Earth To Echo
Director: Dave Green
Starring: JTeo Halm, Astro, Reese Hartwig
91 mins; Class PG; KRS Releasing Ltd
The found footage format films phase (say that 10 times fast) seems to be running its course, but the film-makers behind Earth to Echo have managed a rather original way to apply it, giving this slight, but admittedly fun, ET-inspired adventure a bit of a twist.
Tuck (Brian Astro Bradley), Munch (Reese Hartwig) and Alex (Teo Halm) are three close friends who are about to be separated as their families plan to move house, forced out of their neighbourhood by a highway construction project. Receiving strange signals on their mobile phones that look like different pieces of a map, the boys set off into the desert to discover their source, hoping for one last adventure before they have to move away. They get more than they bargain for, when they stumble on a tiny robotic entity which they name Echo.
Earth to Echo’s hook is that the film is ostensibly the finished home-movie Tuck made from the footage he collected during that amazing night.
This means that while we are subjected to many shaky camera movements and shots from odd points of view, it is actually put together in a way that doesn’t induce any nausea. And more importantly, the gimmick makes sense in this context.
Engaging performances from the young cast of relative unknowns
Another obvious aspect to the film is the inspiration of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg’s seminal 1982 classic with which Earth to Echo shares more than a passing resemblance.
“Kids on bikes discover an odd-looking, but ridiculously cute, alien that wants to go home while mysterious and menacing government operatives give chase” is a description that perfectly fits both films.
“While the latter comes nowhere close to capturing the magic or legacy of the former, Earth to Echo boasts a decent enough storyline for young teens.
Moreover, while it embraces all the trappings of modern technology – Tuck’s camcorders, myriad cell phones etc – Earth to Echo succeeds in offering a good old-fashioned glimpse at the simple pleasures of kids getting on a bike in a homely neighbourhood in the quest of some adventure.
It eschews the effects-laden storylines that drive many films of late to focus on being ultimately a decent enough family film that, derivative though it may be, is not afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve and celebrate friendship.
It does boast some effective CG, though. Echo himself, who communicates via a series of beeps, is a shoe-sized little robot thing (that reminded me a lot of Calimero, an Italian/Japanese cartoon character popular in my childhood, a chick that wears half an eggshell on its head).
The film’s strongest point, however, are the engaging performances from the young cast of relative unknowns. The protagonist trio is played with unassuming and charming brio by Bradley, Hartwig and Halm.
Bradley’s Tuck is the de facto leader, the one who eggs his pals on to discover what – or who – is behind the strange phone signals… and who clearly sees a great opportunity for his fledgling film-making career.
Halm’s Alex is the sensitive one of the trio, a foster child who of course is the one who bonds the most with Echo, while Hartwig’s Munch is the comic; scared of his own shadow but always to be counted upon to come up with a wisecrack. They are, much to their disbelief, joined on their adventures by the most popular girl in their school Emma (Ella Wahlestedt).