Monster Trucks (2016)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2016
	Director: Chris Wedge (Ice Age, Robots)
	Actors: Lucas Till (X-men: First Class), Jane Levy, Thomas Lennon, Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon 1-4)
	Country: USA, CDN
	Genre: Adventure
	Conditions of visioning: 26.06.2019, VOD, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: A young man (Till) working at a small town junkyard discovers and befriends a creature which feeds on oil being sought by a fracking company.
Review: The movie poster looks very 80's, and in the end the story is very similar to the one of E.T. but with older protagonists, an oil company as the bad guy and the monster truck of the title for more visual entertainment. I didn't expect much from that movie apart from some car chases and dumb humor but I was positively surprised and I kind of liked it. It is no masterpiece but I think what I like most is how straight-forward it is: the stakes are clear even though simplistic and the evolution of relationships between the young man and the monster on one hand and him and the girl on the other are also clearly presented (even though very predictable). You just know at every moment of the movie what is going on and why. This is very relaxing to watch compared to other movie when I keep on thinking: "OK they did that to please that age group, or because it looks like that other movie, or because we need an action scene every 10 minutes". Again Monster Trucks is no masterpiece but a simple honest family entertainment. That's rare enough to be appreciated. A few characters are a bit over-the-top (like the step-father and his precious car that predictibly get destroyed in the end), but it goes with the rest.
Rating: 7 /10