Ever since the death of his father, Alex feels disconnected from the rest of the world. At school, he’s bullied for his Mexican heritage and for hiding his face behind his handheld gaming console. At home, he’s got little interest in learning anything related to his father—his heritage included.
Despite his negative feelings on the matter, Alex’s mother decides to send him to San Javier, Mexico, in order to reconnect with his relatives: his grandpa, Chava; and his cousins, Luna and Memo. It’s not long, however, before workers on the family ranch find something strange: a goat, drained of some of its blood.
Memo’s the first to call it as he sees it: It’s the work of the legendary Chupacabra, he says. After all, the name is literally translated as “goat sucker.” But despite Chava’s assurance that such a creature is only a myth, Memo’s right: Alex wakes up one morning soon after that to find a Chupacabra—and a young one at that, it seems—licking a cut on Alex’s hand.
The creature, however, isn’t slurping up Alex’s blood. It’s healing him: As Alex watches, the cut almost instantly closes up afterwards. Soon, Alex realizes that the cub (whom Alex names “Chupa”) has been separated from its family. And as Alex helps the beast get back home, he might just find his own home, too.
But Alex needs to work fast, since he’s not the only one with an interest in Chupa. There’s also the nefarious Richard Quinn, a man seeking out the animal for its aforementioned supernatural healing properties. And it’s clear he’s not just looking for Chupa to lick a wound closed: He wants blood.
Alex begins to bond with Chupa when he realizes that the little guy has been separated from his family. Since Alex’s father passed away, he’s also felt a bit disconnected from his own family. He doesn’t want to learn about his family’s interests or culture, and when his father comes up, Alex buries himself behind his handheld gaming system to ignore the talk.
However, though Chava attempts to break through to Alex throughout the movie, it’s ultimately Alex’s journey with Chupa that helps him to realize how to let go and face his emotions head on. And after doing that, Alex learns to appreciate his cousins and grandfather, eventually realizing that he’s reconnected with his family.
Chava teaches Alex that it’s more important to face our emotions than hide from them.
Alex and his family fight against a man looking to exploit an animal.
The Chupacabra is, of course, a mythological creature—but in this film, the creature is a real thing. However, its blood has a supernatural ability to heal wounds almost instantly, and we see this happen once. The creature is described as “a vampire that feeds on the blood of goats.”
Chava wears a cross necklace. We see an image of Jesus on a wall.
Luchadores (professional wrestlers) are seen shirtless and in tight pants.
A Chupacabra’s wing is somewhat burned by a flare. A man’s cheek is scratched by Chupa’s claws. Chupa gets shot by a tranquilizer. An animal is hit by a car. Luchadores wrestle one another. A man is pushed to the ground, and another man is slammed onto the ground by someone. Memo bites someone’s arm.
We see a photo of a goat drained of its blood, and we glimpse some blood on the goat’s neck. Another goat’s tiny puncture wounds are seen healing immediately. Chupa brings a dead mouse to Alex. A mountain lion attempts to attack someone. Someone nearly falls to his death.
God’s name is used in vain four times. We hear “h—” once. Additionally, we hear an unfinished “son of a … !” twice. Richard says “shoot,” though it may sound like the s-word to some.
None.
Alex is bullied.
Chupa shares quite a bit, story wise, with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Like that story, this one also focuses on a boy who takes it upon himself to help a mythical creature return home to its family before a government agency can nab the creature for itself. But it’s not Chupa (the animal) who is phoning home here: It’s Alex.
As Alex helps Chupa return to his family, he finally begins to finally connect with his own family. And though the general plot for this film could use a bit of workshopping, it was refreshing to see how few issues the PG film had.
Generally, it stays true to that PG rating, with the worst concerns being a dead mouse and a brief picture of a goat with some blood on its neck. However, families should note that God’s name is misused four times.
But despite those issues, the movie remains an easier watch than many other films ostensibly aimed at a family audience these days. Ultimately, Chupa proves that modern movies with few concerns aren’t just myths.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
