I can’t help but get the Barenaked Ladies song “It's All Been Done” out of my head after watching the newest trailer for the sci-fi family adventure film EARTH TO ECHO. Maybe it’s just me, but take it for a spin and set me straight in the comments. It's a found footage movie that follows a group of friends who find an alien that needs their help getting home. Like our own Alex Maidy pointed out with the last trailer, it still reminds me of movies like E.T. and BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED.
Let’s see if the synopsis sings a different tune:
Tuck, Munch and Alex are a trio of inseparable friends whose lives are about to change. Their neighborhood is being destroyed by a highway construction project that is forcing their families to move away. But just two days before they must part ways, the boys begin receiving a strange series of signals on their phones. Convinced something bigger is going on, they team up with another school friend, Emma, and set out to look for the source of their phone signals. What they discover is something beyond their wildest imaginations: a small alien who has become stranded on Earth. In need of their help, the four friends come together to protect the alien and help him find his way home.
No it does not. It's CHRONICLE for kids with an alien that looks like a live-action EVE from WALL-E; they’re going to love this shit. While I’ll admit that aliens and adventure make for some of the best summer movies, I just wish this was offering something (anything) new.
EARTH TO ECHO opens July 2 2014.