Earth to Echo

When I was watching Earth to Echo, I was jealous. For two reasons: 1) because I didn't have a childhood adventure that the three friends in this movie had, and 2) because millions of kids will be able to grow up with Earth to Echo possibly being one of their favorite movies, and I'm too old to be one of them. Now, I'm not that old, but watching this movie made me feel old, but in a happy, reminiscent sort of way, and it made me want to go back to one of those lucky days after school when we had no homework where the mystery of possibilities was endless.

Of course, stumbling upon a lost alien was never in the realm of possibilities for me. But it was for friends Alex, Tuck, and Munch. Each of the boys, convincingly portrayed by a trio of newcomers, represent one of our childhood needs. The awkward but goodhearted Reginald (aka Munch) embodies our need for order, sanity, and a clear idea for the future. Tuck represents our desire for popularity and to be seen as a leader. The foster kid Alex, delivering his sarcastic one-liners, acts as the necessary balance between being transparent and being loved and accepted. Voiceovers and archive footage of the boys' lives assure us that they're all good kids, simultaneously establishing a bond that after just two or three minutes, we as an audience don't ever want to see broken.

On their last night together before a freeway is built over their town, the three decide to investigate what's been causing their phones to act strangely (or in their terms, their phones to "barf"). Biking 17 miles away from home, the boys pinpoint a capsule that houses a small robotic alien that they name Echo, due to its audible repetition of whatever sound effect it hears.

After two hours of communicating with the extraterrestrial, Tuck, Much, and Alex discover that Echo's ship was shot down by government officials. Echo was sent by his home planet to repair and return a damaged spaceship hidden in the boys' town. Alex and Tuck insist to the hesitant Munch that they see this mission through on their final night together, and the trio venture around the state to make sure Echo can get home safely.

While surprisingly original given its heavily derivative plot details, Earth to Echo does fall victim to a few cliches, like adding in a female character halfway through the movie that two of the boys happen to be fighting over. Poorly conceived, executed, and acted, the character of Emma was an unwise decision on the filmmakers' part. The idea of the government officials was also a bit half-assed. Granted, it was a found footage film, but give them a legitimate purpose in the film or leave them out.

At just a brisk 89 minutes, Earth to Echo manages to be not only one of 2014's best movies, but one of the best family adventure movies in years. Although it resorted to the dreaded show-random-clips-of-the-characters-having-fun-in-the-movie-that-I-just-saw ending sequence, the rest of the movie more than makes up for it. I'd be blind not to recognize the blatant borrowing from Chronicle, Super 8, E.T., Stand By Me, Transformers, and The Goonies, but it's important to note that every single one of those movies has its merits, and Earth to Echo manages to take the best of each of them and still bring something new, exciting, and fun to the table with witty dialogue, smart cinematography, sincere performances and a nostalgic score and cinematic tone. I wish Hollywood made more movies like this.

Rating: 4.5/5