Earth to Echo (2014)
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Critics Consensus: Earth to Echo doesn't do itself any favors by beggaring comparison to E.T., but for younger viewers, it should prove a reasonably entertaining diversion.
Critics Consensus: Earth to Echo doesn't do itself any favors by beggaring comparison to E.T., but for younger viewers, it should prove a reasonably entertaining diversion.
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Movie Info
In Relativity's PG summer family adventure movie, Tuck, Munch and Alex are a trio of inseparable friends whose lives are about to change. Their neighborhood is being destroyed by a highway construction project that is forcing their families to move away. But just two days before they must part ways, the boys begin receiving a strange series of signals on their phones. Convinced something bigger is going on, they team up with another school friend, Emma, and set out to look for the source of … More- Rating:
- PG (for some action and peril, and mild language)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure
- Directed By:
- Dave Green
- Written By:
- Henry Gayden
- In Theaters:
- Jul 2, 2014 Wide
- On DVD:
- Oct 21, 2014
- US Box Office:
- $38.9M
Cast
-
Teo Halm
as Alex -
Astro
as Tuck -
Ella Wahlestedt
as Emma -
Ella Linnea Wahleste...
as Emma -
Reese C. Hartwig
as Munch -
Jason Gray-Stanford
as Dr. Lawrence Madsen
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Critic Reviews for Earth to Echo
All Critics (114) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (59) | DVD (1)
You can imagine ET phoning his legal team, but although this kids' sci-fi adventure is derivative, its characters are drawn with more care and insight than you'd expect.
If the movie is a waste, at least it's an instructive one, signaling just how offensive children's entertainment might become in the YouTube era.
Combining some classic plot movements and plenty of modern trappings (just, like, a lot of cell phones), Earth to Echo is a sweet family film that has something for everyone.
Unlike the very successful Spanish horror thriller [Rec] or even the nausea-inducing Cloverfield, which Echo more closely resembles, this film doesn't maintain a consistent point of view or any logic about what's on screen.
With authentic characters, dialogue and settings, Echo's filmmakers have successfully created a story younger kids and pre-teens growing up in a Millennial and post-Millennial culture can relate to.
Spielberg's E.T., so ugly it was cute, was also full of personality. Echo is adorable and forgettable, and the rest of the characters are simply plot holders in a narrative contraption that generates jeopardy-raising obstacles to Echo going home.
Sad to say it is not even this generation's 'Short Circuit.' Families deserve much better entertainment at the movie theater, summer or otherwise.
All in all, "Earth to Echo" is passable family entertainment, neither unforgettable nor particularly bad.
It has a good young cast, some occasionally dazzling special effects and a message that even when growing friends grow move apart it's not the end of their own little world.
Earth to Echo won't wallop young viewers, but I wouldn't be surprised if kids who catch this at the right age are utterly captivated.
A Spielbergian adventure flick targeted at tweens who tweet, this is an intermittently interesting tale about three kids who, mainly, discover that technology is even more really, really awesome and cool than any of us earthlings ever thought.
Audiences who like to imagine that they could make a better film themselves may well, in this instance, be correct.
Worth seeing for those who haven't seen it all before.
If 'ET meets The Goonies' sounds good to you, you'll love it.
As a whole it's a headache-inducing ordeal which might, hopefully, put an end to 'found footage' as a sub-genre.
... has its heart in the right place with its wholesome depiction of childhood friendships, yet as an adventure with its roots in outer space, the film somehow never takes flight.
If you distilled this not intolerable film into a bottle, you could happily market it is as Essence of Spielberg.
Aside from some heavy-handed philosophising about how distance doesn't dilute friendship, this is a superior junior sci-fi yarn.
This cutesy E.T.-like sci-fi drama is utterly undermined by its own shooting style.
A sentimental, lightweight yarn.
It is a smart, visually dynamic film, but audiences may miss Spielberg's wonderment.
The cast do a fine job carrying the movie on their young shoulders, and navigate the rather unnecessary soapy story strands - one character has some tedious abandonment issues - with aplomb.
