Ok so I went to the cinema with my sister, my Niece and my Nephew, we went to see Earth to Echo; I had no real idea of what I was going to see, this mainly due to seeing an odd advert and that being it. I thought that this film was amazing, as it has brought back so many memories of the films I loved when growing up about young friends doing what kids did best back then, out on the bikes exploring and not stuck at home indoors. These children are doing what children used to do, what I used to do and that’s playing outside discovering the world and experiencing it for themselves not through a computer or television set.
In this story we have three main children that the film is based around we have Alex a foster child who has found some good friends, when he has found a good home, he has been in and out of homes for most of his life and has now been living in Nevada for about 4 years, so likes his small group of friends, he is played by Teo Halm he has a credit of 4 films to his name two are out already including Earth to Echo and two will be due out in the near future as far as I can tell, we also have Tuck who is a long-term resident of the area, he has an older brother and two loving parents, he is played by Brian ‘Astro’ Bradley he has 4 credits to his name, appearing in two different TV shows in one episode each, Earth to Echo and one project due out in the near future and then we have our third youngster of the group, Munch he is somewhat of a computer genius and oddball, his mum is divorced and he has qualities most other kids would normally hate, he is played by Reese Hartwig and he has 13 credits to his name so far including an episode of NCIS a show I love and The Muppets film in 2011.
These boys live in Nevada in a town that is being knocked down, so a freeway can be built, so all the residents are being forced out of their homes and made to move away, the three boys film all their group activities and that is how we see the whole film from their point of view the entire time like you are with them.
They discover the phones in Alex’s house one evening have gone slightly mad, they say it’s like their phone’s ‘barfed’ and they follow what they work out to be a map of Nevada on those devices, they do this on their last night together, before they all have to separate and that is how their journey begins, they tell each other’s parents they are at the others house playing video games and Munch hooks up all the phone lines for their parents to go straight through to his mobile in case someone rings to check up on them, I think that this is ingenious idea. I do not want to go into too much detail as I do not want to spoil it for some of you, but they discover something that is out of this world and warms to them as they warm to it and they are led on a night of fun and friendship through a treasure hunt to find all the pieces of what is known as a key. They are joined halfway through the night by Emma who goes to their school and they name Mannequin girl, she sees what they are up to and joins in on the boys last night and helps them to finish what they started, getting them out of a spot of trouble as well, she is played by Ella Wahlestedt she has 16 credits to her name including 10 episodes of Army Wives and a few short films.
I loved the film from start to finish and so did my niece and nephew laughing at quite a few things and loving how things played out. I have to say that watching this film instantly took me back to the films I grew up with, it had that feel to it, it had a Goonies vibe to it with the fact these kids were losing their homes and set out on an adventure, I was taken back to films like Mac & Me, Flight of the navigator, ET and the Explorers as it had the unknown type of adventure for children that was done so well I was caught up in it.
So this summer if you and the children or even just you, are looking for a good film to watch that has comedy to it as well as a little jeopardy and the bonding of friends who are soon to be apart then I do recommend you go see this, a film for the family or a film to remember your youth then this is it.
