Earth to Echo (10/21/2014)

Rated PG for some action and peril, and mild language.

Starring Teo Halm, Astro and Reese C. Hartwig

Directed by Dave Green

Earth to Echo is a fun action film for the preteen audience.

Tuck, Munch and Alex are a closely bonded trio of inseparable friends, but their time together is coming to an end. Their neighborhood is being destroyed by a highway construction project that is forcing their families to move away. But just two days before they must part ways, the boys find a cryptic signal has infected their phones. Convinced something bigger is going on and looking for one final adventure together, they set off to trace the messages to their source and discover something beyond their wildest imaginations: hiding in the darkness is a mysterious being, stranded on Earth, and wanted by the government. This launches the boys on an epic journey full of danger and wonder, one that will test the limits of their friendship and change all of their lives forever.

The film is shot with a hand held camera just like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. And like those films, the reason for the characters to be filming feels genuine. There are plenty of reasonable time periods that are not filmed or edited out in order to keep the film moving.

And that’s not the only thing rookie director, Dave Green, does right. His choices of camera angles (and tricks), action sequences and storytelling are flawless. I’m confident you’ll hear his name again soon.

But speaking of storytelling, the story is engaging and entertaining. The way they slowly reveal who Echo is and what he’s doing keeps the audience invested and guessing for most of the film. There is also a decent amount of humor and action in the film…and I enjoyed both.

Finally there is the cast. And anytime the cast consists almost exclusively of young teenagers I’m usually always skeptical. The actors are usually unknown, untested and unable to connect with the audience. And while I didn’t recognize them or their body of work, they seemed to connect with the audience immediately.

I’ll admit I was surprised how much I enjoyed Earth to Echo…to me it was “Theater Worthy.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The language and violence in this PG film are definitely on the mild side. Very young kids might find Echo a bit scary at first (he makes things move/crash around).

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. How would you describe Tuck, Munch and Alex?


2. How would you describe the friendships between them?


3. What makes them such good friends?

Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.


4. When did the three friends need each other? What happened?


5. When was the last time you needed friends? What happened?


6. How can you be that kind of friend to others?