Monster Trucks (2016)

A young man working at a small town junkyard discovers and befriends a creature which feeds on oil being sought by a fracking company.

Director:

Chris Wedge

Writers:

Derek Connolly (screenplay by), Matthew Robinson (story by)

Stars:

Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Thomas Lennon

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lucas Till	...	Tripp
Jane Levy	...	Meredith
Thomas Lennon	...	Jim Dowd
Barry Pepper	...	Sheriff Rick
Rob Lowe	...	Reece Tenneson
Danny Glover	...	Mr. Weathers
Amy Ryan	...	Cindy
Holt McCallany	...	Burke
Frank Whaley	...	Wade Coley
Aliyah O'Brien	...	Junior Scientist
Daniel Bacon	...	Technician
Faustino Di Bauda	...	Roughneck
Jedidiah Goodacre	...	Jake (Letterman Kid)
Samara Weaving	...	Brianne
Ruairi MacDonald	...	9th Grader

Storyline

In a small town, an oil company is drilling for oil. The geologist, Dowd, informs his boss, Tenneson that they detected what could be an ecosystem which could affect their drilling rights. But Tenneson tells them to go on and something happens. Something came out and Tenneson wants to keep it quiet by keeping what came out on ice. In the town, something's been taking the fuel tanks off vehicles, leaving a big hole. Tripp, who lives in the town is frustrated at his life, specifically not having a vehicle of his own. He works at a scrap yard and he's been working on restoring an old truck. One day he thinks he hears something and traps it in the storage pit. He calls the Sheriff who's his step-father, whom he doesn't like. And when he gets there, it's gone. Later he sets a trap for it and sees it's a slug like creature who feeds on oil. He would bond with it. Later a man from the oil company shows up at the yard and asks him about the thing he reported earlier. Tripp feigns it was ...

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Plot Keywords:

wilhelm scream | part computer animation | part computer animated | two word title | junkyard | 

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Taglines:

On January 13, meet Creech

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action, peril, brief scary images, and some rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Monster Trucks

Filming Locations:

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$125,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,950,705, 15 January 2017, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$33,370,166, 16 March 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$64,361,194, 16 March 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Disruption Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital DTS (DTS: X) Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Danny Glover's first Nickelodeon role since Barnyard (2006).

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Goofs

Set in North Dakota, but the characters are drilling for oil near Montgomery, Alabama.

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Quotes

Reece Tenneson: [on Burke] He comes highly recommended.
Reece Tenneson: I'm not into hurting people
[nods to Burke]
Reece Tenneson: that's his job

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Express: #676 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Rumble & Sway
Written by Jamie N. Commons, Jayson DeZuzio (as Jayson De Zuzio) & Alek Grant
Performed by Jamie N. Commons
Courtesy of Kidinakorner / Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Good fun.

A young loner discovers a monster in a junkyard and finds he can use it to power his car. Soon he befriends the monster and sets out to help it find it's way home.

Great special effects and some good performances from some likable lead actors makes this an enjoyable movie to watch. Don't expect the plot to hold up to well under strict scrutiny but it is a kids film after all. There are some good positive messages about family and friends with a little bit of a green message too but nothing heavy handed.

The monster is very likable and the film has some funny moments too. Definitely recommended. I know I would have loved this as a kid and would have certainly enjoyed the action scenes in the second half of the movie. I can imagine younger kids of today having fond memories of this movie in the future. I just hope people give the movie a chance.