Earth to Echo (FILM REVIEW)
Earth to Echo
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Coming-of-Age Sci-Fi Features Shades of E.T.
Most people know E.T. revolves
around several kids who befriend an alien stranded on Earth and eager to return
home before ill-intentioned adults can do him any harm. That coming-of-age
classic landed four Academy Awards back in 1983, and was even voted the best
sci-fi of all time in a recent survey by Rotten Tomatoes.
But if you’re too young to remember Steven Spielberg’s
heartwarming adventure, or if it’s been so long since you saw it that the storyline’s
a little fuzzy, have I got an homage for you. Much about Earth to Echo just
screams remake, starting with the picture’s vaguely-familiar promotional poster
which similarly features a human hand reaching out to touch an
extra-terrestrial.
Still, this delightful variation on the theme endeavors to refresh
the original by incorporating current cultural staples, ranging from texting
shorthand to social media. So, when the protagonists here communicate with each
other, they often rely on inscrutable slang apt to befuddle fuddy-duddies unfamiliar
with the lexicon employed by today’s average adolescent.
At this found-footage flick’s point of departure, we find narrator
Tuck (Astro) lamenting the impending separation from his BFFs Alex (Teo Halm) and Munch (Reese Hartwig) when their
Nevada neighborhood is razed in a week to make way for a turnpike. The plot
thickens after all their cell phones inexplicably “barf” simultaneously, and they decide to discern
the source of the mysterious malfunction.
Equipped with a camcorder and state-of-the-art spyglasses, the
youngsters ride their bikes into the desert in the middle of the night accompanied
by a cute rebel (Ella Wahlestedt) with her own reason
for running away from home. GPS
sends the sleuths to a site in the desert where, lo and behold, they find Echo,
a cuddly visitor from another galaxy with pressing issues akin to the
aforementioned E.T.
The kids, of course, kick it into high gear on his behalf, keeping
just a step ahead of the untrustworthy authorities. Their noble efforts
inexorably lead to a satisfying resolution every bit as syrupy as Spielberg’s.
An unapologetic retread bordering on plagiarism that nevertheless provides
the perfect, popcorn summer escape for the tyke and ‘tweener demographics.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG
for action, peril and mild epithets
Running time: 92 minutes
Distributor: Relativity
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