"Earth to Echo" is the latest in the "aliens and kids" genre of movies that seems to recycle itself with each new generation of children. While "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" probably wasn't the first film of that type, for better or worse it has become the exemplar against which all similar movies to come since are measured. To its credit, "Earth to Echo" doesn't try to distance itself from the obvious influence of "E.T." but it's a very fine line between a sincere homage and an uninspired derivative. From the found-footage format to the by-the-numbers plot, "Earth to Echo" is a failed pastiche of cursory storytelling and glitzy special effects.
"Earth to Echo" is the story of foster kid Alex (Teo Halm), amateur videographer Tuck (Brian "Astro" Bailey), and awkward boy genius Munch (Reese Hartwig). The film opens with the boys' neighborhood scheduled for demolition due to a highway construction project. Just days before they are to all to move out and go their separate ways, the boys discover a series of mysterious signals on their cell phones. Determined to have one last adventure on their last night together, the three concoct a plan to sneak off and discover the source of the transmissions.
The origin of the signals, of course, is a miniature alien who has crashed on Earth that the boys soon name Echo. Echo is an undeniably endearing biomechanical critter with impressive electromagnetic powers that seem to wax and wane as the demands of the plot require. Echo just wants to fix his spaceship and go home, and the boys volunteer to help him find the parts he needs (some assembly required, Reese's Pieces and Speak & Spell not included) while evading capture by Ambiguously Ominous Government Forces. Along the way they are joined by classmate Emma (Ella Wahlestedt), who, unfortunately, seems only to serve as the token female in the story.
What ensues is a connect-the-dots, 1-2-3 series of side quests that mostly involve sneaking around all night and breaking into setpieces that give the filmmakers an excuse to show off Echo's (obnoxiously loud and camera-rattling) electromagnetic powers. One would think an incredibly intelligent and powerful extra-terrestrial would employ subtler methods of collecting what amounts to little pieces of junk that no one would miss anyway, especially when trying to evade the government. But hey, it's just a kids' movie right?
All the sound and fury, as well as the nauseating (both figuratively and literally) found-footage style camera work, can't cover up the lack of story coherence or character development in this first feature-film effort from director Dave Green and writer Henry Gayden. The "kids and aliens" genre is usually a coming-of-age story, a metaphor about childhood's end and transitioning into the uncharted space that is adolescence. As such, these films need to resonate on a personal, intimate level, which makes the choice of format even more puzzling. The same jarring, disorienting qualities that make it a boon in the supernatural and horror genres are completely ineffective for what is ostensibly a story about self-discovery.
"Earth to Echo" is a slickly packaged popcorn movie that will appeal to most kids on a surface level. The characters are breezily accessible and identifiable, the alien is cute and has cool powers, the visuals are good-to-great, and the overall stimuli level will certainly entertain the iPad Generation. "Earth to Echo" is aptly named however, a hollow reflection of the better-fidelity sources that spawned it, destined to fade quickly into nothingness.
2.5 Yaps
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJgIv_hrjdg&w=514&h=289]