‘Earth To Echo’ Receives Mixed Reviews From Movie Critics

Earth to Echo should provide folks with a family-friendly alternative to the more adult fare that’s clogging up theaters at the moment. Unfortunately, some moviegoers might have mixed emotions about the sci-fi flick by the time the end credits roll.

Directed by Dave Green, Earth to Echo tells the story of an alien who convinces some kids to help him return home. The Spielbergian plot is sure to lure quite a few folks to the theater over the extended holiday weekend. In fact, The Hollywood Reporter believes the movie will generate around $19 million by the time Sunday rolls around. However, the film doesn’t stand a chance at dethroning Transformers 4 at the box office.

Before tossing a hefty wad of your hard-earned cash towards the purchase of several movie tickets this weekend, it’s probably a good idea to check out the reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes. If the 53 percent rating isn’t to your liking, then it’s probably easier to just rent Frozen for the kids one more time.

Boston Globe critic Tom Russo seemed pretty impressed with Earth to Echo as a whole. Although the film experiences a few hiccups and missteps along the way, the journey is apparently worth the price of admission.

Russo explained:

“[‘Earth to Echo’] isn’t as fully realized as its inspiration. Its nominal star is less a character than a cute effect. We can hear the trolls now: ‘Clash of the Titans’ (1981) called — they want their robot bird back. And the representation of ‘scary’ adult authority isn’t nearly as artistically sophisticated as Spielberg’s. But the young cast’s interaction is terrific. You might come for the turn-on-your-heartlight riff, but you’ll stay for the connection the boys share.”

Moira Macdonald, movie critic for the Seattle Times, also enjoyed what Earth to Echo had to offer. She also believes the filmmakers drew plenty of inspiration from Steven Spielberg’s well-worn cinematic playbook. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Macdonald wrote:

“And yes, ‘Earth to Echo’ is ‘E.T.,’ or rather an affectionate 21st-century homage to “E.T.” Told in jittery but appealing found-footage style, with the ever-texting boys capturing the story on video, it’s not quite Spielberg, but it’s good fun for the just-out-of-school crowd. (‘Awesome!’ was the final verdict of my 9-year-old gentleman guest.)”

As always, it’s pretty hard to please everyone. For every positive review Earth to Echo received, there’s a negative write-up dragging the film’s rating into the realm of the rotten. Newsday writer Rafer Guzman seemed to think Green and company borrowed a little too liberally from Spielberg’s beloved classic.

He explained:

“Thinly written by Henry Gayden and choppily directed by Dave Green, ‘Earth to Echo’ is presented as Tuck’s video diary, a conceit that at least allows the bright young cast to create a loose, freewheeling camaraderie. Otherwise, though, the movie tracks ‘E.T.’ so closely — right down to the coldhearted government types led by Dr. Madsen (Jason Gray-Stanford) — that you can almost hear the legal ice cracking beneath the children’s bicycle tires.”

Are you planning to catch Earth to Echo on the big screen this weekend?

[Image via Relativity Media]