Earth to Echo

The mildewed found-footage technique allows some tension to build from offscreen action, but also renders the knockoff John Williams score inexplicable.

Worth seeing for those who haven't seen it all before.

If you distilled this not intolerable film into a bottle, you could happily market it is as Essence of Spielberg.

This cutesy E.T.-like sci-fi drama is utterly undermined by its own shooting style.

It is a smart, visually dynamic film, but audiences may miss Spielberg's wonderment.

This kind of magpie filmmaking can work with a sincere core, but the big problem is that Earth to Echo lacks one. It's all spare parts.

Earth to Echo, it’s not that I’m mad at you, I’m just disappointed. Or is that just worse to say?

From start to finish, Earth to Echo wants to jog our memories about the unforgettable experiences we have experienced with our best friends.

Amiable but not terribly exciting. It has a distinct direct-to-video vibe, despite at least one eye-popping sequence of a truck being dismantled and reassembled.

While the child actors all give admirable performances, the dialogue and plot fail to capture the creativity and suspense their predicament promises.