''Monster Trucks'' is a 2016 American live action/animated

monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

produced by

Paramount Animation Paramount Animation is an American animation studio, serving as the animation division and label of Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The division was founded on July 6, 2011, following the critical and commerical success of P ...

Nickelodeon Movies Nickelodeon Movies Inc. is an American Filmmaking, film production company based in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California and owned by Paramount Global. Originally founded in 1995, it serves as both the film production division of Nickelodeon Pro ...

and Disruption Entertainment for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. It was directed by

Chris Wedge John Christian Wedge (born March 20, 1957) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. He is best known for being the lead animator of the sci-fi action film ''Tron'' (1982), co-founding the now defunct animation studio Blue Sky Studios ...

, in both his live-action directorial debut and first directorial effort outside of his own company

Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American visual effects and computer animation animation studio, studio, which was active from 1987 to 2021. It was based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was founded on February 22, 1987, by Chris Wedge, Michael F ...

, and written by

Derek Connolly Derek Connolly (born c. 1976) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He is best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Colin Trevorrow, and has written the films ''Safety Not Guaranteed'' (2012), '' Jurassic World'' (2015) and its se ...

, from a story by Matthew Robinson, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. The film stars

Lucas Till Lucas Daniel Till (born August 10, 1990) is an American actor. His work spans film and television, and his accolades include five Teen Choice Award nominations. Till began his career in the early 2000s with roles in independent films, before ga ...

, Jane Levy,

Amy Ryan Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski (born May 3, 1968), known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress. She began her professional stage career in 1987 and made her Broadway debut in 1993 as a replacement in the original production of Wendy W ...

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...

Danny Glover Danny Glover ( ; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, producer, and political activist. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Danny Glover, numerous accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian A ...

, Barry Pepper, Thomas Lennon, and Holt McCallany, and follows Tripp Coley, a young junkyard employee who finds a subterranean creature living in his truck. The film was first released on December 21, 2016 in France, then on January 13, 2017 in the United States. It received mixed reviews from critics and was considered by analysts to be a

box-office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...

, grossing $64.5 million worldwide against a $125 million budget.

Plot

Terravex Oil is in the midst of a

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

operation in

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, overseen by CEO Reece Tenneson and

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

Jim Dowd. The operation releases a trio of squid-like creatures from underground and destroys the

drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to ...

. Two are captured by Terravex, but one of them escapes. Meanwhile, high school senior Tripp Coley has taken up a job at a junkyard, where he builds a

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

in hopes of being able to leave his town, but the truck lacks a working

drivetrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the driv ...

. One night, Tripp encounters the escaped creature in the junkyard and captures it, but the creature escapes before he can seek authorities. The next day, Tripp, discovers that the creature feeds on

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

, and has taken shelter in the hood of his truck. He befriends him, names him Creech, and promises to help him get home. Tripp modifies the truck to give Creech more control as a makeshift engine. The truck acts as a 'wheelchair' for Creech to operate. Meanwhile, Tenneson is still concerned about the incident at the drilling rig, since similar experiments have revealed the existence of other creatures. He decides to protect the company's image by drilling poison into a hole leading to the underwater tunnels, and by sending hired

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

Burke to kill their captured creatures, to the objection of Dowd, as he finds the monsters have significant intelligence and emotions, as well as a hive mind intelligence that allows both of the captured specimens to learn what was taught to one. Tripp and Meredith go see Tripp's father Wade to seek help, but Wade sells Tripp out to Burke. Tripp and Meredith escape in the truck with Creech. Tripp, Meredith and Creech are chased by Burke and his team along with Rick. They escape by jumping over a MRL

local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

with an

EMD MP15DC The EMD MP15, sometimes referenced as MP15DC, is a Diesel–electric powertrain, diesel–electric road switcher locomotive model produced by General Motors Corporation, General Motors' Electro-Motive Diesel, Electro-Motive Division between 1974 ...

lead train, and camping at a hunting cabin. When Creech gets the sense something bad will happen to the other creatures, he heads to Terravex headquarters where other creatures are being held captive. Tripp and Meredith follow Creech. When they arrive, they find Creech's parents, but are attacked by Terravex workers. Creech is captured, and Tripp and Meredith are taken to Tenneson. Dowd decides to help Tripp and Meredith rescue the creatures. They acquire two more trucks and modify the trucks for Creech's parents to control. Dowd helps the group by stealing the Terravex truck on which Creech's parents are loaded. At the dealership, the creatures take control of the modified trucks, and the group make their escape up the mountain leading to the tunnels. Terravex gives chase up the mountain and the group escapes. On the way, Rick helps Tripp and the group escape from Burke, preventing Burke from ramming them off the road and later stealing a large truck to block the road to prevent further pursuit. After realizing the poison has been inserted, Tripp gets into a head-on battle with Burke, who attempts to push him into the drilling hole, but ends when Tripp and Creech overturn Burke's truck, destroying the poison machine and apparently killing Burke when his truck is thrown into the equipment. Creech saves Tripp from drowning before he and his parents depart back home where the others of their kind are, and Terravex is exposed by the group for the experimentation that was harming the creatures' habitat. Tenneson is arrested for his crimes, Tripp and Rick develop on good terms and together rebuild a

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...

for the truck, and Tripp and Meredith begin a relationship.

