History Film / MonsterTrucks

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Tripp is nothing but rude and dismissive to Meredith at the start of the film, where she's been assigned him for Biology tutoring, which he's clearly uninterested in and tries to push her away. Despite his behaviour, she changes into a nice dress to visit Tripp's work for a tutoring session, despite the fact that it's in a junkyard.
* AlmightyMom: Assuming that the red creature is the female of the species, [[spoiler:during the final chase sequence Creech's mother shows the most pro-active attitude of the creatures, flipping two opposing trucks and helping to stabilise Creech/Tripp during their race down the mountain]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Terravex's schemes have been exposed and Creech's species have been declared protected with their environment sealed off, but Creech has to return to his home environment, suggesting that he and Tripp will remain parted]].

* BrilliantButLazy: Tripp is clearly a brilliant mechanic and engineer, able to learn plenty of advanced biology very quickly too.. when it suits him. However, at the start of the movie, he's been assigned Meredith as a Biology tutor because he simply can't be bothered to do the actual work. When Tripp's giddily explained to her everything he's learned about Creech overnight, she's surprised to realise he's this trope instead of, well...

* BrokenPedestal: Tripp was initially fond of his father before [[spoiler:his father basically betrays Tripp to his superiors]]. Because he's a jerk who doesn't care about his son. Sorry, Tripp.

* CallBack: Early in the film, Tenneson says the EPA would shut Terravex's operation if they so much as heard there were horned lizards on Terravex land. At the end, Dr Dowd is seen releasing horned lizards on the property as Meredith calls the EPA with a tip about it.

** Later on, [[spoiler:Doctor Dowd has to drive the truck being used by Creech's 'father' despite his lack of experience with the creatures in such a manner (this issue may also apply to Meredith, but in her case she had second-hand experience of seeing Tripp drive Creech)]].
* CompanyCrossReferences: At one point, Rick could be seen watching the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "It Came from Goo Lagoon" in his computer.

* DisappearedDad: Tripp's dad left an unspecified amount of time ago, apparently long enough that his mother has moved on with Rick. Tripp is shocked to realise his father works for Terravex and basically lives just down the road. When he goes to see him, Tripp realises he's better off without him.
* ElectricTorture: [[TheDragon Burke]] is armed with an electric cattleprod, that it's implied he's used on Creech's parents. Later, he threatens Tripp with it for Creech's location.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Doctor Jim Dowd is quoted as having stretched the truth, falsified environmental protection reports, and lied to the media in the past in the name of ensuring profit for Terravex, but he explicitly rejects the idea of killing Creech's species just to benefit the company, [[spoiler:to the point that he betrays Terravex to help Tripp and Meredith get Creech's family home]].
* ForScience: When Terravex captures two creatures, Dr Dowd practically ''begs'' to study them, claiming it's to better track the one that escaped. Clearly, though, he's just itching to learn about this new species, a feeling that grows as he realises how intelligent they really are and [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight leads to his]] HeelFaceTurn.

* GonnaNeedMoreX: When he's first surprised by Creech at the junkyard, Tripp calls the Sherrif's office. When Rick turns up with a couple of deputies, one of whom has a lasso for catching dogs. Tripp tells him, "You're gonna need like twelve of those!"

** After a night spent learning about Creech/ adapting his truck to accommodate him, Tripp ''raves'' about how intelligent he is, asserting that he could learn to do anything. During the confrontation at Terravex, Creech evidently realises Tripp is being threatened (thus interpreting the body language of a species he's only known a day and a half), and then he shows tactical ingenuity in escaping pursuers during the following chase scene.

** There's a CMOH when Tripp dismisses his father's betrayal to Meredith, but then goes to the truck for a [[NotSoStoic cry in private]], apparently forgetting that Creech is in there. A tentacle comes out from somewhere and pats his shoulder, making him jump, but then laugh. So, Creech was able to recognise distress in this ''alien species'', and try to offer comfort.
** When Dr Dowd [[EurekaMoment realises]] the creatures eat oil, he fills up a tube and passes it to one of them... who takes a hit, then throws it to the other (who is in a different tank and out of sight). Dr Dowd's face as he realises these creatures are able to empathise and share marks the start of his [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight character development]]. When a Simon Says game proves they have a hive mind, he's positively giddy.

