Chupacabra vs. the Alamo (2013)

Best movie of this year hands down!

What makes it different from others?

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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.

Creatures of local legend, Chupacabras, are not adverse to traveling in packs. Just one can prove a problem; but several mean dangerous trouble. In this made-for-TV movie, a pack of Chupacabras tunnels its way from Mexico to San Antonio, Texas. When a pile of corpses are found, DEA Agent Seguin (Erik Estrada) and a newly assigned partner, Tracy Taylor (Julia Benson), begin investigating. It is believed among locals, a score of drug cartel members are part of the mess. A dying man is found deeper in the tunnel and he claims his attackers were Chupacabras. The famous landmark, the Alamo, will become the site of a major battle of desperation and blood curdling fear.This SyFy film is directed by Terry Ingram and also stars: Chad Krowchuk, Brent McLaren, Nicole Munoz, Aleks Paunovic, Cassandra Fernandez and Jorge Vargas.

Good old Erik still does a semi-cohesive and usually believable performance (as he always has), along with a pretty decent cast. However the motorcycle driving sequences against the fake backgrounds were horribly bogus and right out of the 40's. Should have skipped those images altogether.Flashbacks to CHIPS are unneeded and Erik is more believable in a rugged Jeep than a bike. Budget concerns aside, the director needs to be horse whipped. The creature was well done and looks just what I imagine a Chupacabra would look like, if there is such a thing. Erik isn't reaching for the stars here, but this vehicle keeps him visible as a prominent B Actor who carries significant gravitas as a TV actor working in B Movies.

Those of us that know the SyFy channel movie formula could all see this little treat coming down the road. It has all the elements of traditional SyFy movies; 2nd/3rd rate CGI and actors, thoroughly unappealing characters, inane dialog, and perhaps, a has-been actor thrown in for nostalgia.And, of course, the title. At this point, I'm convinced that they just brain-storm the most ridiculous movie titles they can think of and make a movie around that title. Chupacabra vs. the Alamo is certainly a winner in that regard. The story is silly, naturally, but I thought the CGI was pretty good, in SyFy movie terms.Erik Estrada is the curiosity doing the "has-been" duty here, and he's seen better days. The former CHiPs star is in his mid 60's now, and has packed on some tonnage, but he gives this nonsense his best shot and plays his part with gusto. All these movies are made for fun, of course, in the best "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" tradition. Everybody is in on the joke here, except for a few viewers who actually take these things seriously.It's not giving anything away to say the characters fight the mythical beasts at the Alamo. Guess who wins. About average for a SyFy movie. If you watch it, you'll get exactly what you would expect from the title.