DCfan
I honestly don't get the hate for this movie. I went to see it with my friend and we both enjoyed it. It is a very awesome movie the best bit was when echo assembled his ship together and when the kids broke into the military base. Acting was decent and the spacial effects were good. I would definitely recomand it.
borowiecsminus
Now, of course, I mean for big-budget, wide-release stuff. But seriously, this movie was awful in every way conceivable.The directing was, frankly, non-existent. I understand the camera is supposed to shaky, but for one, that is not a creative decision and the idea of it does not add to the experience, and for two, it is more nauseating than it is anything else.The writing was bad. The best way to describe it would be that it seemed like a film student had made a very good seven-minute film about this, and some Hollywood glamour writer tried to stretch it out to be a a feature-length film.Finally, the acting. As a child actor myself, I have a lot of respect for child actors who are actually good at what they do. Unfortunately, as this movie proves, they are in the minority. The actors in this movie have got to be the worst actors since "The Room." A few side notes as well. The girl was added as an, "oh yeah, we should have a love interest in the film," rather than as a three- dimensional character, which is a shame, because it would've been good to see another viewpoint.The government conspiracy has got to be the most unbelievable plot in film history. Not only are the actors playing the officials world- class awful, but the entire plot is forced beyond measure and the events would not play out in this way, even is the ridiculous premise was true.Finally, the alien. Echo has got to be the worst alien ever, not because I don't like Echo, but because they shouldn't be calling him "Echo," they should be calling him "E.T," because that's what he is. He meets children on Earth. The poster for his movie features a boy's finger reaching out to touch him (yeah, the posters are the same, too). He is short-spoken. He is adorable. And oh, yes, it is supposed to be sad when Echo leaves, just like, guess who? E.T.I loved the original E.T. I am not okay with this re-boot.
jwalgren
Though the similarities to the classic E. T. are undeniable, Earth to Echo is a very fun and exciting adventure and an interesting trend in sci-fi. One thing I enjoy most about this movie is how the characters are easy to relate to your average young adolescent, despite being friends with a mechanical extraterrestrial.In Earth to Echo, we have three young friends, Alex, Tuck and Munch, plan to make the most of their last night together as their neighborhood is being demolished for construction on a highway (which we later find out to be something far deeper). Their cell phones simultaneously encounter glitches, "barfing." They find it to be a map of a desert a few miles away. They plan to find this area on their last night together. They find the map leading to several technical morals, among which, they find and befriend a robotic alien, "Echo." The story carries great out and the adventure of Alex, Tuck and Munch is heartwarming and its conclusion is just as such, when we have to wave good-bye to Echo and see these three friends separate, though they reunite in the post credits and find that Echo isn't too ready to leave.As I stated, the similarities to E. T. are obvious, but Earth to Echo manages to hold its ground with this intriguing tale of love and friendship. I liked this movie when I watched it years ago and after recently watching it again, I like it just as much.
Python Hyena
Earth to Echo (2014): Dir: Dave Green / Cast: Teo Halm, Brian "Astro" Bradley, Reese Hartwig,Ella Wahlestedt, Jason Gray-Stanford: Creative family film about communication. Director Dave Green makes the great move of presenting this as a found footage family film, which is relatively new to the genre. It regards four pre teen kids whose neighborhood is under threat when government construction workers evict everyone from their homes. Their reasoning is that they are building a highway. The truth is discovered by these kids who are curious about the activity on their phones. This leads them to the desert where they discover a small space capsule that conceals an metal alien that resembles an owl. It follows them throughout the night as this creature, which they call Echo, guides them towards parts of its capsule or ship while slowly getting stronger. One of the worst elements of this film is the pathetic over-the-top construction worker villains who are really after the alien. The four kids are all effective in their on camera presentation as they relate to each other and the growing threat of growing apart through the move. Another issue regards the ending. While the alien situation is solved with great visual stimulation but the fate of their homes leaves much to be desired. It is like only half the plot is solved. The theme regards the bond of friendship and those great moments and memories that formulate a past worth reflecting upon. This is something different for family entertainment with the found footage element. It is certainly no E.T. The Extra-terrestrial, but it should find good footing with its target audience. Score: 7 ½ / 10
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