This kind of magpie filmmaking can work with a sincere core, but the big problem is that Earth to Echo lacks one. It's all spare parts.
An inoffensive time-passer for youngsters, but adult genre fans who recall the 80s classics it draws on - E.T. and The Goonies - will be bored.
Does for E.T. what Super 8 did for Close Encounters. As lovably '80s as Reece's Pieces and pop socks.
Whether it was trying to copy or pay homage to the Spielberg sentimental fave, it missed the mark by light-years.
Audience Reviews for Earth to Echo
Mixing "The Goonies" with "E.T." is definitely an intriguing idea, but so many films use the found footage style these days, and they all seem the same, which is one aspect I think "Earth to Echo" did not need. These four kids all worked great together, but due to the fact that the found footage style is probably difficult for them to work with, it did feel like they were acting and not trying quite hard enough at times. If you can look past the similarities to older classic films of the like, you may find yourself loving this picture. I can't say that I loved "Earth to Echo," but I accepted it for what it was, and it is a very enjoyable film that is well handled in almost every way and I will definitely be watching it again. I was really looking forward to this film and hoping that is would surprise me and go beyond my expectations, and did it? Well no, but I got exactly what I hoped for. "Earth to Echo" is a well-crafted kids found footage film that any age can enjoy. You do not need to rush out and see it, but I definitely recommend a watch, especially to fans of the genre.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Here is my theory: director David Green saw "Super 8" and heard critics call it a mix between "E.T. Extraterrestrial" and "Cloverfield," pairing beings from another planet with children who assist in helping them get home. Instead of a little brown alien, however, director J.J. Abrams opted for an alien the size of his "Cloverfield" monster. Upon being exposed to the comparison, Green likely thought of doing the same exact blend, but instead, he would take the children helping the extraterrestrial storyline and place it in the found footage genre. Complete with shaky cameras, bike mounts, and even cell phone footage, "Earth To Echo" is a first person family adventure that forgets to be its own film, while retracing the same old steps. The only element within the film that feels vaguely creative is the robotic owl-looking alien that just wants to find its spaceship and go home. Instead of paying homage to these classics, Green copies and pastes the basics.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Earth to Echo is a critic-proof film. The real question will not be of how much critics sway potential audiences into seeing this film or not, but the reaction of the children and pre-teens in the audience who will either latch onto or dismiss it. Being a few days removed from the film I still can't decide if this is something that will catch on or not, but unfortunately I lean towards the latter. Save for a few of the more visually impressive moments I don't remember much about the film. In a film that is banking on the nostalgia of parents and the innocent mentality of their children this is a film that should be nothing short of a memorable experience, but in a market saturated by science fiction stories and an audience that finds no "out of this world" value or surprise in alien invasion stories you need something different than E.T. The problem is we've all seen the story before and no one cares if you've decided to update it by conveying the narrative through more current technology and by adapting the "found-footage" style that itself is beginning to go out of style. Earth to Echo can be interesting for its look at the way in which kids of today communicate more efficiently (but not necessarily better or less awkwardly) and how smart phones, Face Time, Go Pro Cameras and video chat have enabled them to capture the events of a night such as this documents, but the fact it is more relevant than something like Super 8 doesn't mean we get to know the characters better or invest in them and it most definitely isn't an excuse to re-hash a story we've seen countless times before without adding anything fresh. The film does have a few character moments, I will give it that, because it isn't completely devoid of innovation and the friendships being pushed to there limits here create some drama for the audience to connect with, but isn't nearly as compelling as it should be given the child actors (mainly Teo Halm as Alex who is given the more emotional baggage) aren't all that convincing. Regardless of if I am too out of touch with adolescent culture to know if this will connect with them or not (I hope I'm not, I called Despicable Me right out of the gate) or if I've seen one too many movies recycle this same catalyst to precipitate the events that occur this all just feels too tired to be worthy of consideration.
read the whole review at www.reviewsfromabed.net
Super Reviewer
Earth to Echo Quotes
- Tuck:
- Having a friend light years away taught us that distance is just a state of mind.
- Tuck:
- Did your phone barf?
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