Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Monster Trucks Blu-ray Movie Review

No More and No Less Than Meets the Eye

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 9, 2017

Monster Trucks will inevitably be compared to Transformers by anyone who knows anything about Michael Bay's franchise reboot. Both are Paramount films, both are heavy on the digital effects, and both feature a teenage boy coming into possession of a very special vehicle that helps him get the girl and save the day. Monster Trucks certainly lacks the dazzle, but it's a bit heavier on the heart. It's also a fairly generic, predictable, and, honestly, an unnecessary movie, qualities that would be better compared to some of Bay's later Transformer films. Monster Trucks, oft delayed and shelved after completion before finally releasing in late 2016 after being slated for a mid-2015 debut, can't escape its pedestrian plot and style doldrums. It's adequately cheerful and sincere, even a bit fun, but the film feels painfully generic as bit maneuvers through all of the staple plot mechanics and character details that even its quasi-symbiotic core story cannot overcome.

Tripp (Lucas Till) lives in a small North Dakota town. He's leading a go-nowhere life but lives only to one day get himself his own running truck and find a new life somewhere else. He works at a scrapyard, crushing old cars and, it seems, his own dreams with every press of the button. He's excited when a damaged truck comes into the yard and he's able to salvage its engine, but he's about to find something even more amazing: a subterranean creature, capable of living on land or under water. He quickly befriends the creature, which was unearthed when a nearby oil company drilled too far and too deep and disturbed its previously hidden habitat. He learns that the creature thrives on oil and gasoline, and that it's very happy to curl itself up around his truck's various moving parts and power it for him. His would-be girlfriend Meredith (Jane Levy) learns of the creature, too, and the pair find themselves playing defense against the much more powerful oil company that would use the creature, and several others like it, for nefarious purposes.

Monster Trucks truly means well. It's put together snazzily, its characters -- real and digital -- exude unmistakable charm, the film is light on its feet, and there's even some good emotional draw as the friendly and somewhat symbiotic relationship between a boy and his truck-driving monster develops throughout the film. But it's just so generic. There's really not much to be said of it. Good intentions, stale execution. Whether in hero, villain, and side-character building; moments of levity; big action scenes; or a budding romance; the film plays out predictably in story, tone, and execution. The counter is that it's not meant to be enjoyed as high art; the movie never plays like it's trying to be anything but family friendly fare aimed at the younger crowd. The creature is agreeably designed, a nice mix of slimy and weird but obviously very friendly. It's sort of like a fat octopus meets a fat dolphin. Lucas Till plays the hero with a nice balance between quiet and shy and adventurous. Villains are largely one dimensional but effective foils. The movie does just enough to cater to its mostly undemanding demographic; adults will likely find it rather monotonous, but chances are all the colors, the music, the creatures, and the big action scenes will find favor with the young ones.

But it's impossible not to fall in love with it on some level, and therein lies its saving grace. For as simpleminded as the story may be, for as basic as its technical construction proves, for as unremarkable as its characters develop and its plotting plays out, the movie exudes an innocent charm throughout. For every stale plot point or predictable place along the arc, there's a goodhearted vibe alongside. The film never masks its simplistic roots but instead embraces them, showing that it knows its audience and seems all-too-willing and comfortable in brushing off the criticism that's certainly going to come its way by staying true to its simple core and never striving to reach above its means. It's confident in its simplicity, eager to please within its limited abilities. It's hard not to smile through much of it, flaws and all, because it's a good example of honest, basic entertainment that satisfies on the simplest, but in some ways most effective, levels.

Monster Trucks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Monster Trucks dazzles with an abundantly colorful 1080p transfer. The presentation's strength is unquestionably its bold, accurate colors. Bright greens, blues, and reds are in abundance, particularly on clean showroom-shine truck paint jobs. They're all spectacularly rich, and it's a shame a UHD didn't release alongside to to see what HDR enhancement could have done for one of the most eye-catching color schemes yet on Blu-ray. Additional colors are quite pleasing, too, including healthy green grasses, colorful attire, and general background information around a scrap yard, in a garage, or around several other environments throughout the movie. The digital source is clean but never flat or unattractively smooth. There's a quality sense of depth to the image. Clarity is superb and sharpness comes effortlessly. Environmental, clothing, and facial detailing is precise and appreciably complex. Even the digital creatures are wonderfully realized, yielding plenty of skin texturing, slime, and other small details that bring them to life. Nighttime black levels are beautifully deep. Skin tones appear healthy and accurate. Very light noise is visible in a couple of places -- a shot through a screen door early in the film is one example -- but the image is otherwise spot-on accurate and one of the finer presentations the format has to offer.

Monster Trucks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Monster Trucks pulls onto Blu-ray with a quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Overhead engagement is often more in minor support, creating fuller music and environmental effects, but there are several occurrences when direct overhead presence and movement is obvious: when Tripp first meets the creature and later at about the 1:22:25 mark when there's a distinct front-to-back sensation that fully engages the top end. The track's more generalized attributes are largely excellent. Music plays with satisfying width and surround wrap. Clarity is excellent and the track is never timid about pushing each note hard. The track is further never wanting for greater activity, producing multidirectional effects and offering plenty of pinpoint, location-specific elements throughout its many action scenes and high-speed climax. The only real downside is that the low end seems held in check, unable to truly explode as needed. A very large and very heavy toolbox is toppled over in one early moment, and it barely registers. Many other elements that would seem primed for thumping, heavy bass sometimes fall flat. On the flip side, the low end does engage on occasion. Throaty engine roars and creature effects are suitably deep, for example. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized with natural front-center positioning. The audio score is probably more realistically a 4.25 rather than the listed 4.0 which feels too low; 4.5 seems a tad high.

Monster Trucks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Monster Trucks contains a healthy allotment of bonus content. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase. Two heavy duty stickers are also included in the case.

• Who's Driving the Monster Trucks? (1080p, 7:06): This piece explores the cast's thoughts on the project, characters, casting, Chris Wedge's direction, and special effects.
• The Monster in the Truck (1080p, 4:57): Developing and digitally constructing the monsters in conjunction with some practical truck visuals. The piece also looks more closely at making some of the key sequences in the film.
• Creating the Monster Truck (1080p, 6:29): A closer look at Tripp's truck and how it works in conjunction with its monster-powered engine.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 4:35).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 8:36): Detention, Car Trouble, Avoiding Traffic, Apology, Tire Change, and Let's Go Around.
• Production Diaries (1080p, 10:13): Quick, bite-sized behind-the-scenes segments that fill in some more gaps, looking at the making of various moments, secrets behind the movie, and more. Included are Barrel Roll, Avoiding Traffic (Deleted Scene), Green Suits & Green Screens, Remote Control, Hydraulics, Rob Lowe, Fake Truck Driving, First Contact, Truck Spin, and Vintage Truck.

Monster Trucks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Monster Trucks is one of those movies that's hardly great but far from bad. It will be mocked in some circles, loved in others, but one cannot deny its heart, good nature, well meaning narrative, and agreeable characters. Yet one cannot deny its generic story supports and streamlined narrative content. On the whole, it's favorable cinema fodder, a movie that wasn't really "necessary" at any level but one that should please its target audience and leave adults at least satisfied that it tried while making clear that it has its heart in the right place. Paramount's Blu-ray features rock-solid video and audio as well as a decent selection of bonus content. Worth a look.