Like I stated in the summary, this is by all means harmless. The film at no point ever really felt like it was talking down to its audience along the lines of something akin to "Oogieloves" or last year's "Norm of the North". This is more or less a movie trying to launch a toy line, that is more or less what this comes across to me as. "Monster Trucks" isn't terrible or even all that bad...but it is pretty dumb and does have a few issues.
To give a brief synopsis, the movie is about a creature (later to be named 'Creech') that is accidentally dug up by an oil mining company that's run by Rob Lowe; the creature escapes only to be discovered by a "teenaged" boy named Tripp, played by Lucas Till. From there the two get into wacky shenanigans and soon find themselves in a pickle with the oil company a la "E.T." To start off I just want to briefly state that the story is fine, extremely unoriginal in every way, but it's fine. The acting is fine, granted very strange casting choices that include Danny Glover, Rob Lowe, Barry Pepper, Frank Whaley, and Holt McCallany...I mean...what are they doing in this movie? I can understand a paycheck movie, but some of these actors are barely in this movie. Danny Glover is in so little of this movie I had forgotten that he was even in it until the last 20 minutes of the movie, at which point he disappears about as fast as he came into it. Rob Lowe is in it maybe a little longer, but still probably rounds out to about seven minutes of screen time...maybe. Pushing the odd bit part casting choices aside though, all around the acting was fine. The CGI ranges from fine to questionable, but nothing ever seemed downright bad, just nothing all that terrific either. And lastly the creature, Creech, is cute and I did find myself routing for it to get back to its home. Even though you know a movie like this is without a doubt going to have a happy ending.
My biggest issues are with the characters...everyone is pretty much an idiot. I can get passed everyone basically being dumb in a kids movie like this, it's practically a staple of these types of movies by now. You just have to expect that going in...although there is some illegal things that the oil company AND this lead character, Tripp, is doing but doesn't ever seem to result in any legal consequences...it's like in this universe cops are okay with destruction of public property, total destruction of one's home, attempted kidnapping, and murder. And when I mention murder, I don't mean that is what the villains do in this movie but rather the 'hero'. Yeah...there are some scenarios where there is only one logical outcome and that is that people are more than likely dead. So many car wrecks, explosions, people being crushed by a gigantic work truck, a guy being covered in severely lethal toxic chemicals. The film may not show them "die" but you know they did. However, that's all good in their book apparently, but don't you dare make what appears to be a prank call or so help me!
Anyways, that kind of dumb stuff is present but it isn't anything I haven't encountered before and I can easily get over. What I can't get over so much though is the lead character, Tripp. Tripp is a manipulative douche. He's rude to his romantic love interest, played by Jane Levy. Throughout this whole movie I am actually kind of feeling sorry for Jane Levy's character because she has a thing for Tripp while all Tripp does is use her for her money, tools and hideout spots that she can supply for him, dismisses her completely in some sequences, and he is constantly ogling at this other girl that pops in from time to time. But by the end, of course the two get together, but I'm left sitting there asking "why". Now I'd like to clarify that I don't have a problem with the performance that Lucas Till is giving as his character Tripp...stupid frikkin' name...anyway, I just have a problem with how he is written. If he were written to be more likable, but could still retain some his nativity towards Levy's crush on him then that's fine. But he mainly comes across as a jerk that I don't want to wind up with this likably innocent, cutely played girl though.
Alright, so those are my major gripes. Would I recommend it? Hmm...I suppose if you have little kids and you're flipping through channels or on Netflix and you come across this then it won't be too bad to show them. It would make your children dumber or insult your intelligence, but it won't be anything all that memorable. I highly doubt that any child that watches this will carry this with them into their adulthood. This will probably be shortly forgotten, if it hasn't been already. It's fine, but I'm positive that you can find better.
To give a brief synopsis, the movie is about a creature (later to be named 'Creech') that is accidentally dug up by an oil mining company that's run by Rob Lowe; the creature escapes only to be discovered by a "teenaged" boy named Tripp, played by Lucas Till. From there the two get into wacky shenanigans and soon find themselves in a pickle with the oil company a la "E.T." To start off I just want to briefly state that the story is fine, extremely unoriginal in every way, but it's fine. The acting is fine, granted very strange casting choices that include Danny Glover, Rob Lowe, Barry Pepper, Frank Whaley, and Holt McCallany...I mean...what are they doing in this movie? I can understand a paycheck movie, but some of these actors are barely in this movie. Danny Glover is in so little of this movie I had forgotten that he was even in it until the last 20 minutes of the movie, at which point he disappears about as fast as he came into it. Rob Lowe is in it maybe a little longer, but still probably rounds out to about seven minutes of screen time...maybe. Pushing the odd bit part casting choices aside though, all around the acting was fine. The CGI ranges from fine to questionable, but nothing ever seemed downright bad, just nothing all that terrific either. And lastly the creature, Creech, is cute and I did find myself routing for it to get back to its home. Even though you know a movie like this is without a doubt going to have a happy ending.
My biggest issues are with the characters...everyone is pretty much an idiot. I can get passed everyone basically being dumb in a kids movie like this, it's practically a staple of these types of movies by now. You just have to expect that going in...although there is some illegal things that the oil company AND this lead character, Tripp, is doing but doesn't ever seem to result in any legal consequences...it's like in this universe cops are okay with destruction of public property, total destruction of one's home, attempted kidnapping, and murder. And when I mention murder, I don't mean that is what the villains do in this movie but rather the 'hero'. Yeah...there are some scenarios where there is only one logical outcome and that is that people are more than likely dead. So many car wrecks, explosions, people being crushed by a gigantic work truck, a guy being covered in severely lethal toxic chemicals. The film may not show them "die" but you know they did. However, that's all good in their book apparently, but don't you dare make what appears to be a prank call or so help me!
Anyways, that kind of dumb stuff is present but it isn't anything I haven't encountered before and I can easily get over. What I can't get over so much though is the lead character, Tripp. Tripp is a manipulative douche. He's rude to his romantic love interest, played by Jane Levy. Throughout this whole movie I am actually kind of feeling sorry for Jane Levy's character because she has a thing for Tripp while all Tripp does is use her for her money, tools and hideout spots that she can supply for him, dismisses her completely in some sequences, and he is constantly ogling at this other girl that pops in from time to time. But by the end, of course the two get together, but I'm left sitting there asking "why". Now I'd like to clarify that I don't have a problem with the performance that Lucas Till is giving as his character Tripp...stupid frikkin' name...anyway, I just have a problem with how he is written. If he were written to be more likable, but could still retain some his nativity towards Levy's crush on him then that's fine. But he mainly comes across as a jerk that I don't want to wind up with this likably innocent, cutely played girl though.
Alright, so those are my major gripes. Would I recommend it? Hmm...I suppose if you have little kids and you're flipping through channels or on Netflix and you come across this then it won't be too bad to show them. It would make your children dumber or insult your intelligence, but it won't be anything all that memorable. I highly doubt that any child that watches this will carry this with them into their adulthood. This will probably be shortly forgotten, if it hasn't been already. It's fine, but I'm positive that you can find better.