chava played by Demián Bichir. However, while there he meets his vibrant cousins Memo and Luna who help him embrace his cultural background. And of course, there’s Chupa.
The titular creature is a lost cub hiding out on Chava’s ranch. The young chupacabra got separated from its family while fleeing the pursuit of Richard Quinn played by Christian Slater. It falls on Alex and the family he never knew he wanted to take care of Chupa and reunite the cute critter with its family.
There is no way to overemphasize how brain scrambling adorable this animated animal is. Chupa should open with a warning for those prone to ugly crying due to cute overload. No surprise, it really helps rack up the tension, especially during heart squeezing scenes when Chupa is scared.
Such tender moments dot the movie as it tries to tackle several heavy themes. There’re notions of family, loss, and the importance of pride in one’s cultural heritage. Unfortunately, although a lot of things are set up none really go below the surface. For instance, bits of Mexican culture are introduced without ever getting into why they matter. Even what Chupa chooses to focus on feels insufficient.
Now, my background is Irish with a dash of Basque French, so I may not be in the best position to comment on such things. However, I suspect there’s more to Mexico than luchadores and tacos. Which isn’t to say Chupa shouldn’t include them, but the movie never explores their cultural significance. In a movie about a kid learning to have pride in their heritage, that relevance warrants a scene or two. Since it doesn’t the film lacks the depth that it thematically aspires to.
Furthermore, the plot clips along without much if any reason for certain occurrences. This makes relationships between characters, even the kids and Chupa, seem thin at best. And although this doesn’t ruin the movie, it can impair enjoyment for older audience members. More than anything, it makes Chupa feel like a film aware of plot points it needs to hit based on better movies without really knowing how to get there on its own.
Director Jonás Cuarón did make some great choices while shooting Chupa. One of which is using a real dog as a stand-in giving performers, particularly Evan Whitten, something to emotionally connect with while acting. It’s another great piece of evidence making the case CGI should be the paint not the whole puppet. There are also quality moments like when Alex arrives at his abuelo’s home, and the camera pans along what’s hung on the walls. I just wish there were more of these subtle instances of visual storytelling.
Besides Chupa, Demián Bichir is a standout. Chava is an interesting character who could almost carry a movie on his own, especially with such a talented performer behind him. That said, there are no uninteresting characters, they just never get into much of what makes them engaging.
Luna, played by Ashley Ciarra, helps her cousin start to enjoy what Mexico has to offer by exposing him to marvelous music like “Pachuco” by La Maldita Vecindad. Memo, portrayed by Nickolas Verdugo, possesses an enthusiasm for lucha libre that’s intriguing but never goes anywhere. Like Luna’s love of popular culture and the way it widens Alex’s perspective, it’s a set up that has little payoff towards the end of the film. Even Christian Slater’s Quinn is given motivations which could have made for a complicated antagonist, but these are largely left by the roadside as he increasingly becomes a simple villain.
Music by award-winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera often creates fitting moods, helping set the tone for scenes. Although songs like “Primer Encuentro” and “En El Mercado” occasionally seem reminiscent of other films, it feels like a subtle homage to a history professor in a lost map room and young wizard schools, rather than a rip off. That’s to say, the sense of a mystery unfolding is so tied to certain note patterns “En El Mercardo” smartly uses the inherent association to evoke it instantly.
The way Chupa squanders a lot of its potential is frustrating. Still, the central reason to watch Chupa is to see the adorable chupacabra at its core. It is guaranteed to induce porthole anime eyes in any observer. While there is an attempt to tell a deeper story about family, loss, and identity, the movie sets up more than it pays off. But it can still entertain at least once, especially kids.
Chupa is currently available to stream on Netflix.
