NETFLIX REVIEW: Earth To Echo

EARTH TO ECHO

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (Netflix)

RATED: PG

RATING: ***/*****

 

PREMISE: (via IMDB) "Earth to Echo" follows four young teenagers who find an alien life form that's trying to rebuild its spaceship. Together, the teenagers protect the alien and help rebuild it's ship so it can fly back to its home planet.               

 

THE PRO'S: Echo is ADORABLE. Fun, heartwarming story. Mostly well-written. Decent for low-budget fair.

 

THE CON'S: Acting is subpar, borrows a little too much from ET, boring at times.

 

THE REVIEW:

 

Earth To Echo has always been a movie that interested me, but I had never actually gotten around to that. But ultimately, I find myself glad that yesterday I finally decided to give it a look. Even if it wasn't quite the "modern day classic" it felt like they were aiming for.

 

The film focuses on childhood friends: Alex, a foster kid, "Munch" a shy, technology savvy teen, and Tuck, an aspiring filmmaker. The night before they're supposed to vacate their Las Vegas suburb, they come into contact with a small alien they name Echo. At which point, their adventure (on which they are joined by a young girl named Emma) to get Echo home begins.

 

If this sounds a little like ET to you, that's sort of the biggest problem here. It is a lot like ET, which sort of hinders it from really being that "original". And while overall, it's a good movie, the ET connections is glaring sadly. Which to some, may be a turn-off, but Earth To Echo has a heart that is just undeniable and made me keep watching.

 

And that's its biggest strength: its heart. Each of the characters (while not all that well acted), are very real characters in my opinion. Their dialogue feels realistic, and their interactions are also very real. It helps to make me overlook the somewhat (again) poor acting. And definitely helps the movie tell its story well. I will give it that.

Though I admit the movie does falter on some fronts with the characters. Mostly in resolving some of the conflicts throughout it. Some of them seem like they simply are written off, or settled way too quickly. And I feel if the movie had a bit longer running time, it could have opened the door to a bit more character development between them.

 

But the real reason to watch the movie is mostly Echo itself. He is quite honestly one of the most adorable aliens in modern cinema. Though we don't see him on screen as much as I'd like, I couldn't help but find him to be cute. And I can honestly say that I would love to own my own Echo. The little guy just has a lot of personality, even with limited screen-time, and also is a lot of fun.

 

And yet, as exciting as the premise is. This movie can get pretty boring. The movie's scavenger hunt style ends in a lot of similar shots, and situations. And at some points, it feels like it really has no idea where it's going and can get boring. But while it someone detracts from the enjoyment, the movie is still exciting enough that it doesn't really matter. Kids will definitely still enjoy it either way. (and they are the target audience after all)

 

So....

 

IN CONCLUSION:

Earth to Echo is a cute little family/kids film. While a little on the boring side, and with some pretty bad acting (with some good ones also thrown in there) it's still a fun way to kill an hour and a half. If you're a parent, enjoy this one with your kids. They are sure to love it, and you are sure to find something to like too!

 

3 OUT OF 5 STARS
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