Kidzworld checked out the Blu-ray for the cute Sci-Fi film Monster Trucks. Does the movie have action, heart, good stunts and effects? Will the extras hold your interest? Check our review.
By: Lynn Barker
In Monster Trucks, high school senior Tripp (Lucas Till) would love to escape his boring life. He’s re-building an old truck and works at a junkyard. His dad left the family and his mom works all the time. Geez, will anything good and interesting or even exciting ever happen to him? How about meeting a “monster” from Earth’s depths who happens to like trucks?
Two of the Monster Trucks in actionCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
The Bad Guys
Terravex Oil is fracking near a lake in North Dakota, overseen by CEO Reece Tenneson (Rob Lowe) and geologist Jim Dowd (Thomas Lennon). It drills into a huge subterranean lake and releases three creatures who live there. Two are captured by Terravex, but one of them escapes the site. The company must find them before word gets out.
Tenneson and Dowd at the drill siteCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Tripp
High school senior Tripp (Lucas Till) is unhappy at home, has a part-time job at a local junkyard and makes a hobby of re-building an old pickup truck. Tripp encounters the one escaped “monster” in the junkyard and reports what he has seen (it looks like a friendly cross between a dolphin/whale/seal with tentacles) but it escapes before anyone else sees it.
Tripp shoots a selfie with CreechCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
It Eats Oil!
The next day, Tripp finds that the creature eats oil and likes to hang out under the hood of his truck. Tripp names him Creech and hopes to get him back to his home. Creech wraps his tentacles around the axle of the truck and can move at great speeds. Fun for Creech and Tripp! Finally Tripp’s friend Meredith (Jane Levy), who has been tutoring him at school, sees Creech and is terrified but finally realizes he is friendly and seems to be having fun “driving” the truck.
Tripp tells Meredith There's a monster in my truckCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Monster Hunters
Meanwhile, Terravex has the two similar beasts in captivity and is studying them but the boss Tenneson sends hired mercenary Burke (Holt McCallany) to find the escaped one and kill it. Company geologist Dowd objects. These creatures are intelligent and have emotions. Creech senses the other two “monsters” who are actually his parents! Trying to be near them, he is also captured. Dowd decides to help Tripp and Meredith rescue all three creatures.
Mercenary Burke who is hired to kill CreechCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Truckin’
Rescuing all three creatures, the good guys put them in three trucks and it’s a chase with the bad guys up the mountain where the creatures can return to their subterranean home through the drilling hole they came out of. Will the friendly creatures get home? Will Terravex be prosecuted for disturbing their habitat? Will Tripp and Meredith become a couple?
Tripp and Meredith try to figure out how to save CreechCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Special Extra Features
There are several entertaining extras on this Blu-ray/DVD/Digital set. Most deal with the creatures’ creation and the live action and CGI trucks used. Popular Lucas Till does get some screen time however.
- Who is Driving The Monster Trucks? is the extra focusing on the actors and their characters. Guys in green suits portrayed the CGI monsters on set. Silly fun.
- The Monster in the Truck gives us info on creating a new species to be the film’s monsters. We learn that over 30 animators worked on them and time was spent figuring out just how a monster could secretly “drive” a truck. Making Creech lovable is discussed. Interesting.
- Creating the Monster Truck is more on how the creatures would power and inhabit the trucks. Lucas Till had a blast doing his stunts. Over 40 real life trucks were used in addition to the CGI versions. Pretty cool.
- Gag Reel is the usual bloopers with line flubs, stunts not working, faces being made, Lucas Till trying to get his long hair out of his face etc. These are always fun.
- Deleted Scenes- there are six of these. A few further develop the relationship between Tripp and Meredith and there are some awesome car chase stunts that actually should have been in the film, like Tripp changing a tire while Meredith drives a truck on two wheels.
- Production Diaries are actually just very short behind-the-scenes, how we did that, clips that are all actually informative. Worth a watch.
Lucas Till as Tripp prepares to do a stuntCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Wrapping Up
Monster Trucks is a cute, entertaining, visually inventive movie with the usual we-found-an-alien formula.. i.e. kids find alien, he’s friendly, mean people want to exploit or kill him, kids have to save him. However, the creatures actually are expressive and kinda ugly/cute. Lucas Till is also cute and the truck action and stunts are fun to watch.
Tripp in his garage with future monster truckCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Extras on the Blu-ray flesh out the production and should be of some interest. Maybe the film isn’t ground-breaking but it is entertaining enough for the whole family. We can go three stars.
Monster Trucks Blu-ray Rating: 
Monster Trucks Blu-ray Cover ArtCourtesy of Paramount Pictures
Monster Trucks is now available on Blu-ray & DVD!
Have Your Say
Do you go to monster truck rallies? Do you believe there are creatures out there who could be friendly? Comment below.
