Earth to Echo
Relativity Media | Release Date: July 2, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
15
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
EmpireAndrew OsmondJul 21, 2014
Does for "E.T." what "Super 8" did for "Close Encounters." As lovably '80s as Reece's Pieces and pop socks. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleWilliam GossJul 2, 2014
Despite the shaky-cam aesthetic, Dave Green’s first feature still makes for a brisk, appealing adventure capably anchored by four young actors. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandJul 2, 2014
An exceptionally fine children's film. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTom RussoJul 1, 2014
Green and his cast deliver a wonderful surprise. Echo himself, a generically precious alien, is the least of it. The funny, moving, authentic bond among the kids in the movie is the unadvertised draw. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigJul 1, 2014
Earth to Echo is about adventure, bravery and excitement, but mostly it's about friendship— a subject that resonates with audiences of all ages. Read full review
74
Film.comKate ErblandJul 3, 2014
It’s not exceedingly original, it is well-made and a solid entry into the subgenre. Read full review
70
NPRBob MondelloJul 8, 2014
The filmmakers wanted to broaden the formula a little, make it more inclusive, do something a little adventurous. Kinda like Earth to Echo's tween heroes. Read full review
70
TheWrapJames RocchiJun 29, 2014
Attractively made, good-hearted, and more than a little redundant even as it's trying a little too hard, Earth to Echo nonetheless will hit the sweet spot for parents looking for innocent PG-rated entertainment for their kids in a summer full of PG-13 spectacle and mayhem. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenJun 7, 2014
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. Read full review
67
HitfixDrew McWeenyJun 26, 2014
Earth To Echo is a little bit big and broad, but that's also part of its charm. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Geoff PevereJul 2, 2014
Would that the movie had gone the next step, and possibly imagined that this bright, shiny little E.T. had figured out how to get kids to do its sinister work for him by providing free WiFi and endless smartphone upgrades in exchange for undying loyalty, we might have had something altogether different on our hands. Read full review
63
Washington Post Sandie Angulo ChenJul 2, 2014
Yes, it’s plainly derivative, but Dave Green’s debut feature is heartfelt and fun, particularly for children craving live-action films beyond big-budget superhero reboots and animated sequels. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesBill ZweckerJul 2, 2014
The saving grace for this film is the group of young actors. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreJul 1, 2014
An 'E.T.' knockoff that works. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJul 2, 2014
Earth to Echo resonates, despite itself. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJul 1, 2014
It's no "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." (What is?) But on its own modest terms, the alien adventure Earth to Echo is a lively and likable knockoff that should divert, if not exactly enthrall, tweens and young teens. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJul 1, 2014
Despite its adoption of that trendy (and more than a little tired) shooting style, there's an old-fashioned charm to Earth to Echo. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJul 2, 2014
The most derivative movie of the summer, Earth To Echo, is also the most visually unpredictable, chock-full of degraded digital textures that seem ready to boil off the screen, picture-boxed within Mac desktops and overlaid with extraterrestrial interface trees. Read full review
58
The PlaylistDrew TaylorJul 2, 2014
All in all, Earth to Echo is passable family entertainment, neither unforgettable nor particularly bad. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghJul 2, 2014
The found-footage approach loses its shine quickly. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaJul 2, 2014
What ultimately should have been borrowed from Spielberg’s oeuvre but isn’t is a sense of wonder and achievement whenever characters come in contact with the unknown or overcome a great obstacle as a team. Imitation should be flattering, not flattening. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 2, 2014
This isn't a family-friendly film - anyone over the age of about 8 will immediately recognize that significant chunks of the story don't make sense. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezJul 1, 2014
The constant foregrounding of so much well-executed incident only works to shortchange the heroes' yearnings and anxieties. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianStephen WhittyJul 1, 2014
It's not particularly logical and it's not particularly fun. As deliberately amateur as the herky-jerky photography is, the rest of the film isn't much more professional. Read full review
40
Village VoiceAmy NicholsonJul 2, 2014
Earth to Echo is a slender kiddie flick about a quartet of preteens and their palm-sized alien pal that's at once bland, well-intentioned, and utterly terrifying about the mental development of modern children. Read full review
40
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldJul 1, 2014
Technology remains no substitute for well-written characters and genuine intrigue and atmosphere, so despite the cute special effects and camera jostling, this film feels like an extended episode of an after-school show by Disney. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJul 1, 2014
Earth to Echo is a copy of a copy. The movie feels less like a weak “E.T.” than a substandard “Mac and Me.” And you may not even remember the latter, a 1988 flop — the fate likely to hit this well-meaning but underwhelming effort. Read full review
40
The DissolveKeith PhippsJul 1, 2014
Earth To Echo is yet another found-footage film, and not a particularly inventive one at that. Read full review
40
VarietyGeoff BerkshireJun 7, 2014
Earth to Echo reaches for the stars with its gentle sci-fi shenanigans, but the rote result remains decidedly earthbound. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJul 1, 2014
It's as if there's a barrier between the viewer and the story that never comes down. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle SmithJul 1, 2014
Even at a cramped and frenetic 82 minutes, the movie feels long. That’s what happens when the audience can guess everything that’s going to happen in advance. Read full review
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