This film, directed by Dave Green, reminds older audience members of a 32-year-old Steven Spielberg movie about a homesick* extraterrestrial*.

    While the storytelling has been given a fitting* technological upgrade, everything regarding this sci-fi adventure*, right down to the movie poster, tells people that it is “E.T.” for the Y2K* set.

    Still, the film is good with a youthful, energetic* spirit, nicely presented by its naturally acting newcomers, a workable raw-footage* construct and a cleverly-spent special effects budget*.

    The 89-minute film cuts quickly to the chase* as the lives of teenage longtime best friends Tuck (Brian “Astro” Bradley), Munch (Reese Hartwig) and Alex (Teo Halm) are facing change as a new highway construction project is forcing their families to move away from their suburban* Nevada neighborhood.

    But as they spend one last night together before moving out, the boys begin receiving a strange series of signals on their phones.

    Believing 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.

    Their trying at deciphering* the images takes them to the middle of the desert where they see a strange-looking cylinder* in the ground next to a transformer*. Soon a frightened, wide-eyed inhabitant* comes out of it.

    A small friendly alien has become stranded* on Earth. The four, naming him Echo, help him find his way home.

    Aside from “E.T.,” you’ll also find bits of everything from “The Goonies” to “Super 8” woven into the film.

    But the characters’ reliance* on video recording, texting and various forms of social-media-driven communication keeps it of the moment, and that’s also true of the contemporary* dialogue delivered by the young cast.

    Sometimes even the most shameless of knockoffs* can’t be denied.

    (SD-Agencies)