Echo

Far too many times we have seen trailers that show us all of the big highlights of movies but these highlights make up about 5% of the films real premise. For me that is what earth to echo was like.

The trailer hooked me in but i didn't buy in to the marketing so much as to see this in the theater and in all honesty it doesn't have to be watched in the theater to be appreciated. This movie could have very well been made in a month and cost maybe 3 million.

It is true Echo has very little screen time but I didn't notice because as the movie went along I realized what I was watching was not about echo it was about the 3 boys friendship. The basic premise of the film is that a construction company is buying up this entire neighborhood and the boys are all moving. The boys decide to spend their last night together trying to figure out a mystery. I was really invested in all of the boys and laughed a lot too. Being a 23 year old watching what is naturally a child's movie I barely ever do. The shaky was annoying but it actually made sense for this movie and again kept me invested. Personally I think this film was an 8. Writing was spot on, main actors were great the shots were excellent, music was great and the CGI was tastefully used.

Watch this with your kid (my second graders loved it) or on a rainy day.

Because of the posters, every little child who can talk wants to see this movie. However, most of the dialogue and jokes go right over the head of anyone under the age of 8-10. It is a beautiful movie that reminds me of Batteries not Included and Goonies (with that first person camera work directors love now-days), but (as with both of those movies) the target audience seems to be older families, not little children.

That being said, there is nothing overt that you want to hide your little ones from, they will just probably fall asleep as my 4 year old did. If you have a 12 year old and you want to see a movie with them, then this is the perfect movie for you.

I really liked this film. It's a fun Kids adventure in the vein of Goonies, Big, No Batteries Required or The Last Star Fighter. I guess similarities could be drawn with ET but only in as far as it's a Sci Fi film with kids in it. It's funny, well acted by the kids and I found it heart warming and exciting. Its not so much "found footage" as shot and narrated by the kids themselves but in a far more watchable way. I guess if you're not a fan of that then his isn't the film for you. It's not big budget but in now way is it "low budget". It relies on the actors to tell the story and on the story itself, not on millions of pounds worth of special effects. What special effects it uses are very well done and integrated seamlessly. Definitely worth watching!!!

I was really excited about this movie after watching the trailer. Unfortunately, I think the trailer picked up the most stable of the shots.

Although there was a strong resemblance to E.T., and I could relate to The Goonies too a little bit, the movie got off to a good start and it maintained the pace throughout.

Three buddies, Tuck, Alex and Munch are soon to be separated by a construction project causing their families to move. Tuck, an amateur videographer almost always has a camera handy and tapes all moments with his friends. A few days before the move, all their cell phones start behaving weirdly. Alex discovers it's a map and soon their last night together turns into an adventure. Tuck tapes the whole adventure and we see the story from whatever was taped (found footage).

Cons: 1. Shaky cam - I'm usually neutral to shaky cam. I know it's supposed to be amateur footage, but why subject the audience to a dizzying IMAX screen of shaky cam the entire length of the movie? I was fortunately sitting in the back but I felt sorry for the people in the front rows. If you're prone to motion sickness, do not watch this. Even I take better videos than this with my hand-held camera.

2. Screen time of Echo - Given that the movie is about an alien, the screen time of Echo is very less. I would have loved to see more of Echo definitely. The departure of Echo is rather abrupt.

3. Unnecessary character - Emma was definitely a purposefully introduced and totally unnecessary character.

Pros: 1. Good acting - By all the three kids. They did their part well.

2. Good soundtrack - I think the music plays only for a few minutes in the movie but I liked it.

3. Good graphics - The graphics were really nice. Echo and rest of the sequences were well done.

Like another review, I would consider this more of a good rental movie than one that's good to see in the theater.

We got in for an early screening of this movie, not knowing quite what it would be, just that it had kids and a cute little alien. Even not being kids ourselves, we were extra happy throughout it. It really goes from the children's perspective, as they record what they see with small cameras attached to their bikes and their glasses and their hands. The plot was nice, and we had a few good laughs throughout.

It's a great one to bring the kids to, or just a nice movie to check out. The first person and sci-fi elements made you feel like you were a part of it, and you had to help the little alien out.

Granted, it's not perfect. Sometimes there are things that the kids do which really feel like it's something kids shouldn't be doing, and the plot it fairly predictable. But still, if you want just an easy going time, it'll work out well.