Earth to Echo

This shameless update of Steven Spielberg's E.T. begins with three inseparable preteen friends whose families are forced to move from their suburban Nevada neighborhood due to a highway construction project. Tech-savvy Tuck (Brian “Astro” Bradley) documents his every waking moment with a video camera; Alex (Teo Halm) is an earnest foster kid with sensitive separation issues; and nerdy Munch's (Reese Hartwig) awkwardness adds comic relief. Toting a camcorder, the trio plan one last night together, biking out into the desert to investigate odd messages and a mysterious map that has “barfed up” on their cell phones. They discover an odd-looking cylinder lying on the ground that turns out to be a damaged little alien resembling a robotic owl with glowing blue eyes. Because of its electronic chirps, they dub it Echo, and learn—from asking simple “yes” and “no” questions—that it desperately needs some missing metallic parts in order to return to a mother ship. The boys are eventually and unexpectedly joined by their pretty-and-popular classmate, Emma (Ella Linnea Wahlestedt), a tough cookie who will stand up to the shadowy, quasi-government bad guys. Energetically directed by Dave Green, Earth to Echo copies much of E.T.—including youthful vulnerability and empowerment, bicycles, and even the movie poster—but it also cleverly updates the concept for the cell phone era and makes good use of the natural talents of appealing newcomers. A solid family film, this is recommended. (S. Granger)