* OhCrap: After being scared by Creech at the wrecking yard, Tripp sets up a trap with oil drums and the car crusher. But when Creech is actually in the crusher, Tripp decides he doesn't want to go through with the crushing after all... only to drop the control, which shatters and starts the crusher. Tripp is forced to physically drag the massive, tentacled animal out before he dies, which makes Creech think Tripp is attacking him, leading to a ''second'' OhCrap moment when he [[CombatTentacles ties Tripp up in his tentacles]]. Then Creech has one when a flattened oil drum falls out of the crusher he was just in, making him realise Tripp wasn't attacking him.
* ProductPlacement: [[EveryoneDrivesAFord Most of the vehicles in the film are those from Stellantis (then called Fiat Chrysler at the time of the film's release) and its sub-brands]], with the most prominent of these bwing the Ram pickups.

** Dr Dowd [[spoiler:establishes himself as this when he chooses to help Tripp and Meredith protect Creech's species from his own employers]].

* VomitIndiscretionShot: Dr Dowd pukes after a particularly rough manoeuvre during the chase. He doesn't appear to notice.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Various Terravex officials are perfectly willing to kill Creech's species even after Doctor Dowd affirms that they have the capacity for emotion and intelligent reasoning.

* ArtisticLicenceBiology: Not only do Creech’s species ‘eat’ oil, but it is noted that Creech basically becomes hyper when he is fed petrol because of the additional chemicals in it compared to standard oil.
** Not to mention that no organism on Earth could subsist on ''just'' oil. Even if raw petroleum could be digested as a calorie source, living things need ''protein'' too.

-->'''Tripp:''' I have ''no idea'' how he learned to do this!

** [[TheDragon Burke]] treats destroying Creech's species like his personal holy mission. [[spoiler:During the climax, he's trying to knock Tripp and Creech down the fissure while poison is about to be pumped into the creature's habitat. Creech flips Burke's SUV ''over'' the fissure and into the pump mechanism, stopping the poison and likely killing him.]]

* GonnaNeedMoreX: When he's first surprised by Creech at the junkyard, Tripp calls the Sherrif's office. When Rick turns up with a couple of deputies, one of whom has a lasso for cathing dogs. Tripp tells him, "You're gonna need like twelve of those!"

* BrokenPedestal: Tripp was initially fond of his father before [[spoiler:his father basically betrays Tripp to his superiors]].

* RealityEnsues:
** Why did your father leave years ago and never visits even though he still lives in your town? Because he's a jerk who doesn't care about you. Sorry, Tripp.
** Helpful hint. If you have a nice car, keep up with your payments. If your account gets sent to Collections, the Repo company can, and will, chain up, and load up, the vehicle at any time they have access, without your consent, or even informing you beforehand, and it's all perfectly legal.

''Monster Trucks'' was #6 in WebVideo/WatchMojo's ''Top 10 Most WTF Movie Ideas'', #7 in ''Top 10 Movie Flops of the Last Decade'' and a Dishonorable Mention in ''Top 10 Expensive Movies That Suck.''

''Monster Trucks'' is a 2017 Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} movie that features high school student Tripp discovering a new species of long-hidden underwater creature underneath the mountain ranges near his home town.

* AlmightyMom: Assuming that the red creature is the female of the species, [[spoiler:during the final chase sequence Creach’s mother shows the most pro-active attitude of the creatures, flipping two opposing trucks and helping to stabilise Creach/Tripp during their race down the mountain]].
* ArtisticLicenceBiology: Not only do Creach’s species ‘eat’ oil, but it is noted that Creach basically becomes hyper when he is fed petrol because of the additional chemicals in it compared to standard oil.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: At the climax, Tripp is stuck in his upside-down truck with Creach on the edge of the fissure into the caves. The truck falls, but Tripp is rescued from drowning by Creach and put on dry land. Because the water was the problem, not the fall, easily 200 feet, ''before'' the water. Tripp should have died of massive blunt force trauma before drowning could possibly be an issue.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Terravex’s schemes have been exposed and Creach’s species have been declared protected with their environment sealed off, but Creach has to return to his home environment, suggesting that he and Tripp will remain parted]].
* ABoyAndHisX: Tripp and Creach form a strong bond as Tripp constructs the truck to help Creach move around.
* BrilliantButLazy: Tripp is clearly a brilliant mechanic and engineer, able to learn plenty of advanced biology very quickly too.. when it suits him. However, at the start of the movie, he's been assigned Meredith as a Biology tutor because he simply can't be bothered to do the actual work. When Tripp's giddily explained to her everything he's learned about Creach overnight, she's surprised to realise he's this trope instead of, well...