Cast

Production

On July 31, 2013,

announced that they were developing a new live-action/animated franchise, with an entry film titled ''Monster Trucks'', and Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger set to write the film's script. The pitch was created by Paramount's president Adam Goodman alongside his four year old son.

(he was in

, whom he left in 2013, and returned) soon when until was set to direct the film, which was produced by Mary Parent, with an initial release date set for May 29, 2015. Production took place in Vancouver Film Studios in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, British Columbia. On February 19, 2014, Jane Levy and

joined the cast of the film. On March 24,

was cast in a role, and later that week, Holt McCallany joined the cast as a villain. On April 1, Frank Whaley and

joined the cast of the film. Later that month, Thomas Lennon joined as well, and on April 14, Barry Pepper joined the cast. On April 24, Tucker Albrizzi, who starred in

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

's TV show ''

Big Time Rush ''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013, featuring the band Big Time Rush portrayed as a fictional version of th ...

'', joined the cast, with

added five days later. In December 2013, it was announced that the film's production would begin in early April 2014 in Vancouver, with filming wrapping up in mid-July, and the studio Vancouver Film Studios was booked for the production.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on April 4, 2014, in

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...

. Filming was spotted on May 13, 2014 in downtown

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( ) is a city of about 100,000 people and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the gr ...

Release

The release date was shifted several times. It was initially set for May 29, 2015, but on January 26, 2015, the film was pushed back to December 25, 2015, a date first assigned for '' Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation''. On May 5, 2015, the film was pushed back again, to March 18, 2016. On November 10, 2015, the film's release date was pushed back one final time, to January 13, 2017. On September 21, 2016, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' stated Paramount would take a $115 million

writedown A write-off is a reduction of the recognized value of something. In accounting, this is a recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, this is a reduction of taxable income, as a recognition of certain expenses ...

on the film because of its expected poor performance at the box office.

Home media

''Monster Trucks'' was released on Digital HD on March 28, 2017 and on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on April 11, 2017.

Reception

Box office

''Monster Trucks'' grossed $33.4 million in the United States and Canada and $31.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $64.5 million. In North America, ''Monster Trucks'' was released alongside the openings of '' The Bye Bye Man'' and '' Sleepless'', as well as the wide releases of ''

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient hearing, audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low sound intensity, intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be exten ...

'', '' Patriots Day'' and '' Live by Night'', and was expected to gross $8–10 million from 3,119 theaters in its opening weekend. It ended up making $11 million ($14.2 million over the four-day MLK weekend), finishing 7th at the box office. Due to its $125 million budget, as well as additional amounts spent on promotion, the film was considered by analysts to be a

. ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' calculated the film lost Paramount $123.1 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite flashes of inspiration, the singularly high-concept ''Monster Trucks'' shows that it takes more than monsters and trucks to create a compelling feature film." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a score of 41 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Some contemporary reviews were more complimentary, however. Kristy Puchko cited it as a "treasure that feels like a heady relic from the '90s" in '' IndieWire''s 2017 critic's survey of the Craziest Hollywood Movies of the 21st Century, while Sean Egan called it a "live-action cartoon that recalls the goofy, good-hearted Amblin family films of yore" in '' AM New York Metro''s Best Films of 2017 list. Further, audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. By 2021, the film's reputation had improved slightly, with Lisa Laman of '' Looper'' observing that a cult following had developed for the film, while Chris Evangelista penned an essay for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' arguing for the film's merits.

Possible sequel

Lennon mentioned on his

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

in 2022 that he is still under contract for 2 sequels.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Portal bar, Film, United States, Speculative fiction, Comedy, Animation, 2010s 2016 films 2016 3D films 2016 computer-animated films 2016 action comedy films 2010s science fiction comedy films American action comedy films American science fiction comedy films American computer-animated films American science fiction action films Films directed by Chris Wedge Films scored by Dave Sardy Films set in North Dakota Films shot in British Columbia American films with live action and animation Paramount Animation films Nickelodeon Movies films Paramount Pictures animated films 3D animated films Films with screenplays by Derek Connolly Films with screenplays by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger American children's comedy films Films about trucks 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language action comedy films Nickelodeon animated films Paramount Pictures films