Chupacabra vs. the Alamo (2013)

Too much of everything

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Carlos Seguin (Erik Estrada) and his new partner Tracy (Julia Benson) are investigating a murder. Erik believes it is some kind of gang killing while Tracy opts for CG canines. If you read the title of the film, you already know it is the CG canines known as Chupacabra, which look like a big ugly coyote. Carlos has family issues which become part of the film as they try to iron out their problems.The special effects make for a campy film. The CG animals, CG gun fire, and the scenery moving in the background as Erik rides his bike, like a 1940's film. His jumping over a car and the use of a CG grenade was perhaps the highlights of the campy humor. The dialouge was fairly lame with noticeable music and scene changes for commercial breaks.There is plenty of fake blood and killing as these animals who have lived in the wild have mastered door knob operations with their first attempt. Unless you are a fan of bad SyFy films, stay away.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.

Some grisly murder victims are found in San Antonio, Texas. Turns out they are being killed by chupacabra. If you haven't seen this Syfy TV movie yet, you may be wondering what chupacabra is/are and how the inanimate Alamo is able to fight anything. For one thing, chupacabra are vicious dog-like creatures. Animated and hungry, they are called an "urban legend" by veteran motorcycle cop and present DEA agent Erik Estrada (as Carlos Seguin), but he changes his mind. The former "CHiPS" TV series star has added several pounds and years, but kept his gritty teeth and grimace. Presently, he is the widower father of two ungrateful children – gangbanger son Jorge Vargas (as Tommy aka "Spider") and bratty daughter Nicole Munoz (as Sienna). In what may or may not be political subtext, the blood-thirsty hounds are from Mexico. Finally, the Alamo does not do battle with the chupacabra as promised in the title; instead, Estrada's team and the chupacabra have a showdown at the landmark.** Chupacabra vs. the Alamo (3/23/13) Erik Estrada, Julia Benson, Jorge Vargas, Vanesa Tomasino

Chupacabra vs. the Alamo (2013) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Gory fun from SyFy has a cop (Erik Estrada) trying to deal with the two-year anniversary of his wife's death while at the same time having troubles with his teenage daughter. To make matters worse a gang of chupacabras are eating up the locals and the cop must gather up a group of gangsters (led by his own son) to try and take on the creatures at the site mentioned in the title. CHUPACABRA VS. THE ALAMO is a pretty silly movie but I'm sure that's what most people expect when they tune into SyFy on Saturday nights. I must admit that this film really kept me entertained throughout most of the running time, although there are certainly some flaws remaining. One big flaw is the constant melodrama dealing with the father's relationship with his children. The widowed father and troubled kids is a cliché taking over these SyFy movies and it really needs to stop as it takes away from what people are turning into see. The CGI monsters here aren't nearly as bad as we've come to expect from the station but there's still no question that they're far from being scary. The actual look of the monsters are pretty good and thankfully they didn't turn them into Godzilla sized creatures, which is what usually happens. Another plus is that if you're looking for gore then you're going to find a lot of it here. There's all sorts of guts and blood flowing throughout and this includes some TV-pushing stuff including one poor guy who decides to go pee at the wrong time. Estrada is the former star thrown into the spotlight this time out. I actually thought he was quite fun here and of course we get some nods to his CHIPS role including him riding a motorcycle throughout the picture. I also enjoyed both Nicole Munoz and Julia Benson in their supporting roles. CHUPACABRA VS. THE ALAMO isn't meant to be taken serious and thankfully the filmmakers didn't take it too serious. The film is light entertainment that's going to appeal to fans of "B" movies and those who like gore.

Golly gee whizz willikers what a piece of Syfy feces. If not for Erik Estrada this movie would be negative in the rating if that were possible. I have seen many Syfy produced movies but this one is really bad. Why Estrada did this movie can only be for the money because it really is bad. The chupacabra's are obviously computer images but very poorly done. They look like rabid, furless Mexican hairless except bigger. Then there are the very poorly done backgrounds when Estrada is riding his bike. Then there is the gang bangers that decide to help the cops out by going after the dogs. The show boating, macho crap among the gang bangers and even the cops is so over the top that it is stupid. All in all I am sorry I watched this movie.