** A good description of Meredith, as for a fair portion of the film she’s the closest thing Tripp has to a biologist to help him understand how Creach might exist and what the creature needs to live.
** Later on, [[spoiler:Doctor Dowd has to drive the truck being used by Creach’s ‘father’ despite his lack of experience with the creatures in such a manner (this issue may also apply to Meredith, but in her case she had second-hand experience of seeing Tripp drive Creach)]].

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Various parties at Terravex are more concerned with securing the rights to the oil under the lake than protecting Creach’s species.

* ElectricTorture: [[TheDragon Burke]] is armed with an electric cattleprod, that it's implied he's used on Creach's parents. Later, he threatens Tripp with it for Creach's location.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Doctor Jim Dowd is quoted as having stretched the truth, falsified environmental protection reports, and lied to the media in the past in the name of ensuring profit for Terravex, but he explicitly rejects the idea of killing Creach’s species just to benefit the company, [[spoiler:to the point that he betrays Terravex to help Tripp and Meredith get Creach’s family home]].

* GadgeteerGenius: Tripp, despite being only a high school student, manages to adapt his truck into a ‘wheelchair’ for Creach where Creach basically acts as the engine for the truck.
* GeniusDitz: Tripp needs tutoring in biology, but he has a sufficiently detailed understanding of physics and mechanics to adapt his truck to allow Creach to basically act as its engine in one night, [[spoiler:and is able to teach others how to repeat the process for two more trucks in the same time frame]].
* GonnaNeedMoreX: When he's first surprised by Creach at the junkyard, Tripp calls the Sherrif's office. When Rick turns up with a couple of deputies, one of whom has a lasso for cathing dogs. Tripp tells him, "You're gonna need like twelve of those!"

* HeroicSacrifice: During the final confrontation, [[spoiler:Tripp gives Creach the chance to get out of the truck while they are being attacked by Burke, even though that would leave Tripp on his own in the truck to get crushed by Burke]].

* HiveMind: To a point; when one of Creach’s species learns something, any others nearby learn how to do the same thing, with a scientist comparing them to ants or bees.

** After a night spent learning about Creach/ adapting his truck to accommodate him, Tripp ''raves'' about how intelligent he is, asserting that he could learn to do anything. During the confrontation at Terravex, Creach evidently realises Tripp is being threatened (thus interpreting the body language of a species he's only known a day and a half), and then he shows tactical ingenuity in escaping pursuers during the following chase scene.

** There's a CMOH when Tripp dismisses his father's betrayal to Meredith, but then goes to the truck for a [[NotSoStoic cry in private]], apparently forgetting that Creach is in there. A tentacle comes out from somewhere and pats his shoulder, making him jump, but then laugh. So, Creach was able to recognise distress in this ''alien species'', and try to offer comfort.

** [[TheDragon Burke]] treats destroying Creach's species like his personal holy mission. [[spoiler:During the climax, he's trying to knock Tripp and Creach down the fissure while poison is about to be pumped into the creature's habitat. Creach flips Burke's SUV ''over'' the fissure and into the pump mechanism, stopping the poison and likely killing him.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Burke [[spoiler:puts himself in a position to be used by Tripp and Creach to destroy the equipment that was about to pump poison into Creach’s habitat, with Creach throwing Burke’s truck into the machinery]].
* NoSeatBelts: Played with. The first time Tripp tries to take Creach out in the truck, he's ''not'' wearing a seat belt and Creach opens the door to tip him out with a chuckle. Cut to Tripp firmly buckling in for another try.

* OhCrap: After being scared by Creach at the wrecking yard, Tripp sets up a trap with oil drums and the car crusher. But when Creach is actually in the crusher, Tripp decides he doesn't want to go through with the crushing after all... only to drop the control, which shatters and starts the crusher. Tripp is forced to physically drag the massive, tentacled animal out before he dies, which makes Creach think Tripp is attacking him, leading to a ''second'' OhCrap moment when he [[CombatTentacles ties Tripp up in his tentacles]]. Then Creach has one when a flattened oil drum falls out of the crusher he was just in, making him realise Tripp wasn't attacking him.

