Family-friendly truck movie getting traction on Twitter

Paramount Pictures “Monster Trucks,” which won’t release until January, is already generating a lot of traffic on social media.

A movie that centers around a strange, alien-like creature donning an old pickup as a disguise is already gaining plenty of traction on social media, even though the film isn’t scheduled to release until January 2017.

“The Wall Street Journal” reported that the science-fiction comedy, “Monster Trucks,” was the top Tweeted movie trailer last week, according to data analytics firm ListenFirst Media.

Produced by Paramount and directed by Chris Wedge (“Ice Age,” “Epic”), “Monster Trucks” tells the story of an 18-year-old high school senior who gets busy rebuilding an old pickup so that he can scramble out of his small, boring town.

However, while working on his truck late one night in a salvage yard, Tripp (played by “X-Men” actor Lucas Till), stumbles across a large and extremely strange but friendly creature that resembles an octopus. Turns out, Creech—Tripp names the creature—had been released from its subterranean home following an accident at a nearby oil drilling site. That may explain its thirst for all things petroleum.

Creech takes up residence in the engine bay of Tripp’s old pickup and transforms it into a monster truck that’s capable of head-turning speeds and stunts that would make ol’ Big Foot drop a drain pan.

Government authorities are after Creech, but Tripp and his girlfriend do their best to keep him out of reach and enjoy some wild, truck-filled chases along the way.

“Melding cutting edge visual effects and state-of-the-art CGI, ‘Monster Trucks’ is an action filled adventure for the whole family that will keep you on the edge of your seat and ultimately touch your heart,” Paramount reports.

“Monster Trucks,” which is not yet rated, will also be shown in RealD 3D.