Swift shot: Mediocre scares, shocks more than anything else. Confusing plot, confusing logic behind the overall moral of the story. Acting was decent though, and the special effects were passable, but nothing really got to me. In fact, I took two nights to screen this, because I fell asleep the first night, and I had zero nightmares. Save this one for when you are desperate for a minor fright or two.
The plot takes a long time to get there, and the timing is so out of whack you never do figure out how long ago most of the events take place. The director, Yam Laranas and his army of writers assume too much, typically a bad idea with American audiences. You can follow along, but you really only find yourself following the story to make sure it ends how you think it will. I can say, I honestly wasn’t surprised by much in this film.
Bobby (Jesse Bradford) was recently released from prison for man-slaughter, after he killed another guy in a bar, while the low life piece of filth was trying to rape Bobby’s girlfriend. Of course, I would have given Bobby a medal, but, no, he had to go to prison, and when he gets out, he has nowhere to go except his, now deceased (and possibly mentally deranged) mother’s apartment, Room 519. The first night he is there, Bobby starts to hear voices from the other room, 517. Seems the man in 517, a cop, doesn’t play well with his family, and Bobby tries to ignore the voices coming from the crack in the wall.
As the film takes off, we meet Bobby’s new boss, Hector (Carlos Leon) and his ex girlfriend, the one he saved, Alyssa (Amelia Warner). They are both eager to help Bobby adjust back to the civilized world, but Bobby is starting to think the noises and strange encounters with the folks in 517 might have had something to do with his mother’s early departure. Other tenants seem to be concerned about 517 as well, but in the end, it is Bobby’s cross to bear, yet again, as he confronts the evil head on where others fear to tread.
There isn’t much that really stands out with “The Echo”, it is decent, it can hold its own, but just barely. The characters are interesting, but where they could have made better choices I think, was in the overall buildup of the final confrontation with room 517. Granted, the final conflict was brutal enough, however unbelievable, to warrant the 3,000 RPMs on the Thrillometer. Don’t rent this one, wait til it is on SciFi, or SyFy, or whatever the hell they call it this week! Save some dollars and thank me for saving you some, that’s what I am here for.
