Back during the early portion of Hollywood’s Golden Era, long before the concept of “dubbing” came to be the norm, studios would film multiple versions of the same project in order to sell their product to the south of the border and overseas markets. Often, the U.S. stars themselves would appear, phonetically stumbling over an entirely unknown language to them, thus ensuring that countless generations to come would laugh at their poor diction. If you need an example, seek out some of the foreign-language Laurel & Hardy vehicles (they‘re a hoot, believe me).

Other times, instead of paying the same actors double, Hollywood would a allow foreign-speaking cast and crew to come in on the sets at night (after the “big” stars had long gone) and shoot their own version of a film, using a similar script. A prime example of this (and one of the few you may ever see, mind you) is the Spanish-language version of Universal’s 1931 Dracula. Even though the basic plots were the same, the actors were completely different. As such, they brought their own unique flair to the movie, making it quite dissimilar to its American counterpart.

The Echelon Conspiracy is kind of like that. Even by just glancing over the cover, it’s painfully obvious that The Echelon Conspiracy is a poor man’s version of Eagle Eye, the bloated Hollywood hit from producer Steven Spielberg and starring Shia LaBeouf and Billy Bob Thornton. However, there’s something about The Echelon Conspiracy’s low-budget charms that makes it appealing. In fact, it’s so appealing, that I shall now offer you five very legitimate reasons for picking The Echelon Conspiracy over Eagle Eye.

5. No blatant product placement.

That’s right, The Echelon Conspiracy contains nary a hint of advertising. There are no Blackberry phones, Porsche Cayennes, Macy’s, Visa gift cards, or Circuit City stores (thank God). Why did Eagle Eye rely so heavily on such items? Because Steven Spielberg is a product placement whore, that’s why!

The Echelon Conspiracy was filmed in Prague, Russia, Bangkok, and Bulgaria. I guess that might count as product placement to some people, but the words “Visit Prague…Visit Prague…Visit Prague” never managed to flash on the screen, so I’ll argue against that notion, thank you so very much.

4. Its low budget keeps things more realistic.

Not only did the over-pricey $80 million production Eagle Eye try to convince us that Shia LaBeouf was capable of saving the world (again), but it also served as an unflinching reminder that Hollywood can take even the most elementary of tasks and blow it way out of proportion. From ambitious chase scenes to larger-than-life, overly-dramatic, pummel-us-all-in-the-face-please music reminiscent of an Albert Glasser score, Eagle Eye kept pounding itself into you repeatedly throughout its 118-minute runtime.

Article Author: Luigi Bastardo

Luigi Bastardo is the disgruntled alter-ego of Adam Becvar, a thirtysomething lad from Northern California who has watched so many weird movies since the tender age of 3 that a conventional life is out of the question. …

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