Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at...
A few months ago, I learned MONSTER TRUCKS existed. I immediately looked up the trailer and gave it a go. It looked terrible. I thought, "Why does this have to exist?" Then some time passed and I watched the second trailer for it. Again, "Why does this have to exist?" But then I began to wonder if it would turn out to be one of those movies that are "so bad its good" and maybe it would become some sort of guilty pleasure.
Another thing that happened, was that I started looking back at all those "family" movies I watched as a kid in the 80s and early 90s. I remember watching those and loving them, but later re-watching them as an adult only to say how terrible they truly are. I wondered if Monster Trucks would turn out to be one of those, a movie meant only for a particular age group. And that's fair. However, that's no excuse for making a crappy movie that only kids would like. There are, after all, plenty of movies out there that both children and adults love. I finally watched Monster Trucks and knew the latter wasn't the case.
First off, I want to assure you that after a lot of thought, I started watching Monster Trucks through the eyes of the 6-year-old version of me. I said I'd watch it with a totally open mind. Especially since a few fellow cinephiles had said that it wasn't the "dumpster fire" they thought it was gonna be. I thought, "maybe I'll end up liking it." And I'll be honest when I say that deep down I was hoping I would.
MONSTER TRUCKS is a terrible movie. So terrible, in fact, that I felt sorry for all the wonderful actors featured in this. Why did they say yes to this movie? Was the paycheck that great? Maybe, considering this movie came with an expensive price tag of $120+ million dollars. Several actors, including Rob Lowe and Barry Pepper had a constant look on their face that made me feel they were being held hostage by Paramount Studios. Our lead, played by Lucas Till, looked way too old for the part and it made it somewhat creepy that a "high school senior", played by Jane Levy, had a thing for him. Danny Glover. You poor thing. Why?
As far as plot, there was nothing new that this movie could possibly bring to the table. Evil corporation? Check. Hardass stepfather? Check. Tough-as-nails military-type henchman? Check. Doughy-eyed love interest? Check. Old wise helper? Check. Fat and dopey best friend? Check. Douchebag rich boy? Check! What else? Oh yeah, assistant to the head of the evil corporation who changes his mind because he realizes his boss is evil? Yep. That too.
I will say that this movie reminded of those late 80s/early 90s coming-of-age/alien/adventure flicks. In that aspect, it succeeded. It did have a bit of that nostalgic charm that kept me from completely hating it. That's only because it reminded me of the time I went to the theater to watch HONEY, I BLEW UP THE KID. Yeah. That's it. Monster Trucks is totally comparable to that movie. Same beats and plot points, I'd say.
Will Monster Trucks be the worst movie of 2017? No. Do I hate it? No. This movie is exactly the movie they designed it to be. But that doesn't mean it should exist.
Proceed with caution. Don't get run over like I did by this beast.
