Earth to Echo (2014)

This movie is dull and unoriginal. Its boring, has bad acting, a poorly-executed plot, and weak characters. This movie is painfully average, and not worth watching.

My 8 year old watched this on Netflix with her little sister and proclaimed it "One of the BEST movies I've ever seen, Mom!" They then proceeded to nag the rest of us to watch it for the better part of a week. I'm so glad I finally did. I truly don't understand all the negative reviews. This is a fun movie with an excellent story line. Our whole family enjoyed it, and that's saying something. We all of course love the big budget CGI action flicks like what Marvel's been doing, but we also cherish the modern classics like Goonies and ET, which this movie has been heavily compared to. Sure, this is no Spielberg or JJ Abrams, but it reminds me of the movies Spielberg used to make. It has a great story, and even if it is a bit far-fetched, what sci-fi flick isn't?! It's clean, and fun, with some really great effects, and it doesn't rely on nudity or the female character sexualizing everything like a many of today's movies. This kids are simply kids, navigating today's world, but with that timeless feeling we can all relate to. I'm pretty sure everyone who has rated this negatively has forgotten what it was like to be a kid, and how movies made them feel as a kid. When you're a kid, anything is possible, and the adult world is perceived as both frightening and exciting. and isn't it? As for the reviews about the camera and shaky feeling, I thought it was a great cinematic concept. It made the movie really feel like you were with the kids and seeing things from their perspective. And for the people whining that the female character was a purposeful afterthought...really? Does every film have to align with someone's activist agenda? No. Great films are great because they tell a great story--not because they included a social agenda. Kids don't think about making sure their friendship circles include an equal racial and gender mix. They just see their friends, and that cute girl/boy they pass in the hall. The inclusion of Emma was a great addition and she helped the story line along. She learned things from talking to Echo that the boys never would have simply because it's how girls communicate. So I think negative reviewers ought to re-watch and think again, remembering what it was like to be a tween.This film was great, and I would gladly watch it again! And I'm so grateful to have girls who would rather find quality stories like this to watch than the latest agenda-laden film or cheesy children's flick, or even Frozen. Storytelling for family movies is a lost Hollywood art.

Earth to echo is the modern-day E.T, with a exciting, powerful storyline. Most younger viewers will love this film as much as I did.The film is about a group of kids who live in a ordinary neighbour hood. One day they find that their phones have 'barfed', and their screen is just showing a weird image. Builders have announced that they are building a freeway to replace the neighbour hood. The kids set of on a journey to find why there phones barfed. They find a small, damaged alien, which they name Echo. Trying to get Echo back to his home planet, the kids go on a huge adventure.Sometimes in the film it got too dark to see anything, especially seeing it in a classroom at school. Also at some points the camera got a little too shaky, so it was a bit hard to work out what was happening. Finally, I noticed that the film was slightly more focused on the kids rather than the alien Echo, yet the film is based on Echo.Other than that, I definitely recommend you get round to watching this movie, it is very good. I hope for a follow-up some time.

A sincere film which catches flak because of comparisons to E.T. Sure, there's some common ground there, but I'd say Batteries Not Included meets The Goonies is a better comparison. Or rather, leave the comparisons behind and enjoy the film for what it is.Not everyone is going to like the mock documentary (it's not found footage) style. I personally have a soft spot for the stuff, and in this respect the film reminds me of Lunopolis--using the format because it adds to the story, not as a way to save money. (The obviously expensive special effects make it clear that's not why they chose the format.) As to the acting, I've read some criticisms, but I thought that the acting was competent enough to pull the story along. They're kids, and given the mock documentary style they actually did much better than the majority of adult actors in that format.The story is well written, uses proper techniques of foreshadowing and character development, all the parts click together nicely. The theme of the film is friendship, put simply. A good theme for this sort of film.And there's some pretty cool science fiction stuff I really liked. Kind of a must for a sci-fi film.In all, I gave this film a 9/10 because it achieves its goals in storytelling, direction, and production. It wasn't an amazing film, by any means, but is a solid entry and one I would definitely recommend if you're looking for something upbeat with themes of friendship and togetherness.