EARTH TO ECHO is a tale of friendship, fun, and doing the right thing… and the whole family will love it!
Tuck, Munch and Alex are best friends that are forced to move out of their neighborhood due to a highway that will be built over their homes… or so they’ve been told. After weird signals render their phones useless, the three decide to hit the road on their bikes for one final adventure. As Tuck documents their adventure on various cameras, the three discover a new friend from another planet, and a conspiracy to cover up any evidence of the alien life form. Together, these friends are on a mission to send their new friend home, even if it means breaking a few rules along the way.
EARTH TO ECHO puts a smile on my face. I have always been a fan of the underdog/friendship tales that take the audience on an adventure, and that is exactly what this film does! The film uses multiple types of cameras to give it a modern feel, but still clings to the wholesome staples of the 80’s classics that clearly inspired the film, such as THE GOONIES, STAND BY ME, and BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED. Heck, there is even some E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL mixed in. Despite the incredible, and appreciated throwback feel to some of my favorite flicks, the young actors in this film are what really sell it. Teo Halm plays the rebellious, emotionally unavailable heartbreaker Alex, Reese Hartwig plays the awkward momma’s boy Munch, and ‘X-Factor : Season 1’ Finalist Brian ‘Astro’ Bradley plays the tech-savvy, good guy Tuck. These three boys have incredible chemistry together, and are easily relatable to today’s youth. The three seem like they have been friends for a long time, and invite the audience into their world through their believability and warm smiles. The three also share the spotlight with Elle Linnea Wahlestedt, who plays Emma, the school dream girl who joins up with the trio to save ‘Echo’ and send him home. She offered a genuine, heartwarming performance as well.
There is something about an alien friendship story that really speaks to young audiences. The story of ‘Echo’, a shiny, owl-like extra-terrestrial, really captures the imagination of the audience. The CGI of the character was well done, despite having a few WALL-E like qualities. (I love Wall-E, so I do not mind!) The film is shot in a found-footage manner, and despite a few flaws with camera placement, it’s still rather believable. (I’m looking at you, bike cam! Especially while you are laying on the ground!) Plus, they did a good job of not nauseating the audience with too much shake-cam. That’s a big plus in my book!
Look, this story is meant to delight audiences, so if you are expecting a realistic film, go see a documentary. These kids venture miles into the desert without a single parent realizing that they are missing, discover an alien/robot life form, and evade government agents sent to cover up any existence of life outside of Earth… just go with it. I promise, if you do, you will leave the theater with a smile on your face!
Side Note : If anyone can get me an ‘Echo’ of my own I will give them 10 high fives and 1,027 cool points!
OVERALL RATING : 4 out of 5 stars
FOR MORE INFO:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/earthtoecho
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthToEcho
Tumblr: http://earthtoecho.tumblr.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/earthtoecho
Official site: http://earthtoecho.com
EARTH TO ECHO is in theaters now
