Echoes of Sands

Critic Reviews

In the illustrious pantheon of time-travel misadventures, 'Echoes of Sands' unfortunately finds itself buried – much like its protagonists – beneath the weight of its own grandiosity. With a tagline promising a battle against the ceaseless march of time, 'Survival is timeless,' the film struggles to live up to the existential weight it so boldly claims to shoulder. Spielbird, a director whose name once evoked awe, seems to have lost his golden touch, delivering a film that feels more like a mummified relic than a fresh take on the genre. James Bean's portrayal of the 'brilliant yet cynical historian' is as dry as the deserts he trudges through, while Nilsson and Berry, despite their best efforts, cannot salvage the lackluster script that leaves them as stranded as a pair of mismatched socks in the spin cycle of history. While the film's visual effects evoke a certain sense of wonder, akin to witnessing a mirage of an oasis, the narrative itself is a mirage that leaves you thirstier for substance. The film's PG rating ensures that the stakes are as sanitized as a pharaoh's tomb, leaving us to wonder what perils truly threaten our cardboard cutout cast. In the end, 'Echoes of Sands' feels like a gust of hot air from a bygone era – not quite the timeless tale of survival it hoped to be.