In this found-footage adventure of three pre-teens when they go investigating one night only to find a small alien is what many would call a rip-off from “E. T.” where the youngsters are the one who save the day and finds a way for their alien friend to go back home.
Plot: The three friends, a budding tech-savvy filmmaker, Tuck, the foster kid, and the “acquired taste”, Munch are inclined to record every moment of their adventures as they try to investigate a strange shape that have been appearing on their smartphones. Just the night before they are supposed to be moving away from the neighborhood, they decide to explore the nearby desert area that looks like the shape on their phones and end up discovering a small metal-like alien whom they then help to find his missing pieces, so that it can go back home.
The camera movements are expectedly very jerky as they are supposed to be handled by kids between the age of 9 to 12, as they are running, riding their bikes, and tried to capture their reactions and upload the video of their adventures on Youtube. Not only are they keen on filmmaking, but they are all the kind of kids who know how to use their smartphones for not only texting, clicking pictures and recording video, but also are very much accustomed to using Google maps to find out about places and smoothly navigate. The performance of all the child artists were very impressive as they managed to do more than their bit to keep for this movie, for it mostly was riding on the most natural and free performances of these kids.
The CGI effects of the movie are very real indeed, especially of the scene where the alien saves a car from head-on colliding with a trailer-truck, by dismantling the truck and then putting it back together in the other side of the road. There are some scenes where the kids have to visit a bar and a high-school party and also learn how to drive (using Google instructions). These may not be appropriate for the target audience of the movie, but overall, this movie teaches us a lot of about friendships and standing up for your loved-ones especially when it is difficult.
Verdict: To this modern day, inclined technology story about how the friendships with no boundaries and conditions rule one night of unforgettable adventure, I give this movie, 4 out of 5 victories.