Chupa movie review: A watered-down version of ‘ET’ sans emotional elements

‘Chupa’ reminds you of ‘ET’ – or, maybe a watered-down version of it and In terms of cinematography or plot development, it’s not up to scratch

Hyderabad: A lonely boy and a mythical creature. Throw in a few VFX effects with a cute, cat-like face and beautiful blue feathers that shine bright in light. Add a bit of cousin bonding. And what you get is a good-enough recipe for a summer movie.

That’s what the Spanglish film (if it can be called that) ‘Chupa’ is all about. A Netflix original, the film revolves around the shy teen boy Alex (Evan Whitten), who is bullied at school in Kansas City where he lives with his mom. He’s a kid who occasionally lashes out at his mother but also apologises in no time. And she understands because the son is miserable without the father who lost his battle to cancer.

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The working single mom packs Alex off to Mexico, so he could spend the summer vacation with his luchador (lucha libre wrestler) grandfather Chava (Demián Bechir) and cousins, cool-music-loving Luna (Ashley Cierra) and Spanish-speaking Memo (Nickolas Verdugo).

The actual story is set in San Javier, Mexico, where Alex is reluctant to do anything other than play his videogame. But the good cousins and the loving granddad do everything they can to make sure he feels at home. Now enters Chupa, a young chupacabra – a mythical creature that feeds on goats’ blood, and is being hunted by the vile American poacher/scientist (Christian Slater) who believes the creature can help him mint money for its healing properties.

So, Alex and his family have to now save Chupa and reunite it with its family. Will they be able to do it? Of course, they will! But how they do it is what needs to be watched on-screen.

‘Chupa’ reminds you of ‘ET’ – or, maybe a watered-down version of it. In terms of cinematography or plot development, it’s not up to scratch. Director Jonas Cuaron fails to capitalise on the theme/plotline – he neither devotes time to develop the bond between the animal and the human(s) nor makes it a heartwarming tale. So, the film is devoid of scenes that tug at your heartstrings or make you emotional.

What works, though, are the special effects – which are good enough to make it worth watching once. Strictly for families with small children.