[Review] Earth to Echo

I’ve never been a huge fan of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Sure it paved the way for lighter science fiction films (and help popularize TV shows like Alf, Mork & Mindy, and most of later 80s wacky sitcoms), but for as much wonder the film had, E.T.’s design itself is dreadfully ugly. As a child I wasn’t a fan of the walking poop monster, but I liked what the film represented. It encapsulated childhood with a point of view kids really could connect with. But through the years, science fiction films have lost that zazz, that childlike mystery. Every film about aliens and kids now is a cynical mess that’s tantalizing in theory only.

That’s why Earth to Echo piqued my interest. A found footage film about a group of kids stumbling on an alien? And it’s only rated PG? That meant I’d be able to enjoy it without waiting for the other cynical foot to drop. Thankfully, Earth to Echo delivers on that promise.

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Earth to Echo
Director: Dave Green
Rating: PG
Release Date: July 2, 2014

Earth to Echo is about a group of neighborhood kids whose lives are going through some dramatic changes. Alex (Teo Halm), Tuck (Brian “Astro” Bradley), and Munch (Reese Hartwig) are best friends who are being forced to separate when they’re neighborhood is being torn down for a new highway. When a mysterious electronic signal makes their phones “barf,” the trio decide to use their last night all together to track down where it came from. When the trio find the source of it all, a small electronic alien they name “Echo,” the resulting adventure leads them on the wildest night of their young lives.

I’m usually not an advocate of found footage films due to wild perspective changes and excuses for shoddy work, and unfortunately, Earth to Echo isn’t a strong argument for the genre either. Although the reason Tuck carries around a camera the entire film makes sense (he’s a kid with a YouTube account who wants more hits), it leaves so many questions unanswered. How can a 12 year old kid afford multiple GoPro cameras? How can he afford spy glasses with cameras built into them? Sure there’s a nice kid friendly logic that permeates through the film (suggesting you’re not supposed to pay close attention to this stuff), but it’s these little technical details that take you out of the moment. It’s hard to stay invested in a scene when the POV is constantly shifting between the many cameras these kids have at their disposal. The worse part of this is there’s an explanation for this that adds a nice layer of realism (the film is Tuck simply editing all of his videos together on his desktop), but it’s completely dropped shortly after it’s brought up.

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To be fair, the real bulk of the film isn’t concerned with how the story’s being filmed but the content. And on that front, Earth to Echo is just wonderful. Although the dialogue can be a bit heavy handed when delivering plot details (there’s a scene where Tuck just repeats the next beat of the story over and over until the kids actually do it) and it has something against silence (no room to soak in the atmosphere as someone needs to say something at all times or they explode probably), these kids all sound and behave like real kids. There’re subtle bits like when Tuck is filming a particularly interesting scene he yells, “Hey Munch, get out of my shot!” or every one of Munch’s lines being delivered with a lovable awkwardness (such as when they lie to their parents about their plans for the evening). And Brian “Astro” Bradley is not only a former X-Factor contestant, he can act. The script doesn’t admittedly ask much of him, but he’s miles ahead of the other three kids in the ensemble (with Ella Wahlestedt being especially awful).

Earth to Echo really captures the essence of discovery. The plot may only be thinly stitched together fetch quests, but it’s entirely nostalgic because of its sincerity. Reminiscent of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the alien Echo just wants to get home (and it’s much better designed), and even when generic government officials step in (complete with wonderfully awful dialogue), the goal remains the same. It’s light hearted, the stakes are only as big as a PG rating (or a kid’s narrow point of view) allows, and it follows through on one of the bigger plot lines set in the beginning. It’s not always acted out or filmed in the best manner, but the story is genuinely entertaining. It’s rare that I get swept up in a movie like this, but I sure love when it happens. I just wish the rest of the film was as good as Echo’s animation is. Seriously, the visual effects are pretty great.

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Earth to Echo is full of more problems than I’d personally like, but it’s not necessarily bad. It’s something to watch with the kids that won’t bore you to death, will entertain you as long as you don’t constantly question why things happen, and it’s a movie where kids are kids instead of shells full of lines written by a 40- year-old man.

Earth to Matilda, this is a good movie.