Let's Go Out To The Movies: Earth to Echo

Directed by Dave Green

Note- I apologize for not covering a movie last weekend. That was unprofessional of me, I failed to do my job, and I'm sorry. As for what played last week, Snowpiercer didn't play in Dallas, and Transformers: Age of Extinction, by all accounts, is either horrible, or only as good as the low budget toy commercials it's based on. -End Note


Alo Party Peoples.

I didn't see that coming. It isn't like I didn't know that Earth to Echo was coming out, I saw plenty of ads for this, but those ads are really underselling the resulting production. Judging from the promotions, this film was just E.T. shot on a webcam, and it is that, but it's also a bit more than that. I've seen other critics describe it as a "Millennial E.T.", but the cinematography, writing, and performances strike me as distinctly post-Millennial, i.e. after the year 2000.

We set our story in a small town in Nevada that is about to be bulldozed to build a highway. Our leads, a bunch of local kids, are rather annoyed by this. A few days before they have to move, their phones start to display random blue static, which they discover is actually a map leading out into the middle of the desert. They follow it and find Echo, an alien that's been looking for an aid in rebuilding it's ship so it can get home. It would have done this sooner, but it's been blocked by the construction crew, actually conspiracy theory-esque alien hunters looking to disable the ship permanently.

It really does feel like a post-Millennial E.T., the whole thing is shot to look like a video blog filmed on webcams, cellphones, and spy glasses, and the way the leads are written is spot on in capturing the lingo of today's youth. They deliver it in the way that most modern children would speak among themselves, and it manages to be timely without feeling immediately dated or obnoxious.

Earth to Echo is a movie that I probably wouldn't have seen if it wasn't my job, and now I find myself recommending it. It's a solid script, the child actors are really good for their age, and Echo himself is charming. It was a pleasant surprise, your kids will probably love it, and parents nostalgic for the like of E.T. will enjoy it too.

Have a nice day.

Greg.B