* RefugeInAudacity: As Reece Tenneson observes, Tripp and Meredith can’t exactly report what he plans to do to Creach’s species to the police because nobody would believe that monsters are emerging from under the ground (particularly after Reece deleted all of the photos Tripp had of Creach).

** Dr Dowd [[spoiler:establishes himself as this when he chooses to help Tripp and Meredith protect Creach’s species from his own employers]].

* StockNessMonster: The underground lake hosting Creach and his species are compared at least once to the Loch Ness Monster.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Various Terravex officials are perfectly willing to kill Creach’s species even after Doctor Dowd affirms that they have the capacity for emotion and intelligent reasoning.
* WouldHurtAChild: Tenneson makes it clear that he won’t hurt Tripp and Meredith himself, but he has no problem ordering his associate Burke to do it on his behalf, even though Tripp and Meredith are only in high school. Burke himself cheerfully threatens to torture Tripp with an electric cattleprod for Creach's location.

* YouHaveToBelieveMe: When he's first surprised by Creach and seemingly traps him in a pit in the floor, Tripp calls the Sherrif's office. However, when Rick and a couple of deputies arrive, the pit is empty, leading Rick to assume it's a stupid prank. He sends the deputies away and tells Tripp off for wasting his time, as Tripp lamely protests that, no, ''there really was a creature!''

* OhCrap: After being scared by Creach at the wrecking yard, Tripp sets up a trap with oil drums and the car crusher. But when Creach is actually in the crusher, Tripp decides he doesn't want to go through with the crushing after all... only to drop the control, which shatters and starts the crusher. Tripp is forced to physically drag the massive, tentacled animal out before he dies.

** After a night spent learning about Creach/ adapting his truck to accommodate him, Tripp ''raves'' about how intelligent he is, asserting that he could learn to do anything.

**

* ArtisticLicencePhysics: At the climax, Tripp is stuck in his upside-down truck with Creach on the edge of the fissure into the caves. The truck falls, but Tripp is rescued from drowning by Creach and put on dry land. Because the water was the problem, not the fall, easily 200 feet, ''before'' the water. Tripp should have died of massive blunt force trauma before drowning could possibly be an issue.

* HandicappedBadass: Tripp’s boss, Mr. Weathers, may be in a wheelchair, but he still manages to run his junkyard business with only Tripp for help.

** Doctor Dowd [[spoiler:establishes himself as this when he chooses to help Tripp and Meredith protect Creach’s species from his own employers]].

* LaserGuidedKarma: All the bad guys get their comeuppance, especially the obnoxious guy in the SUV jeep who went out of his way to insult Tripp every chance he got. [[spoiler: Said SUV jeep gets repossessed, and turned into one of the three Monster Trucks used to get Creech and his two parents home, and stop Terravex's poisoning of the nest. He spends his last scene in the movie sheepishly looking at tripp with his new girlfriend leaving town, while he's stuck with public transport.]]

''Monster Trucks'' is a 2017 Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} movie that features high school student Trip discovering a new species of long-hidden underwater creature underneath the mountain ranges near his home town.

* AlmightyMom: Assuming that the red creature is the female of the species, [[spoiler:during the final chase sequence Creach’s mother shows the most pro-active attitude of the creatures, flipping two opposing trucks and helping to stabilise Creach/Trip during their race down the mountain]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Terravex’s schemes have been exposed and Creach’s species have been declared protected with their environment sealed off, but Creach has to return to his home environment, suggesting that he and Trip will remain parted]].
* ABoyAndHisX: Trip and Creach form a strong bond as Trip constructs the truck to help Creach move around.
* BrokenPedestal: Trip was initially fond of his father before [[spoiler:his father basically betrays Trip to his superiors]].

** A good description of Meredith, as for a fair portion of the film she’s the closest thing Trip has to a biologist to help him understand how Creach might exist and what the creature needs to live.
** Later on, [[spoiler:Doctor Dowd has to drive the truck being used by Creach’s ‘father’ despite his lack of experience with the creatures in such a manner (this issue may also apply to Meredith, but in her case she had second-hand experience of seeing Trip drive Creach)]].

