Heading to the movies this weekend? Many of you will be and, if film forecasts are correct, plenty of you will be headed to see Dave Green's new feel-good family sci-fi adventure, Earth To Echo. A three-way cross between E.T., The Goonies and Super 8, Earth To Echo looks set to become a modern science fiction classic. A string of positive reviews won't exactly hurt either.

Tuck (Astro), Munch (Reese Hartwig) and Alex (Teo Halm) are three best friends who are faced with the arrival of a huge construction project that is splitting up their neighbourhood. As one final adventure together, the boys decide to investigate the strange coded messages and maps they keep getting on their cell phones.

After cracking the code, the boys stumble across an adorable unearthly creature who seems to possess the power to construct objects with its mind. They decide to name the incredible alien Echo and decide to help it get back to its home against all odds.

Describing the movie overall as "cuddly," Indie Wire critic Drew Taylor praises Green's direction, saying "The fact that director Dave Green was able to shape a genre as inherently cold and gritty as found footage and turn it into something that caused my audience to audibly gasp and "awww," is a testament to his talents as a filmmaker."

The NY Daily News' Elizabeth Weitzman marks the movie down for its lack of originality but recognises that Green's movie is filling a gap in children-aimed movie making this summer "Parents could certainly use an alternative to "Transformers," and this one'll do when it's time for an air-conditioned break," the critic writes.

Gary Goldstein of the LA Times isn't alone in noting the movie's surprising lack of special effects: "there aren't a ton of memorable visual effects in this carefully budgeted effort, there is a late-breaking eye-popper involving an airborne truck that should elicit a clap or two."

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"Bradley, Hartwig and Halm make engaging leads, bringing spirit and commitment to their archetypal roles," he says, adding "Unfortunately, the digitally animated Echo has nowhere near the charm, warmth or expressiveness of its Spielbergian ancestor."

Watch the 'Earth To Echo' trailer.

"It clearly sees itself as E.T. for the Y2K set," similarly remarks THR's Michael Rechtshaffen, who then adds "Credit a youthful, energetic spirit, nicely conveyed by its cast of naturally acting newcomers, a workable raw-footage construct and a spare but smartly spent special effects budget for the satisfying end result."

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The critic compliments how the movie embraces modern kids culture and technology, writing "having the characters' constant reliance on video recording, texting and various forms of social-media-driven communication keeps it all in and of the moment, and that's also true of the contemporary dialogued delivered by its likable young cast."

Earth To Echo will be an inspiring introduction into the science fiction genre for scores of families upon its imminent release: on the 2nd July in the USA and the 25th July in the UK. 

Earth To Echo
'Earth To Echo' Premieres: It Certainly Won't Be A Waste Of Money If You're Seeing This New Sci-Fi This Weekend.