Director Jońas Cuarón creates an adventurous film, “Chupa,” about Alex (Evan Whitten), a young boy who hasn’t been the same since his father’s death. As a chance to connect with his Hispanic heritage, Alex sets off to spend spring break at his grandpa’s ranch in New Mexico. After Alex arrives, he embarks on a spirited journey with the mysterious creature lurking within his grandfather’s shed. Their blossoming relationship leaves the audience filled with excitement and ready for a thrill of secrecy ahead.

The film beautifully represents the Hispanic culture in New Mexico and captures the essence of what Alex ignored while living in Kansas City. When coming across Chupa, the young lost chupacabra, Alex vows to find its family while staying undercover from scientists on the hunt for the magical creature. The chemistry and relationships between the actors makes viewers touch base on the power of family. 

With the movie’s simplicity overall, its uniquely unexpected scenes leave the audience questioning what will happen next. While in the perspective of Alex, viewers are shown the struggles presented for each of the characters in different ways which creates a fascinating versatile narrative.

The movie has a strong appeal, yet it lacks depth of plot. The movie seemed to execute a cute short film, however, it felt weak in storyline with unnecessary filler scenes that could have been cut. It lacked the element of grabbing the audience’s attention midway through the film that left viewers in a gray area of anticlimactic plot development. 

Although, as the film amplifies, the inspirational theme of a found family rekindling its relationship shines through which provokes an emotional response from the audience. The film is one where the audience can take a second to relax and enjoy an easy-going film. The heart of the movie is when Chupa is reunited with its family; talk about a tearjerker. The moment was bittersweet for Alex, but having found his own family, he knew letting Chupa go was for the best.

“Chupa” includes insightful events of Alex finding pride in his Mexican roots which is inspirational toward younger generations who definitely need to watch the touching film. Intensity is through the roof when Alex and scientist Richard Quinn (Christian Slater) face off against each other for the sake of Chupa. The scene is different from the rest of the film’s tender screenplay, making “Chupa”’ deserving of 7.5 out of 10 stars.