(SPOILERS) 'Chupa' Ending Explained: A fantasy adventure filled with family values
Spoilers for 'Chupa'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Netflix just dropped 'Chupa' and it immediately reminds us of benchmark adventure fantasy movies like 'ET', 'Jurassic Park', and to an extent 'Indiana Jones'. The story takes place in 1996, mostly in Kansas City and Mexico, and revolves around three cousins -- Alex, Luna, and Memo, their Alzheimer's-ridden ex-luchador grandfather, Chava, and a mythological creature in Latin folklore called Chupacabra, or in this movie, as the title suggests, Chupa. Alex, who lost his father early, is sent to Mexico by his mother to meet his grandfather at San Javier and to acknowledge his Latin heritage. Hesitant at first, Alex somehow agrees to visit his abuelo (grandfather) and it is here that he meets his cousins -- Luna and Memo. Upon learning the fact that a Chupacabra, which has been reported missing and is being hunted, has taken refuge in his grandfather's estate and the cousins and their abuelo team up to protect the mythical creature from Quinn (government agent) and reunite it with its family at all costs. In order to do so, they face many hurdles, which ultimately lead to a comprehensive ending.
Directed by Jonas Cuaron, 'Chupa' may seem like a Spielberg-ish children's adventure fantasy movie, but it talks about one's heritage, ancestral pride, family bonding, and a general sense of belonging. The movie also displays a touch of racial superiority as a White male officer from the US embarks on a journey to the south of the border to capture a mythical creature belonging to Latin folklore, milking its magical powers to profit off of it. To understand how 'Chupa' concluded, stick around as we explain in detail below.
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Alex and his family save Chupa
In the final segment of 'Chupa', Officer Quinn arrives at Chava's estate in San Javier and captures Chupa. Just as he was about to leave, Alex tells his groggy abuelo that his arch nemesis El Shakal has come and he must defeat him. Chava gets up, dons his signature luchador attire, goes downstairs, and beats Quinn to the ground with a dropkick. The family then runs off with Quinn's car and Chupa while Quinn desperately tries to chase them and fails. Alex and his group drive toward the canyons where Chupa's family might reside.
Upon arriving at a place, Chupa starts to become impatient, almost as if it knows that home is near, and decides to run off. Alex chases Chupa towards the canyon while his family follows. Alex and Chupa arrive at a dead end that is connected to the other side of the canyon by a metal pipe-like structure. Alex hears a howl from the other side and accepts that he has to let Chupa go, which follows a beautiful shot of the two displaying their final moments with each other.
There's always a twist
After bidding farewell to Chupa, Alex turns back and finds himself confronted by an animal that resembles a puma. Trying to escape, Alex backs off on the fragile metal pipe just when his abuelo and primos arrive at the scene, making the predator run away. But as Alex tries to step off the pipe, he finds himself becoming a victim of the fragile structure and hangs for his life. His abuelo tries hard, but it's Chupa that comes back to save Alex's life. But things get intense when Chupa and Alex can't hold on any longer and start falling to the ground. Expecting to meet his tragic fate, Alex finds himself hanging midair just a few notches above the ground as the flightless Chupa learns to raid the skies. Delighted, the family unites and prepares to bid Chupa farewell one last time. But then, Officer Quinn arrives!
Quinn vs El Chupacabras
Officer Quinn arrives on the scene with his zapper and threatens the family as he snatches Chupa from them. He puts it in a cage and drives off smugly. Unable to accept Chupa's fate, Alex and his family run off after Quinn's car as he calls his office to let them know about his feat. But just as he thought his hunt was over, the entire Chupacabra family arrived. They go on a rampage as they start breaking through Quinn's car while Alex and his family cheer from afar. Scared and hopeless, Quinn gets out of the car and starts to negotiate with the creatures in a rather hilarious way, to save his life. The chupacabras seem to have calmed down, which felt like the result of Quinn's negotiation tactics. But just when Quinn felt he had control, in comes Chava in his signature Luchador style and Suplex's Quinn onto the ground. Chupa escapes Quinn's hold and reunites with his family. Alex realizes that it's goodbyes once again as he tells Chupa that he will miss it.
Alex falls in love with Mexico
The family arrives at Chava's place as Alex prepares for his return to the US after having the adventure of his life. Luna gets teary as she has to let Alex go and gifts him a mixtape and a cassette player. Memo pranks Alex as he jumps out unannounced from the boot of Chava's car and slams Alex onto the ground. As Chava drives Alex to the airport, Alex realizes he fell in love with Mexico and his Latin heritage, and the things about him that he despised the most. They arrive at the airport, and Chava tells Alex to never forget about this adventure. As Alex was about to step onto the plane, he gave his favorite Game Boy to Chava as he realized he didn't need it to hide his face anymore. Alex takes off and starts listening to the mixtape given by Luna. The final scene shows Alex looking out the plane window where he sees Chupa and its family flying through the sky, almost as if to bid Alex a final farewell.
Catch 'Chupa' exclusively on Netflix now.