Chupa Parent Guide

Alex (Evan Whitten) is a first-generation Mexican American struggling to find his identity. He is bullied at school for being different and is distancing himself from his heritage in order to fit in. Convinced that her son needs to reconnect with his culture, his mom sends him on a trip to Mexico to stay with his grandfather (Demián Bichir) and cousins (Ashley Ciarra and Nickolas Verdugo).

While adjusting to the language and culture, Alex meets a young chupacabra who was separated from its family. While most people don’t believe in chupacabras, considering them to be mythical creatures an American scientist, Dr Quinn (Christian Slater), is on a mission to hunt one down to use its blood for medical research. Alex and his family decide to do whatever it takes to keep the creature, named Chupa, safe and return it to its family.

“Child finds magical creature and has to protect it” is a much-repeated story in cinema. This Netflix version doesn’t have anything new to add to the oft-told tale, and conscientiously follows the expected beats. Predictable though it may be, the story is sweet and earnest. There are messages around embracing your heritage, the importance of family, and the evils of greed. Alex is a relatable character as he grapples with his identity as a first-generation immigrant, and I think children in similar situations will gravitate towards his story.

I could harp on some of the clunky dialogue and subpar acting, but this film doesn’t claim to be anything more than a low budget family flick and it fulfills that purpose perfectly well. Parents should be aware of a little bit of minor profanity and some peril that could be scary to very sensitive viewers. Otherwise, Chupa is a perfectly serviceable adventure story with courageous kids and a cute critter that will entertain children and not annoy adults, which is something just as hard to find as a chupacabra!