* EveryoneHasStandards: Doctor Jim Dowd is quoted as having stretched the truth, falsified environmental protection reports, and lied to the media in the past in the name of ensuring profit for Terravex, but he explicitly rejects the idea of killing Creach’s species just to benefit the company, [[spoiler:to the point that he betrays Terravex to help Trip and Meredith get Creach’s family home]].
* GadgeteerGenius: Trip, despite being only a high school student, manages to adapt his truck into a ‘wheelchair’ for Creach where Creach basically acts as the engine for the truck.
* GeniusDitz: Trip needs tutoring in biology, but he has a sufficiently detailed understanding of physics and mechanics to adapt his truck to allow Creach to basically act as its engine in one night, [[spoiler:and is able to teach others how to repeat the process for two more trucks in the same time frame]].
* HandicappedBadass: Trip’s boss, Mr. Weathers, may be in a wheelchair, but he still manages to run his junkyard business with only Trip for help.
* HeroicSacrifice: During the final confrontation, [[spoiler:Trip gives Creach the chance to get out of the truck while they are being attacked by Burke, even though that would leave Trip on his own in the truck to get crushed by Burke]].
* HeroInsurance: Trip and Creech do arguably millions of dollars in property damage, especially the first time Creech and Trip take to the public roads, where an out of control Creech gets into numerous hit-and-run accidents, and Trip's car is very distinctive, yet he's never taken to task for it, either by the authorities, or if he's a minor, by his parents, who have to deal with the bills.

* LaserGuidedKarma: All the bad guys get their comeuppance, especially the obnoxious guy in the SUV jeep who went out of his way to insult Trip every chance he got. [[spoiler: Said SUV jeep gets repossessed, and turned into one of the three Monster Trucks used to get Creech and his two parents home, and stop Terravex's poisoning of the nest. He spends his last scene in the movie sheepishly looking at trip with his new girlfriend leaving town, while he's stuck with public transport.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Burke [[spoiler:puts himself in a position to be used by Trip and Creach to destroy the equipment that was about to pump poison into Creach’s habitat, with Creach throwing Burke’s truck into the machinery]].
* NotSoStoic: Trip initially tries to dismiss [[spoiler:his father’s betrayal when talking with Meredith, but soon goes to the truck to cry in private]].
* RealityEnsues: Helpful hint. If you have a nice car, keep up with your payments. If your account gets sent to Collections, the Repo company can, and will, chain up, and load up, the vehicle at any time they have access, without your consent, or even informing you beforehand, and it's all perfectly legal.
* RefugeInAudacity: As Reece Tenneson observes, Trip and Meredith can’t exactly report what he plans to do to Creach’s species to the police because nobody would believe that monsters are emerging from under the ground (particularly after Reece deleted all of the photos Trip had of Creach).

** Doctor Dowd [[spoiler:establishes himself as this when he chooses to help Trip and Meredith protect Creach’s species from his own employers]].
** After a strained relationship with Trip for most of the film, [[spoiler:Rick steals a construction truck that allows him to crush most of Terravex’s trucks and create a ‘bridge’ for Trip, Meredith and Dowd to jump over a flaming barrier]].

* TemptingFate: Trip states that he thinks they have lost their pursuers moments before he drives around a corner to find the cars that had been chasing them coming up right behind them.

* WouldHurtAChild: Tenneson makes it clear that he won’t hurt Trip and Meredith himself, but he has no problem ordering his associate Burke to do it on his behalf, even though Trip and Meredith are only in high school.

''Monster Trucks'' is a 2016 Nickelodeon movie that features high school student Trip discovering a new species of long-hidden underwater creature underneath the mountain ranges near his home town.

* WouldHurtAChild: Tenneson makes it clear that he won’t hurt Trip and Meredith himself, but he has no problem ordering his associate Burke to do it on his behalf, even though Trip and Meredith are only in high school.

* RealityEnsuses: Helpful hint. If you have a nice car, keep up with your payments. If your account gets sent to Collections, the Repo company can, and will, chain up, and load up, the vehicle at any time they have access, without your consent, or even informing you beforehand, and it's all perfectly legal.

* HiveMind: To a point; when one of Creach’s species learns something, any others nearby learn how to do the same thing, with a scientist comparing them to ants or bees.