CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Film Review: Emotion of ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ in ‘Earth to Echo’
CHICAGO – Oh those meddling kids, they can’t keep their noses out of anything, and for one lost space alien that’s a good thing. “Earth to Echo” is a wonderfully mastered combination of “found footage” composition and a Spielbergian-style encounter with an extra-terrestrial.
Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
This is an adventure aimed at the kids, but with enough heart, social commentary and nostalgia to satisfy their adult companions. It is the remarkable feature film debut of Dave Green, and the fact that it’s opening on a major holiday weekend speaks volumes for its subject matter and quality of the film. Green combines the camaraderie of intense childhood friendships with the modern technology they use today to pursue their E.T., and all of the clues make sense as they go about their discovery. For adult audiences, it’s about the long lost neighborhoods of as it all goes away, and the wonder of looking at a circumstance through the prism of childhood wonder.
Tuck (Brian “Astro” Bradley), Alex (Teo Halm) and Munch (Reese Hartwig) are best buddies in a comfortable American neighborhood. Everything changes when a highway construction project means that all the houses are sold and everyone has to move away. Two days before this is to happen, the trio of boys start receiving signals on their mobile phones. So to celebrate their last night together, they decide to investigate, with Tuck recording every moment on his various video devices.
The signal brings them to the middle of an off-the-beaten-path field, where they find a pod. The pod is something strange, and starts to emit beeps and more signals, which lead the boys to find the sum of its various parts. One of the stops is at the home of their school mate Emma (Ella Wahlestedt), and she joins the pursuit. The pod contains an alien they call Echo, and the government is interested in finding both the kids and their adopted new friend.
Anybody Out There? The Gang Contemplates Their Fate in ‘Earth to Echo’
Photo credit: Relativity Media